Recent weather-related events in West Virginia have led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to step in during the disaster to ensure that people working to clean it up are keeping safe.

If you’ve tuned into the national weather lately you know that West Virginia has experienced significant flooding over the past week because of heavy rainstorms. Many businesses are destroyed or closed and now people are working to clean up their homes and workplaces. OSHA is dispatching compliance officers to several counties that saw heavy damage in order to educate people about the hazards and the proper ways to clean up so that workers remain safe.

Before going into buildings it is important that workers assess the building to make sure it is not in danger of collapsing, or to make sure there is not already mold that has started to grow. Workers should be wearing basic protective gear like gloves, booths, glasses and a hard hat at all times because there could be unexpected hazards that come up. Workplaces that have chemicals onsite could also be hazardous if the chemicals spilled during the flood, and workers should be aware of the particular risks that may be specific to their workplace. Cold and wet environments can lead to hypothermia; depending on how cold it is workers want to stay warm and dry. On the other side of that, if conditions are too warm workers may be susceptible to heat related illnesses like heat stroke or heat exhaustion so it is important they stay cool and take lots of breaks if it is warm out.

OSHA recommends that workers who respond to flooded areas take serious precautions. Even if the rain has stopped there are still going to be hazards. Driving through flooded waters is extremely dangerous, even in just a few inches of water. Workers could encounter downed wires, malfunctioning circuits and other electrical hazards that are probably best left to trained electricians to fix. If workers are using equipment like chain saws when removing trees or other debris they should be wearing the proper protective gear and hearing protection. Mold can become an issue with flooded areas, so the space should be properly ventilated and workers should wear respiratory protections if they think mold is going to be an issue.

If employers are unsure of how to get started in the cleanup process, they can consult OSHA’s Risk Assessment Matrix to get some basic recommendations and other advice that may be more specific to their situation.