January 16, 2008—Scott Mugno, managing director, corporate safety, health, and fire protection at FedEx Express, recently told attendees during the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) “Pandemic Influenza: Threat vs. Preparedness” Webinar that businesses must develop continuity planning now in case of a flu outbreak, and provided tips on how to prepare.
According to Mugno, who led the interactive Webinar, pandemics are inevitable, as they occur regularly throughout history. Some examples include the 1957 Asian flu, which caused one to four million deaths worldwide, and 70,000 in the US; and the 1968 Hong Kong flu, also responsible for one to four million deaths, 34,000 within the US. Due to this and the increasing cases of avian bird flu developing, it is necessary, he said, for businesses to have a continuity plan in place before the next major pandemic flu outbreak.
The term flu pandemic refers to a new influenza virus that people have little to no immunity to and there is no available vaccine, making a pandemic a global disease outbreak, noted Mugno. Currently, there is worldwide concern about the possible spread of the Avian H5N1 (A H5N1) virus, which currently has a human fatality rate of 61 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The following are planning tips Mugno suggests on how businesses can prepare for a pandemic flu:
- Establish trigger points and checklists as waves of pandemic phases occur;
- Review business demand shifts;
- Prepare media point person for the pandemic;
- Conduct company wide analysis of essential/nonessential functions;
- Develop emergency corporate chain of command;
- Develop essential contacts/relationships with governmental agencies;
- Consider increasing security for warehouses and vehicles;
- Develop procedures;
- Develop plans to minimize the high potential for a fuel shortage;
- Develop policies to address drivers/operators shortage;
- Investigate the potential to secure housing for critical employees; and
- Develop cooperative arrangements with suppliers.
For further information on pandemic flu and business preparedness, visit PandemicFlu.gov, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Avian flu site, or the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Pandemic flu guidelines and advice for businesses site.
