Industrial Hygiene the Incident Commander

Industrial Hygiene The Incident Commander is genuinely concerned about the safety and welfare of his or her workers, including all staff and medical specialists. However, the Incident Commander is also partially responsible for the safety and welfare of all citizens. We are all public health officials who are working together in reaction to a natural disaster. Therefore, we must all pool our resources and coordinate our efforts to provide the optimal environment in which to provide healing for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Flooding presents a huge set of health risks.

We contend with diseases that thrive in moist environments. Moreover, we are dealing with an unsanitary health care institution that because of the disaster has been unable to keep up with regular maintenance. Facilities have not been cleaned properly, and the flooding has created environmental concerns that would otherwise be absent from our day-to-day operations. Our environmental manager is in charge of reporting directly to me about the current state of affairs and what might need to be done.

With the help of our two technicians, we can make an initial assessment of the hospital environment and determine which wards, if any, are immediately available for safe passage and use. The main Industrial Hygiene concerns include the following. First, we have a very real possibility of contagious disease due to the unsavory conditions that follow a tropical storm like Katrina.

After all, flooding is a precursor to insect-borne illnesses and other means of spreading bacteria and viral infections that depend on moist, warm environments without adequate temperature or air filtration controls. Therefore, our technicians need to test for airborne and waterborne contaminants.

We need not just to test whatever running water might be available in the hospital; we need to make sure that the flood waters that remain on our floor are free of diseases that might permeate the skin barrier and cause long-term health problems for our staff and/or patients. The air after six weeks might be deplorably poor and so our technicians need to provide a thorough scientific assessment of particulates that would be of concern.

Basically, the first phase of my analysis would entail a technical measure of the environment including air, flood water, and running water. If no running water is available, then we could at least count on purified sources of water provided by external sources. At this point, we might be able to determine whether personal protective equipment might be necessary. Only with numbers given by our technicians can we make an honest assessment of the environmental hazards that immediately face us when we return to the hospital.

Next, we use the data gathered by our environmental health technicians to devise personal protective equipment and any other gear needed to make the workplace environment safe. We might need to install air filtration systems or water filtration systems. Food sources are likely to be contaminated and therefore we will need to hire outside catering services to accommodate our workforce during employment hours. Any standard operating procedures that were damaged due to the hurricane will be redressed accordingly.

We will need to assess the actual severity of the situation via the results of the technicians' evaluations, and our Environmental Manager will be in charge of general recommendations for preserving and maintaining industrial safety. The Environmental Manager will be able to assess waste management needs. Toilets and restrooms must be thoroughly evaluated for their efficacy. If plumbing is working properly then perhaps a clean up effort is all that is required.

However, the city might not have addressed its public works needs and so, the hospital must rely on standby waste management support systems. The Environmental Manager will know exactly what systems we are equipped to deal with and how to best implement them in our institution. If we need to hire third-party waste management experts including off-campus toilets and perhaps even showers then our Environmental Manager will tell us so and therefore, he or she is thoroughly in charge of issues related to waste management.

I would suggest that the Environmental Manager create his or her own team of support personnel. Only a department manager can determine what traits or characteristics to look for in support members. One of the more immediate concerns would be the initial cleanup effort. I would need to create a team of individuals dedicated to providing the best possible cleanup service, from sanitizing air vents to scrubbing floors.

Moreover, our technicians would need to assess the post-cleanup environment to determine whether it was safe for working and operating after the disaster. Given that I oversee hazard assessment, and all safe entry and cleanup procedures, I would demand that special attention be paid to any public areas and especially the surgical suites and clinical laboratory, if they were intended for immediate use.

Because of restrictions on personnel and funding, I would focus our cleanup efforts on those rooms and areas that were intended for immediate use and only be secondarily concerned with areas that were to remain unused until further notice from administrative personnel. I would determine whether or not any counseling services were needed to ease the transition into working for our regular personnel. Being used to a certain environmental standard might create shock in some employees.

To ensure effectiveness and maximize productivity, I would make sure that all employees were comfortable and felt alright expressing their concerns about environmental hazards. The shock of the hurricane itself is something we all will be dealing with and so I would make sure that group counseling and other services would be available upon request. Leaving testing equipment details squarely in the hands of technicians who know best, I would remain mainly in charge of delegating authority and encouraging teamwork.

A cooperative, amicable working environment will be more conducive to success than one.