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The article provides information on the emergency action plan to address catastrophic incidents. It states that U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requires every organization to have an emergency action plan that should contain means of reporting fires and other emergencies, rescue and medical duties, and evacuation procedures. Further, it discusses several studies on disaster preparedness.

The article reports on the multiple hazards facing "second responders" during disaster recovery operations in the United States. Disaster recovery experts discusses the need for employers to make sure they know with whom they are working. The article emphasizes the need for workers to be constantly aware of their surroundings to avoid chemical and physical hazards.

Reports on the benefits of emergency preparedness among safety professionals in the U.S. Implementation of incident command system to ensure a safe and efficient response; Application of the fundamental principles of organizational management by distributing the workload to varying levels of personnel; Prevention of death and injuries among emergency responders and industrial workers.

Reports on how practice and preparation saved 1,200 employees of General Motors Corp.'s production plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from the F4 tornado that wrecked the plant on May 8, 2003. Equipment of the plant with several tornado shelters underground and above ground; Holding of drills; Tests on the emergency notification system; Description of events at the plant before, during and after the tornado.

Focuses on the focus of businesses on developing effective emergency planning programs following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. Effect of the willingness to acknowledge the need for emergency planning on work environment; Attention received by pre-incident planning; Forecast on the integration of emergency planning to the workplace. INSET: AEDs Charge Into Public Access..

Offers advice on how businesses should prepare for the occurrence of tornados in the United States. Need for the development of a comprehensive response plan; Monitoring of the progress and development of tornados; Determining of safety areas inside office buildings.

The article discusses the results of the "Executive Employer Survey" conducted by labor law firm Littler Mendelson and released on July 12, 2016. Topics covered include the percentage of employers who have updated or implemented a zero tolerance workplace violence prevention policy in response to mass shootings at U.S. workplaces, the development of an emergency response plan, and the significance of workplace violence prevention program.

The article offers information on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virginia Island. It states that OSHA deals with safety and health needs in construction or general industry. It mentions that the agency's role is to assist safety officers in keeping emergency responders safe. It presents that Puerto Rico operates an OSHA plan, which enforces regulations in public and private sectors.

The article reports on the findings of the study conducted by the University of Illinois which revealed that emergency planners in the U.S. are not yet prepared for possible earthquakes.

The article reports on the move of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius in addressing participants at the H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit that the federal government is doing its best in preparing for a H1N1 flu virus outbreak in 2009. She urged municipalities and schools to intensify their actions against any outbreak. Other officials also released information related to planning for an outbreak.

The article reports on the comments sought by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for three nuclear power plant emergency preparedness proposals. The proposed rules include the improvements for the emergency preparedness regulations, the offsite requirements for such programs, and the guidance and policy documents from FEMA. Comments will be accepted till October 19, 2009 for the first proposal, and August 3, 2009 for the remaining two.

The article reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched a new training center called the National Exercise Simulation Center on January 2009. The simulation center is designed to improve national preparedness among government officials and emergency support providers by simulating emergency situations. DHS also launched social media tools on January 16 for its campaign on personal preparedness during emergency situations.

The article discusses a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GOA) report that urges the federal government to escalate efforts to assist states bridge gaps in pandemic response planning. The government's "Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza" assigns states and municipalities as primary responders during a pandemic. Congress has allocated $600 million to states and localities via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for planning and exercises.

The article reports on a U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing that zeroed in on the country's ability to provide care and fulfill basic needs following a nuclear attack. Department of Defense's (DoD) Paul McHale describes a picture of the devastation a 10-kiloton improvised nuclear device could bring to a city. The response of the DoD includes a team of up to 6,000 military personnel, 59 U.S. Army companies, and over 300 U.S. Marine Corps personnel.

The article reports on the discovery by researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of a frequency "sweet spot" for underground radio in the U.S. in 2008. The frequency "sweet spot" in tunnels such as subways and mines enables signals to travel farther and may improve radio communication during rescue operations in underground areas.

The article cites key survey findings in 2008 indicating that majority of businesses have established a formal emergency preparedness plan in the U.S. The survey findings, however, showed that there is no single standard in the emergency preparedness plans implemented by the companies. Also cited are the issues' implications for occupational health and safety.

The article highlights a report from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which praised state governments' emergency preparedness plans. The report noted several areas wherein states have made improvements since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, including all states having emergency response plans and increased number of public health laboratories.

The article reports that the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has published a final rule that will require underground coal mines to have better trained rescue teams that are ready for an emergency. Under the rule, mines will be required to have one person knowledgeable in mine emergency response at each mine for all shifts.

The article reports that emergency responders in the United States have come together in an effort to improve the safety and speed of clearing vehicle crashes from roadways. Several organizations have launched the National Unified Goal for Traffic Incident Management which aims to improve communication and coordination at crash scenes in order to quickly clear the roadway.

The article provides information on the role of Dennis R. Schrader, new deputy administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Preparedness Directorate, in leading the disaster preparedness efforts in the U.S. Schrader entered into the Department of Homeland Security's much-maligned agency following his August 2007 Senate confirmation.

The article reports on the unpreparedness of the U.S. health care system for large-scale disasters. According to the new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, the American health care system remains ill-prepared for a large-scale natural or man-made disaster. Among several recommendations to improve preparedness were planning for alternate areas to care for patients, improving capacity levels in hospitals, and planning for delivering health care in environmental locations.

The article reports on the move by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to seek for input on emergency response and preparedness for first responders in fires and medical and rescue situations . According to OSHA administrator Edwin G. Foulke Jr., the request is aimed to gather information on current thinking and practices.

The article reports on U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator R. David Paulison's announcement of the membership for the agency's National Advisory Council. It discusses the development of the council from the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The proposed members will advise Paulison on all aspects of emergency management and preparedness.

The article reports that the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security has announced the final awarding of $445 million in fiscal year 2007 grant programs aimed at strengthening ports, transit and intercity bus systems against disasters and emergencies. The Port Security Grant Program has been awarded with $202 million, the Transit Security Grant Program with $171 million, the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program with $11.6 million, and the Buffer Zone Protection Program with $48.5 million.

The article discusses a U.S. Government Accountability Office report that reveals that most schools have implemented emergency plans, but not all meet federal recommendations. According to the report, 56% of school districts have no plan for continuing student education in the event of extended school closure. The report also shows that many school districts do not train with local first responders, and reported problems due to a dearth of training or equipment.

The article focuses on the photographs in the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report "Disaster preparedness: Better planning would improve OSHA's efforts to protect workers' safety and health in disasters." The photographs were used to illustrate some of the unsafe work practices observed in the Gulf Coast region after the Hurricane Katrina struck. GAO questioned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's overall readiness to keep Katrina workers safe.

The article announces the results of an online survey conducted by the American Public Health Association in the U.S. which show that many public health workers who urge Americans to prepare for emergencies are not prepared themselves. More than 60 percent of the respondents said they lacked evacuation plans for their households. Meanwhile, 52 percent of the respondents said they had no emergency plans for their families.

The article discusses the research conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which shows that wireless radio signals may hinder the process of bringing rescue robots to real-life disaster sites in the U.S. It was found that 10 out of 14 robots tested experienced communication problems. Researchers suggested ways to overcome the problem, as well as methods to improve search and rescue communications.

The article reports on the results of a survey conducted by the U.S. Homeland Security Department which reveals that more than two-thirds of emergency response departments nationwide use some level of interoperable communications. It was also found that the agencies using interoperability technology still have progress to make in standardizing procedures and conducting joint exercises with those agencies.

The article reports that U.S. Federal agencies have completed 92 percent of all actions that were slated for the first six months of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation plan, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The plan requires agencies to perform more than 300 tasks to improve the nation's ability to respond to a pandemic.

Reports on the success of employees of Parsons Manufacturing Co. in Roanoke, Illinois in surviving a tornado that leveled the company's manufacturing plant on July 13, 2004. Implementation of emergency procedures that they had practiced.

Reports on the issuance of major-incident response recommendations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency. Suggestions for fire and emergency services based on the events of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; Preparation of the fire departments to respond from major multi-jurisdictional local incidents that have national consequences; Provision of the report to students who enroll in National Fire Academy courses.

Focuses on the techniques to prevent home accident in the U.S. Creation of a home emergency response plan; Awareness about fall injuries; Provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation units. INSETS: Hot-Button Issues In Home and Community Safety.;Learn About Safety Month Issues At the 91 Annual Congress....

Reports that businesses are not prepared for the natural disasters in the U.S. Importance of identifying the impact of natural events on businesses; Relevance of ensuring the sustainability of buildings to natural disasters; Creation of emergency response plan. ' INSET: Hot-Button Issues In Emergency Response..

The article focuses on a report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health which shows that the country is not prepared in protecting emergency response workers' safety and health should another incident related to 9/11 attack occur.

The article reports on a U.S. study released by the University of Delaware's Disaster Research Center in 2011 which contends that the allegation that first or disaster responders are unwilling to work is exaggerated.

The article offers information on the weaknesses of the emergency response and operational continuity programs of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), including sites did not share the lessons learned, DOE sites did not complete the required emergency planning and officials did not adequately fix emergency management issues.

The article focuses on several requirements from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the proper maintenance of emergency exits and exit routes including the arrangement of exit routes, the installment of exit signs with clear, legible letters and the renewal of fire-retardant paints or solutions.

The article focuses on the report of the U.S. Fire Administration which demonstrates that cooking is one major cause of medical facility fires between 2004 and 2006. According to the report, fires in medical facilities caused the death of about five people, 175 injured and $34 million property damage each year. It was found that 55% of all medical facility fires were caused by small, confined cooking fires and suggests that medical staff should be trained for fire emergency.

The article focuses on the report of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that outlines several steps which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must enforce to enhance national preparedness. The report significantly studies the Hurricane Katrina's effect in the disaster preparedness capabilities of Washington D.C. GAO recommends FEMA to set a program management plan, guarantee exercises follow program guidance, and improve project management for evaluating preparedness capabilities.

The article reports on the Electronic Mass Casualty Assessment and Planning Scenarios software offered by the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness which can calculate and predict the impact of calamities on hospitals. It notes that the tool presents the expected outcomes of disaster planning scenarios which were developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. An overview on how the program was designed is also provided.

The article reports that the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has updated its National Incident Management System (NIMS). The NIMS standardizes the protocols, processes and procedures used by every level of government to coordinate and conduct responses to an incident. Contact information fora free copy of the NIMS is provided.

The article reports on the selection of U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) directorate Thomas M. Galassi to ensure the agency's leadership on workplace emergency preparedness following the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001 and anthrax exposures.

The article focuses on U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) report that addresses firefighters to be prepared in times of weather emergencies and natural disasters in the U.S. The report deals on the type of equipment, type of service, and planning method needed during such situations. It also contains case studies. A statement from USFA Greg Cade is also offered.

The article focuses on a prototype two-way communication system, developed by the researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. It states that a software system monitors signal strength, and can alert first responder when and where to set down another relay to maintain the signal in responding fire during mine or tunnel collapsed.

The article reports on the National Emergency Communication Plan, a first step to improve the emergency communication system in the U.S., designed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Accordingly , the system is intended to address gaps in and drive improvements for coordinated interoperable emergency communications for the entire country.

The article reports that the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has published a personal protective equipment (PPE) guide for emergency responders. The guide offers information regarding ensemble standards that establish minimum performance standards for PPE used during chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism incident response. It would help emergency respondenrs navigate between different agencies' protection and performance level ratings for PPE.

The article cites key findings from a hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in May 2008 regarding hospitals' lack of emergency surge capacity in the U.S. The congressional committee concluded that hospitals are not ready to respond to emergencies caused by natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

The article reports on a hearing of the United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee which claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made modest to moderate improvements in some areas since the 2005 hurricane season. However, the committee also claims that FEMA is still ill-prepared for a catastrophic event.

The article reports that the United States Fire Department with the assistance of the International Association of Fire Fighters, updated a 16-year-old manual which was designed to ensure the physical and mental well-being of emergency responders during an operation. Emergency responder rehabilitation aim to reduce firefighter deaths due to stress and overexertion.