February 21, 2007—Both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently unveiled new guidance documents addressing pandemic flu, which is considered inevitable but not imminent.
OSHA’s guidance document offers general advice for all types of workplaces; describes the differences between seasonal, avian and pandemic influenza; and presents information on the nature of a potential pandemic.
Workplaces should begin preparing now, the agency recommended. A pandemic flu outbreak could take a year to play out and could deplete the workforce by as much as 40 percent due to illness and family caretaker needs.
The CDC document provides steps to limit the spread of a pandemic, mitigate disease and death, and lessen the impact on the economy. Guidance is offered for individuals, families and schools as well as employers.
Employers should consider social distancing in the workplace to limit the spread of a pandemic, the document states. This could include telecommuting and staggered work shifts.
To link to the CDC document, visit the Web site. For the OSHA document, visit that Web site.
