A report released by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work shows that emergency workers have a high risk of suffering fatal accidents, injuries and other occupational diseases. The most severe consequences result from accidents involving hazardous materials and explosives, followed by fires and the release of toxic substances, while terrorist or criminal attacks also present these workers with particularly unpredictable and unsafe settings as well. The report emphasizes that lack of preparedness is a major factor contributing to excessive stress experienced by emergency workers. In order to make disaster control as efficient as possible, the available equipment, available technical and personnel resources, and the distribution of workers’ tasks must all be identified before disaster strikes. The safety and health of emergency workers should be taken into consideration in the earliest stages of building design, and that rehearsing different emergency scenarios can serve as a way to predict possible hazards. Further development of personal protective equipment and improved ergonomic equipment are also essential, as are vaccinations against water-borne and blood-borne diseases.
The need for risk assessments at disaster scenes is crucial, the report states. All past accidents and near-accidents should be taken into consideration while looking for possible risks. Emergency workers should know how the human body reacts to the different physical, chemical, biological or psychological risks, and how to be able to employ protective measures as soon as possible, the report states. These preventive measures can reduce both the vulnerability of people to disasters and the severity of the damage, resulting in a smaller number of emergency workers needed to take part in disaster control. For more information, visit the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
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