Bringing safety and health to the forefront to prevent injuries and illnesses during emergency response is a challenge. This presentation includes an overview of the Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OGE) approach to pre-job safety orientation and field safety support for mutual aid contractors. Chronicle the joint cooperative initiative taken following the May 2013 Oklahoma tornadoes by FEMA, state and city agencies, and volunteer agencies.

1. Weathering the Storm
David Bates, Area Director, OSHA
William Young, Lead Safety Consultant, OG&E

3. Planning Phase
• Industry discussions were held prior years
• Ice Storm / Tornado Events
• Orientation is key for mutual assistance
contractors
• Past fatalities investigated after weather
events

4. May 18, 2013
• Severe lightning and wind up to 100 mph
• 24,000 outages
• 21 transmission poles
down on major street
blocking businesses
and trapping cars

5. May 19, 2013
• Tornadoes hit Edmond, Shawnee, Wellston,
Carney and Norman
• I-40 blocked by
downed transmission
lines
• 8,000 outages

6. May 20, 2013
• EF5, mile-wide tornado
hits south Oklahoma
City and Moore
• Thousands of homes,
businesses, and two
elementary schools
destroyed
• 41,000 outages

7. • Crossroads Mall established as main staging
site for OG&E and mutual assistance crews
• Mutual assistance crews and transmission
crews arrive
• May 18th and 19th
storm damage
work completed
• OSHA begins
interventions
May 21 - 23, 2013

8. May 31, 2013
• Widest tornado ever
recorded at 2.6 miles
travels 16 miles from
El Reno through south
Oklahoma City to
Midwest City
• Widespread damage
with 145,000 outages
• I-40 blocked by
downed power lines

9. On-the-Ground
OSHA
• Cooperative mode with
interventions and training
from May 22 – June 19
• 12 of 18 Compliance safety
and health officers (CSHO’s)
• Outreach / Cooperative
staff assisted also
OG&E
• May 18 – 20 storms
– 6 OGE teams
– 1,132 personnel
• May 31 storms
– 947 personnel

10. Daily Safety Briefings
• Conducted for all OG&E
members, mutual
assistance crews, and
contractors
• Co-presented by OG&E
and mutual assistance
company safety
professionals, FEMA,
and OSHA

11. OSHA Experience in Other Events
• World Trade Center
• Hurricane Katrina
• Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
• Superstorm Sandy
• The effect on S&H can be much greater when
OSHA is integrated into and functions as part
of the Incident Command System

12. OSHA Interventions
• 64 different
interventions in
Edmond, Moore,
Newcastle, and
Oklahoma City
• Over 830 employees
covered
• Quick Cards and Fact
Sheets distributed

13. OSHA Interventions

14. OSHA Interventions

15. Hazards Observed
• PPE – eye, head, hand,
foot, hearing, masks
• Fall protection
• Work zone areas
• Portable equipment
• Portable generators
• Heat stress
• Sunburns
• Hazardous chemicals in
debris (Asbestos, Lead)

16. FEMA Coordination
• Joint Federal Operations (JFO)
• Interagency S&H Committee
– FEMA, OSHA, OK DOL, OEM, Corps of Engineers,
City of Moore & OKC, Volunteer Organizations,
Contractors, Small Business Administration

17. Safety Incidents
• Minimal number of
incidents
– Crane
– Eye injury
– Snakebite
– Electrical contact
• OSHA in cooperative
mode until June 19th

18. Future Events & Cooperative Efforts
• Enhance the orientation process
• Possible joint crew visits with OG&E Health &
Safety and OSHA
• Real-time information sharing via conference
calls
• Develop S&H response tools for events more
difficult to access
– Remote access areas
– Ice storms

19. By-the-Numbers
• 217,597 outages
• 1,347 poles destroyed
• 1,452 crossarms
destroyed
• 481 transformers
destroyed
• 189 transmission
structures destroyed
• 1,200 OG&E members,
contractors, and mutual
assistance crews
• 17 OSHA personnel
• 64 interventions covering
830 employees
• 4 OSHA recordable safety
incidents
• 24-hour logistics
operation
• 1,100 meals three times
per day
• 600 hotel rooms

20. THANK YOU