Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), representative of Brooklyn and Manhattan communities hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, and representative of Ground Zero, demanded that workers involved in cleanup and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy be provided proper protective equipment, and that all federal laws governing worker safety be enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Nadler cited the catastrophic experience of 9/11 responders and laborers who were not afforded proper protection, directly resulting in a monumental health crisis affecting tens of thousands of Ground Zero responders, workers and survivors.

Nadler, who represents both Ground Zero and the Sandy-devastated neighborhoods of Coney Island, Sea Gate, Brighton Beach, Red Hook, and Lower Manhattan, issued the following statement:

“We must not compound the devastation of Hurricane Sandy by subjecting recovery and cleanup workers to unnecessary hazards and risks.  OSHA has a critical role to play in safeguarding the health and safety of workers, and that agency must be provided all the latitude it needs to enforce the law and oversee cleanup efforts in affected areas.  To argue, as some business interests now have, that OSHA should take a back seat during the cleanup process is reckless and risks repeating the appalling mistakes that followed 9/11.  If we are to avoid yet another avoidable health crisis, OSHA must now uphold its responsibility to ensure that all cleanup workers are outfitted with proper protective equipment, and that all contractors comply with federal safety and respiratory protection laws.  The federal government failed to protect first responders, workers and community members in the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11, and now many thousands are sick or deceased as a direct result.  So much of that tragedy was preventable, and we must not repeat the same mistakes now.”

According to OSHA:

• Cleanup work can involve restoring electricity, communications, and water and sewer services; demolition activities; removal of floodwater from structures; entry into flooded areas; cleaning up debris; tree trimming; structural, roadway, bridge, dam and levee repair; use of cranes, aerial lifts and other heavy equipment; hazardous waste operations; and emergency response activities.
• Inherent hazards may include downed electrical wires, carbon monoxide and electrical hazards from portable generators, fall and “struck-by” hazards from tree trimming or working at heights, being caught in unprotected excavations or confined spaces, burns, lacerations, musculoskeletal injuries, being struck by traffic or heavy equipment, and drowning from being caught in moving water or while removing water from flooded structures.
• Protective measures include evaluating the work area for all hazards; assuming all power lines are live; using the right personal protective equipment (hard hats, shoes, reflective vests, safety glasses); conducting exposure monitoring where there are chemical hazards; following safe tree cutting procedures to prevent trees from falling on workers; and using full protection and proper ladder safety when working at heights.
• Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.

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