OSHA Provides Guidance for EMS Workers and HazMat

Most workers who are routinely exposed to hazardous substances during the course of their jobs receive the type of training necessary to help protect themselves from the negative effects associated with accidental exposure or improper procedures.  However, there is another class of workers who are only occasionally foisted into situations where they may come into contact with a wide variety of toxic or otherwise dangerous chemicals and materials – emergency first responders.

Those who put their health on the line to save the lives of others can find themselves dealing with accident victims who have been stricken as a result of contamination with hazardous substances.  Clearly, protecting the safety of emergency medical personnel and rescue workers as they try to do their jobs is important enough that risk managers responsible for EMS (emergency medical services) teams need to develop clear policies for handling these types of situations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently released a document entitled “Best Practices for Protecting EMS Responders During Treatment and Transport of Victims of Hazardous Substance Releases.”  The aim is to provide guidance to risk managers interested in a comprehensive safety strategy for dealing with these types of difficult health services scenarios.

Much of the guide focuses on concrete measures that can be taken to ensure that EMS personnel are not placing themselves at risk when performing medical interventions on exposed victims.  A significant component of the OSHA document focuses on training workers to be able to recognize hazardous situations as quickly as possible, in order to lessen their chances of dangerous exposure.  Situational awareness is a key tenet of keeping medical personnel safe.  Furthering this theme, OSHA describes several different pieces of equipment which can be used to detect the presence of otherwise odorless, tasteless and invisible contaminants which could be present at the scene of an emergency.  These include radiation, chemical agents and biological hazards and toxic street drugs such as methamphetamine, which can be found in labs in concentrations high enough to cause serious injury.

The document also describes the types of personal protective equipment (PPE) that can be helpful in reducing the dangers posed by hazardous substances, and on training emergency workers in how to properly use this type of gear.  PPE related to hazardous materials can include anything from gloves and respiratory masks to full on containment suits with respirators, depending upon the severity of the incident being responded to.  PPE becomes especially relevant when making contact with victims, as it is possible for certain types of contaminants to actually permeate the bodies of those who require medical treatment.

The latter can create a dangerous situation when transporting a patient, as they may spread the hazardous substance in question simply by touch or even exhaling.  Not only do EMS workers need to be able to protect themselves from this possibility, but those present in hospital emergency rooms must also be safeguarded against accidental exposure once contaminated patients have been admitted into a ward.  A clear policy for handling these types of accidents is a critical component of any EMS risk management portfolio.