Occupational health needs in workplaces following disasters
Emergency response phase

Stabilizing work phase

Restoration planning phase

Reoperation preparation phase

Reoperation phase

Lifelines, foodand shelter

・Procure foods and water.
・Confirm hygiene condition of water, lavatory andother area.
・Secure residence of supporter and spaces for anap.
・Prescribe necessary medicines temporarily.
・Keep office environment comfortable.
・Manage relief supplies.

Information for ・Collect information what happens.
OH services

・Collect information what happens throughvarious routs.
・Report the health condition of employees tomanagement and line managers.
・Clarify and inform employees how to accesshealth consultation.
・Establish a system to share information among
OH staffs and with related departments.

・Consulate specialists on appropriate range andmethods of stress care.
・Report the health condition of employees to・Consulate specialists on appropriate range andmanagement and line managers.
methods of stress care.
・Held explanation session on health consultationby the occupational physician.

・Develop hazard maps at the workplace.
・Reflect the activities at the disaster and sharelessons learned.
・Review and revise emergency response manual.

・Replenish medicines and materials in the clinic.
・Provide medical treatment at the clinic onholidays.
・Secure safety of the clinic.

・Provide safety and hygiene trainings forsupporters from other sites.
・Replenish medicines and materials in the clinic.
・Share necessary roles among OH staffs.
・Increase counselors for metal health care.
・Start consultation to neighbors.

・Secure staffs to deal with increasing needs ofhealth mental and physical health care.

・Make an emergency call to occupational health

Infrastructure staffs.
of OH services ・Secure safety of OH staffs.

・Provide emergency medicine services.

Workenvironment

・Give advices on hazardous material at the site
to employees and supporters from other sites.
・Give advices on hazardous materials at the site ・Support workers at the site from the industrial
to employees and supporters from other sites.
hygiene aspect.
・Provide information on hazards in the workplace
to fire department.

・Provide safety and hygiene trainings forsupporters from other sites.
・Secure specialists for mental health care.
・Modify service provision of occupational
physicians based on needs.

・Prevent workers who are engaged in restoration
・Provide routine industrial hygiene programs.
work from exposure of hazards.

・Confirm seriously injured employees and takethem to the hospital.

・Take care of anxiety among employees whoencountered the disaster.
・Take care of employees who have PTSD
symptoms.
・Support direct victims so that they can haveappropriate treatment.

・Take care of physical or mental complaints of・Take care of anxiety among employees whovictims.
encountered the disasters.
・Make a list of hospitals that victims have been
・Provide mental health care of victims.
hospitalized and keep in close contact with them.

Employees
coping witharising issues

・Take care of employees who deal withcomplaints from neighbors.
・Take care of employees who are interviewed atpress conferences.
・Take care of employees who are in charge ofcare of victims and their families.

・Take care of employees who deal withcomplaints from neighbors.
・Take care of employees who are interviewed at ・Take care of employees who deal withpress conferences.
complaints from neighbors.
・Take care of employees who are in over duty for ・Take care of employees who are in over duty for・Take care of employees working for long hours.
cause analysis of disasters.
cause analysis of disasters.
・Take care of employees who are engaged in・Take care of employees who are in charge of
respond works.
care of the bereaved families.
・Take care of employees who are in charge ofcare of the bereaved families.

Employees
involved in thecauses of thedisaster・Take care of employees who are responsible forthe disasters.
・Provide stress cares to employees who arequestioned by governmental authorities.

・Take care of employees who are responsible for・Provide stress cares to employees who are
the disasters.
questioned by governmental authorities.
・Provide stress cares to employees who arequestioned by governmental authorities.

Vulnerablepeople

・Support employees who need special medical
・Take care of employees who are close withtreatment.
direct victims.
・Take care of employees who are close with・Take care of families of victims.
direct victims.
・Take care of employees who have past history
・Take care of families of victims.
of mental illness.
・Take care of new employees who were assigned
・Take care of employees who were moved fromto the site just before the disaster.
the site concerned and have past history of・Take care of employees with experience of a big
mental illness.
disaster who are in poor health.

Generalemployees

・Screen employees with high risk of mental
health disorders.
・Screen employees with high risk of cerebral andcardio-vascular diseases.
・Take care of employees who are worried about
continuity of the workplace.

・Make field rounds to check health conditions ofemployees.
・Apply screening test on mental health to all
employees.
・Make health counseling for employees andselect those who needs follow up.
・Make a training for managers on mental healthcare by line managers.
・Take care of employees who are worried about
continuity of the workplace.

・Prevent heat illness during hot season.

・Follow up direct victims who returned to work.
・Support direct victims so that they can haveappropriate treatment.
・Provide counseling services by occupational
physicians.
・Consider work accommodation for employees
based on damages by the disaster.

Direct victims ・Communicate with hospitals where injured
and employees employees have been hospitalized.
exposed to ・Provide first-aids to slightly injured employees
health hazards and refer them to hospitals.

・Confirm death of a victim and issue a certificate
of a post mortem examination.

Seasonality

・Take care of employees who may be committedfor trial.

・Take care of health of employees who have hadan experience of a severe disaster.
・Take care of families of victims.

・Send health information with company
magazines.
・Apply screening test on mental health to all・Plan a mental health program which is requested
employees.
by managers.
・Make general health education.
・Apply screening test on mental health to all
employees.

・Implement programs against pollinosis.
・Implement programs against influenza.
・Implement programs to prevent food poisoning.

Phase classification for disasters developed in this study
Emergency
response phase

Stabilizing
work phase

Restoration
planningphase

Reoperation
preparationphase

Reoperation
phase

Seasonality

Emergency response
In the phase, give the highest priority to rescue ofvictims, and make every effort to restore safety of
the workplace. Crisis management organization isusually activated.

Phase classification for disasters developed in this study
Emergency
response phase

Stabilizing
work phase

Restoration
planning
phase

Reoperation
preparation
phase

Reoperation
phase

Seasonality

Stabilizing work
In the phase, collect information on what has
happened and how much the damage is, andstabilize the workplaces and workers. Governmental
authorities, such as police, fire department, start theinvestigation. The first session of press conference isusually held.

Phase classification for disasters developed in this study
Emergency
response phase

Stabilizing
work phase

Restoration
planning
phase

Reoperation
preparation
phase

Reoperation
phase

Seasonality

Restoration planning
In the phase, analyze causes of the accidents, anddiscuss how to prevent the recurrence and when theoperation is restarted. Communication with family ofvictims and neighbors is continued. Manager andworkers involved are often interviewed bygovernmental authorities.

Phase classification for disasters developed in this study
Emergency
response phase

Stabilizing
work phase

Restoration
planning
phase

Reoperation
preparation
phase

Reoperation
phase

Seasonality

Reoperation preparation
In the phase, conduct necessary works forreoperations, such as reconstruction, several actions
to prevent recurrences, application to localgovernments. Compensation to victims or neighbors
is often negotiated. Injured workers may return tothe work.

Phase classification for disasters developed in this study
Emergency
response phase

Stabilizing
work phase

Restoration
planning
phase

Reoperation
preparation
phase

Reoperation
phase

Seasonality

ReoperationIn the phase, operate business as usual with someimprovement. Some managers who wereresponsible for the disaster may be reprimanded or
be committed for trail.

Phase classification for disasters developed in this study
Emergency
response phase

Stabilizing
work phase

Restoration
planning
phase

Reoperation
preparation
phase

Reoperation
phase

Seasonality

Seasonality
Related with seasonal factors, such as temperature,humidity, grow of plants.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure
A. Lifelines, food and shelter
B. Information for OH services
C. Infrastructure of OH services

EnvironmentD. Work environment

Employees
E. Direct victims andemployeesexposed to healthhazards
F. Employees coping witharising issues
G. Employees involved in thecauses of the disaster
H. Vulnerable people
I. General employees

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure
A. Lifelines, food and shelter
B. Information for OH services
C. Infrastructure of OH services

Environment

Employees

A. Lifelines, food and shelter：Stop of lifelines such as supply ofelectricity, water and gas may affect health condition of employees.
In addition, securing foods, cloths and shelters are also important tomaintain their health at the early phases of disasters.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure
A. Lifelines, food and shelter
B. Information for OH services
C. Infrastructure of OH services

Environment

Employees

B. Information for OH services：Occupational health staffs needvarious information from inside and outside of the site to provide
support to employees timely and appropriately. In addition, theirexperiences should be recorded to improve the emergency responseplan.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure
A. Lifelines, food and shelter
B. Information for OH services
C. Infrastructure of OH services

Environment

Employees

C. Infrastructure of OH services：In order to provide effective
supports based on the existing needs, occupational healthdepartments secure inside staffs, outside experts, materials andservice sites.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure

Environment
D. Work environment

Employees

D. Work environment：Occupational health can contribute to prevent
workers from health hazard exposures.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this studyInfrastructure

Environment

Employees
E. Direct victims andemployeesexposed to healthhazards
F. Employees coping with arising
issuesG. Employees involved in thecauses of the disaster
H. Vulnerable people
I. General employees

E. Direct victims and employees exposed to health hazards：
Employees who encountered the disasters directly or indirectly needs
occupational health supports. This category includes the needs for
employees who were injured and were exposed to physical healthhazards or traumatic stresses. Health care for responders is includedin the category.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure

Environment

Employees
E. Direct victims andemployeesexposed to healthhazards
F. Employees coping with arising
issuesG. Employees involved in thecauses of the disaster
H. Vulnerable people
I. General employees

F. Employees coping with arising issues：Employees in theemergency response team are exposed to various types of healthhazards including traumatic stress. Some employees are assigned tocommunication with neighbors and the media. Employees in thegeneral affair department usually take care of families of direct
victims.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure

Environment

Employees
E. Direct victims andemployeesexposed to healthhazards
F. Employees coping with arising
issuesG. Employees involved in thecauses of the disaster
H. Vulnerable people
I. General employees

G. Employees involved in the causes of the disaster：Employees who
were responsible for the disaster and were involved in the causes
often suffering from significant stresses. Some of them areinterviewed with governmental authorities, such as police.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure

Environment

Employees
E. Direct victims andemployeesexposed to healthhazards
F. Employees coping with arising
issuesG. Employees involved in thecauses of the disaster
H. Vulnerable people
I. General employees

H. Vulnerable people：Some groups of employees are vulnerable tothe stress at disasters. They include employees who have history ofmental health disorders and who were close friends with direct
victims. The family of victims is also included in the category.

Categories ofoccupational healthneeds in this study

Infrastructure

Environment

Employees
E. Direct victims andemployeesexposed to healthhazards
F. Employees coping with arising
issuesG. Employees involved in thecauses of the disaster
H. Vulnerable people
I. General employees

I. General employees：Some occupational health needs for generalemployees as well as specific groups arise.