If you deal with emergency planning and response to releases of hazardous substances you can take a deep breath and have a sigh of relief… OSHA is NOT touching its HAZWOPER standard under its proposed revision to its emergency response standards. The changes OSHA is proposing will apply ONLY to its Fire Brigade standard, 1910.156. OSHA’s potential Emergency Response standard could apply to employers that designate employees to provide emergency response services that are currently covered by OSHA’s Fire Brigades standard (29 FR §1910.156) or are NOT specifically covered by another OSHA standard. This could include:
- Emergency Service Organizations (ESO), such as firefighting, fire rescue, emergency medical service, technical rescue, vehicle/machinery rescue, water rescue/recovery, and search and rescue, but not law enforcement employers solely engaged in law enforcement/crime prevention activities.
- General industry employers that have or will establish a Workplace Emergency Response Team, also known as an industrial, emergency or facility fire brigade, industrial fire department, emergency response team, fire team, or plant emergency organization. (This standard would not apply to employers that provide only those emergency services which are already covered in certain respects by other OSHA standards.)
- General industry, construction, and maritime industry employers that expect, based on past experience, to enter into a mutual aid agreement (interagency agreement) or contract to provide skilled support personnel at an emergency incident.