E-Learning Tool Enhances Safety for Workers Responding to Flood Disasters

Recent research published in Frontiers in Environmental Health shows significant improvements in knowledge and access to health and safety resources for workers responding to flooded environments using a mobile web application and eHealth tool.  

The research led by first author William "Brett" Perkison, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, describes the development and function of the e-learning tool, named "Pocket Ark," that is designed to assist and provide safety assistance to construction workers responding to weather disasters, particularly related to floods.  

It was first conceptualized in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 when Perkison and a team of volunteers from the School of Public Health and the surrounding community distributed over three thousand safety kits to residents and construction workers throughout the Houston community. The kits included respirator masks and safety gloves, along with recommendations for safely cleaning a recently flooded home. The information was available in English and Spanish. As a result of this experience, Perkison recognized the critical need for the construction workers in these environments to have access to essential information before, during, and after working in these environments. 

The tool provides critical safety education to workers going into a disaster-affected zone, logistical support for finding food, lodging, supplies, and healthcare while working in the area, and medical surveillance for chronic illnesses that may develop after leaving the area.

"Reconstruction workers play a critical role in transitioning an area that is extensively damaged by natural disasters into a functioning, healthy community again," said Perkison. This tool will help workers stay safe and get community members back in their homes more quickly. The product has been piloted several times with construction workers over the last few years, and its initial version has just been completed for use by relief workers. 

Perkison hopes that in the coming year, the Pocket Ark application will be distributed to the construction community for use in actual disasters. He also hopes to expand and customize the tool's resources to meet the needs of other workers who are deployed to other natural disasters including   earthquakes, and wildfires.