Health Canada (Emergency Management Guide for Crude Oil Incidents)

Section 3. PUBLIC HEALTH RISK MANAGEMENT

Guidance for the Environmental Public Health Management of Crude Oil Incidents

Section 3. PUBLIC HEALTH RISK MANAGEMENT In Canada, public health is a responsibility that is shared by the three levels of government in collaboration with the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, health professionals, and the public. This joint responsibility is further extended when examining the professional disciplines involved with the management of industrial chemicals across their life cycles. Thus, a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach across each phase of the emergency management continuum (i.e., prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery) is required to manage the population health and environmental risks resulting from major chemical incidents, including for significant crude oil releases.

Section three is divided into three sub-sections and provides several practical checklists (decision aids) designed to be easily consulted and printed independently. They are not meant to be exhaustive.

The first subsection provides general information on prevention and preparedness activities that public health practitioners can undertake to

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better prepare their community or area of jurisdiction for the risk of a crude oil release.

The second subsection provides more detailed guidance and lists resources available to support a public health response to a major release of crude oil. It also describes management of the incident, including sheltering-in-place versus evacuation decisions, human decontamination, and crisis communications.

The third subsection describes recovery and epidemiological follow-up considerations.

3.1

What activities can public health practitioners undertake to better prepare their community for the risk of a crude oil release?

Public health practitioners can support local and national initiatives on the safe use of hazardous chemicals, including crude oil, and the reduction in their use through activities such as those listed in Checklist 1.

Version 1.0 – August 2018