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OSHA proposes a new safety and health standard, "Emergency Response," to replace the existing "Fire Brigades Standard" https://loom.ly/pGRzqvg #OSHA #EmergencyResponse #SafetyStandards #OccupationalSafety

OSHA PAIN POINT #1: Let OSHA know how the proposed Emergency Response Standard will impact your department! Here is one ‘pain point’ that you can address in your comment. OSHA’s Proposed Rule: All Emergency Service Organizations shall conduct a community or facility vulnerability and risk assessment for its service area, for the purpose of establishing its standards of response and determining the ability to match the community or facility’s risks with available resources. The Pain Point: Does your fire department conduct hazard assessments (or pre-plans) to all commercial businesses? Does your department conduct hazard assessments to all vacant structures? Does your department pre-plan facilities that are subject to reporting requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)? Does your department have an incident plan for each of the hazard assessments for an emergency incident? If not, then you will not be compliant with the OSHA Proposed Ruling. Tell OSHA: This is economically infeasible and there is no local funding for the hazard assessments of all buildings in your area. Let OSHA know what the cost would be to add one or more employees to be able to comply with conducting the yearly assessments. Be blunt – tell them you have no administrative staff to do this. Find more resources, including a template comment letter, at: www.nvfc.org/osha-standard Submit your comments before July 22 here: https://bit.ly/3KTKqTD

OSHA: Emergency Response Rulemaking The proposed rule would replace OSHA's existing Fire Brigades standard, 29 CFR 1910.156, which was originally promulgated in 1980, covers only a subset of present-day emergency responders (firefighters) and has only had minor updates in the 43 years since it was published. The focus of the proposed Emergency Response rule is to provide basic workplace protections for workers who respond to emergencies as part of their regularly assigned duties. Notably, the scope of protected workers under the proposed rule would be expanded to include workers who provide emergency medical service and technical search and rescue. #osha #firstresponders #firesafety

OSHA schedules online hearing on proposed Emergency Response Standard On July 23, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a notice in the Federal Register that it intends to hold a virtual, informal hearing on Nov. 12, 2024, to hear comments and testimony from the public on OSHA’s proposed Emergency Response standard. In February 2024, OSHA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to replace the “Fire Brigades” standard, published in 1980. The newly named “Emergency Response” standard would expand safety and health protections for emergency responders, including firefighters, emergency medical service providers and technical search and rescue workers. It would align these safety and health protections with current national consensus standards for workers exposed to hazards related to fires and other emergencies. The online hearing will allow stakeholders from across the country to participate. OSHA encourages first responders to join the meeting to share their opinions. OSHA held a public comment period that was originally scheduled to end May 6, 2024, but was extended twice in response to public demand. The comment period finally closed on July 22, although OSHA is still accepting public input via the Nov. 12 hearing. All comments submitted during the comment period can now be viewed within the docket associated with the proposed rule (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073) on Regulations.gov. To date, various national emergency services stakeholder groups have released position statements or submitted formal comments to OSHA, including the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the National Volunteer Fire Council (NFVC), the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). Many more comments were submitted at the state and local levels across the country. The online hearing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 9:30 a.m. EST. If needed, the hearing will be extended from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST on subsequent weekdays. Visit OSHA’s Emergency Response Rulemaking page to learn more and stay up to date with the latest announcements from OSHA on the ruling. As the date of the hearing approaches, details about how to attend will be posted on this page. (Sources: OSHA, IAFC, IAFF, NVFC, NASF, AHA, NAEMT) #MABAS #OSHA #FireBrigades #EmergencyResponse

OSHA Proposes Sweeping New Health and Safety Standards for Emergency Responders – Including EMS On February 5, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officially published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to issue a new proposed safety and health standard, titled Emergency Response, to replace the existing Fire Brigades Standard, 29 CFR 1910.156. The current Fire Brigades Standard, initially promulgated in 1980, only covers a limited subset of present-day emergency responders (firefighters) and has only had minor updates over the 43+ years it has existed. As a result, the current standard does not address the full range of hazards currently facing all emergency responders, nor does it reflect significant changes in performance specifications for protective clothing and equipment or major improvements in safety and health practices that have already been accepted by the emergency response community and incorporated into industry consensus standards. The new standard, as proposed by OSHA, is intended to address a broader scope of emergency responders, including not only firefighters but technical search and rescue workers, as well as emergency medical service (EMS) providers. It aims to resolve what the agency has described as a “patchwork” of unrelated standards for emergency workers. The new rule addresses a variety of workplace hazards, including exposure to toxic chemicals, equipment failures, infectious diseases, and the physical and mental health of first responders. Accordingly, it will require written emergency response plans, hazard vulnerability assessments, training, personal protective equipment, medical screenings, and behavioral health services, as well as several other requirements. These modernized revisions are intended to conform with current industry standards, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Response Framework and the Department of Homeland Security’s National Incident Management System (NIMS). To read the complete story, please click on the link provided below: https://lnkd.in/e3fdHGzJ

🚨 Breaking News!! OSHA has just announced a proposal for comprehensive new health and safety standards specifically designed for our heroes in emergency services, including EMS teams. This landmark move aims to enhance the protection and well-being of those who are always first on the scene. Stay tuned for more updates and make sure your teams are ready for a safer future!

Focus on Occupational Health this week Genesis Occupational Health and Safety. Hopefully bringing an awareness of the importance of this to companies. #OHAW2024 #OccupationalHealthAwareness

Our January HSE Update looks at their annual work-related ill health and injury statistics for 2022/23. We review the prosecutions issued in December which included fines of over £5.9m and 5 workplace fatalities. ⚠ Are all your risk assessments regularly reviewed? ⚠ Are they still suitable and sufficient? ⚠ Are your employees up to date with all their training needs? Read our full Health & Safety Executive January Update here 👉 https://lnkd.in/erVxaY8T #healthandsafety #riskassessment #healthandsafetraining 

Let's talk the NPRM Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued last month related to emergency response. It vastly expands in scope and detail the coverage of 29 CFR 1910.156 beyond the boundaries it has lived in for the last 40 years. VASTLY. How does it expand the scope? Well, let's start with this- if you operate a facility that has its own emergency services, you are now covered, even if those emergency services are limited to emergency medical and not firefighting. The current standard specifically stated it only applied to fire brigades. Whereas the current standard focused on PPE, with four paragraphs on training, the proposed standard's scope covers literally everything one can imagine associated with emergency response, from the Incident Command System through the living quarters for crews to mental and behavioral health services for responders who have been through traumatic or potentially traumatic events. Responders will be subject to rigorous medical evaluations and surveillance and fitness-for-duty expectations. In a word, this WILL change the way emergency response is handled and the current Preamble indicates a clear expectation that it will cover everything from volunteer fire and rescue through private fire brigades and EMS. This, at a time, when recruiting personnel to work in the local VFD is difficult, if not impossible, and NIOSH and other government-funded research organizations find that over 50% of the personnel in EMS are overweight. There are no carveouts for ADA, EEOC, or other accommodations. There are no carveouts for when a community will go without service because qualified responders cannot be recruited. This will get interesting folks. It is time to pay attention and speak up. #odworkplacesafety #fire #ems #osha

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing to issue a new safety and health standard titled “Emergency Response” to replace the existing “Fire Brigades Standard” (29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.156). The new standard would address a broader scope of emergency responders and would include programmatic elements to protect emergency responders from a variety of occupational hazards.