Oil spill response workers can face avariety of health concerns when a spill occurs in a remotearea. Potential food, water, and disease hazards need tobe addressed for both fly-in supervisory personnel andlocal clean-up crews.Pre-spill planning activities should consider a variety ofscenarios covering a range of spills in the geographicareas of responsibility. Topics to address should includemedical screening of oil spill response team members,vaccination/shots, travel kits, special clothing needs,disease control informational handouts, food and watersources, evaluation of medical personnel and facilities andidentification of medical evacuation plans.Activities occurring during the spill-clean-up periodmight include medical screening of food handlers and localworkers, confirming the availability of local medicalfacilities and evacuation routes, conducting routine clinicoperations, checking the sources and handling of food andwater, checking housing conditions, implementing adisease vector control program, and providing trainingrelated to local environmental hazards.Post-clean-up activities would include safe disposal ofmedical and other waste, providing post-spill medicalexams, and documenting lessons learned during the spill.Successfully controlling health issues during a spill mayonly be possible if an appropriate level of planning iscarried out.
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