Hazard risk assessment tools

This would be a good starting point if you have no idea what disasters could befall you. You can easily select your state to get more localized warnings. All-in-all, I would say it is still well worth a visit and even your bookmark. If you play around with the zoom tool and map legend a lot you can eventually get at detailed assessments.

You might also use this safety. Climate Prediction Center — This part of the National Weather Service attempts to feasibly predict basic national climate concerns, including temperatures, precipitation, and wildfire concerns due to drought.

This is where you find them. Allow it to know your zip code or one nearby and you can quickly see what crimes have been committed, from arson to theft, shootings and more. Natural Disaster Threat Maps — A compilation of maps that show your risk for several major disasters, including earthquake, flood, hurricane, lightning, tornado, tsunami, volcano, and wildfire.

Flood Insurance Rate Maps — Although tedious to navigate and use, you can use these FEMA-issued flood maps to get a very good understanding of what flood risk you should expect for your home. In fact, you can use these to guide your decision on whether to purchase flood insurance, which you can get from Floodsmart.

Sea Level Rise — Concerned about sea level rise due to global warming? Use this map to get an idea of how affected coastal areas would be given a specific sea level rise.

While a bit difficult to navigate at first I did get the hang of it and found it an interesting wake-up call for those living anywhere near the coasts.

Map can be adjusted between 0 and 60 meters of rise. US Hurricane Hazards — Use this map to quickly identify your risk for a hurricane. Storm Prediction Center — Attempts to issues warnings and watches for severe weather events such as thunderstorms with damaging hail, for instance and tornadoes. Has also begun issuing fire weather warnings as well. Lists the current status of major volcanoes we would need to worry about.

Nuclear Reactor Map Interactive Tool — Allows you to enter your zip code to find the nearest nuclear power plants AND will show whether you hometown is in the 50 mile danger zone. Use this to determine your possible exposure to nuclear fallout from a nearby reactor. Records of previous injuries and illnesses, such as OSHA and logs and reports of incident investigations.

Workers' compensation records and reports. Patterns of frequently-occurring injuries and illnesses. Input from workers, including surveys or minutes from safety and health committee meetings. Results of job hazard analyses, also known as job safety analyses. Trade associations. Safety and health consultants. Action item 2: Inspect the workplace for safety hazards Hazards can be introduced over time as workstations and processes change, equipment or tools become worn, maintenance is neglected, or housekeeping practices decline.

How to accomplish it Conduct regular inspections of all operations, equipment, work areas and facilities. Have workers participate on the inspection team and talk to them about hazards that they see or report.

Be sure to document inspections so you can later verify that hazardous conditions are corrected. Take photos or video of problem areas to facilitate later discussion and brainstorming about how to control them, and for use as learning aids. Include all areas and activities in these inspections, such as storage and warehousing, facility and equipment maintenance, purchasing and office functions, and the activities of on-site contractors, subcontractors, and temporary employees. Regularly inspect both plant vehicles e.

Use checklists that highlight things to look for. Typical hazards fall into several major categories, such as those listed below; each workplace will have its own list: General housekeeping Slip, trip, and fall hazards Electrical hazards Equipment operation Equipment maintenance Fire protection Work organization and process flow including staffing and scheduling Work practices Workplace violence Ergonomic problems Lack of emergency procedures Before changing operations, workstations, or workflow; making major organizational changes; or introducing new equipment, materials, or processes, seek the input of workers and evaluate the planned changes for potential hazards and related risks.

Action item 3: Identify health hazards Identifying workers' exposure to health hazards is typically more complex than identifying physical safety hazards. How to accomplish it Identify chemical hazards —review SDS and product labels to identify chemicals in your workplace that have low exposure limits, are highly volatile, or are used in large quantities or in unventilated spaces.

Identify activities that may result in skin exposure to chemicals. Identify physical hazards —identify any exposures to excessive noise areas where you must raise your voice to be heard by others , elevated heat indoor and outdoor , or sources of radiation radioactive materials, X-rays, or radiofrequency radiation.

Identify biological hazards —determine whether workers may be exposed to sources of infectious diseases, molds, toxic or poisonous plants, or animal materials fur or scat capable of causing allergic reactions or occupational asthma. Identify ergonomic risk factors —examine work activities that require heavy lifting, work above shoulder height, repetitive motions, or tasks with significant vibration. Conduct quantitative exposure assessments —when possible, using air sampling or direct reading instruments.

Review medical records —to identify cases of musculoskeletal injuries, skin irritation or dermatitis, hearing loss, or lung disease that may be related to workplace exposures. How to accomplish it Develop a clear plan and procedure for conducting incident investigations, so that an investigation can begin immediately when an incident occurs. The plan should cover items such as: Who will be involved Lines of communication Materials, equipment, and supplies needed Reporting forms and templates Train investigative teams on incident investigation techniques, emphasizing objectivity and open-mindedness throughout the investigation process.

Conduct investigations with a trained team that includes representatives of both management and workers. Identify and analyze root causes to address underlying program shortcomings that allowed the incidents to happen. The authors provide a review of the health impacts of U. Based on the literature reviewed, indicators of health vulnerability were selected and mapped within NYC neighborhoods. Coastal County Snapshots. Users can select their county to get more information on exposure and resilience to coastal hazards that can be used to inform their hazard vulnerability analysis HVA and associated response and recovery plans.

This guide provides strategies for risk mitigation under four primary action categories: 1 Local Planning and Regulations, 2 Structure and Infrastructure Projects, 3 Natural Systems Protection, and 4 Education and Awareness Programs. It includes strategies for healthcare facilities, buildings in general, and links to related resources.

Lundberg, R. Homeland Security Affairs Journal, 11 The authors used open source data and a standardized set of attributes to examine ten homeland security risks e. The annualized risk to the U. Rozell, D. The authors discuss the pros and cons of using qualitative versus quantitative data to assess homeland security threats.

Hazard Vulnerability Assessments for Healthcare Facilities. This three-page outline can help planners who work in assisted living and more traditional healthcare settings conduct hazard vulnerability assessments. It includes a link to related references at the end. Big Bend Healthcare Coalition Florida. It includes detailed directions and scoring definitions, and can be downloaded in Excel for ease of use. California Association of Health Facilities. Hazard Vulnerability Assessments.

This page includes links to several general and state-specific hazard vulnerability assessment tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This planning tool can help community planners--in context with community partners--assess disaster readiness from a healthcare system perspective. Children's Hospital Colorado. Community Hazard Vulnerability Assessment. The CHVA incorporates the four phases of emergency management and takes an all-hazards approach to address national and local planning scenarios.

DC Emergency Healthcare Coalition. It may be used as a reference for other coalitions in the conduct of their respective HVAs. This Excel file lists vulnerabilities e.

Pediatric Hazard Vulnerability Analysis Template. The tool categorizes hazard impact along three dimensions, each with specific pediatric considerations, allowing users to produce an overall vulnerability and risk score for each hazard. This tool is not meant to be a thorough checklist of preparation, but instead spur the inclusion of general pediatric considerations into risk analysis, disaster planning, and emergency response.

It is not intended to replace a hospital HVA with facility-specific processes. Hazard Mitigation Planning. This web page includes links to several hazard mitigation planning resources directed towards state, tribal, and local officials. This tool provides the ability for state and local emergency medical planners to access and visualize population data within the U. Data layers include the ability to identify at-risk populations, infrastructure capacity data, and hazard zones including those related to nuclear power plants.

Florida Department of Health. This county-specific tool helps planners assess risk in their community by comparing their capabilities and resources against the fifteen Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Preparedness Capabilities, producing gap analyses, estimating the impacts of hazards to public health, healthcare, and mental health, and measuring the positive effect of mitigation factors such as community resilience.

General Healthcare Risk Assessment Tool. Free registration required.