April 29, 2009 Businesses can play a critical role in protecting the health and safety of employees and the public during a pandemic flu epidemic, notes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
HHS has a Web site that provides specific information on how businesses can best respond to outbreaks such as the current swine flu one. Suggestions include developing a disaster plan and sick leave policy; minimizing exposure of employees to the public; and stockpiling items such as soap, tissues and hand sanitizers.
The site includes a link to 2007 guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and U.S. Department of Labor. The document creates no new legal obligations, but it includes suggestions for specifically for protecting healthcare workers from pandemic influenza.
An OSHA Web page offers general guidance on preparing workplaces for an influenza pandemic. It covers everything from the basics of pandemics, how influenza can spread between people, how to maintain operations during a pandemic, to how organizations can protect their employees.
Influenza is thought to be spread mainly through transmission of large droplets that directly contact the nose, mouth or eyes, notes HHS. These droplets are produced when infected people cough, sneeze or talk, so employees can protect themselves and others by washing their hands frequently and covering their noses and mouths when they sneeze or cough. They should also avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth.
Employees should be discouraged from sharing phones and other office equipment. Work surfaces, computers and other frequently touched items must be kept clean. Information on masks and respirators can also be found on the site.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), meanwhile, has also established a swine flu Web site.
The World Health Organization also has information, and has raised the pandemic alert to Phase 4, meaning person-to-person spread has been confirmed and the likelihood of a pandemic has increased. More than 64 cases have been reported in the U.S., and more than 20 fatalities from the flu have been confirmed in Mexico, with 152 deaths that are believed to have been caused by it in Mexico.
The Building Owners & Managers Institute (BOMI) International has recorded a 75-minute Webinar on Pandemic Preparedness, which was originally produced in response to the 2008 avian flu epidemic. This Webinar contains tips and techniques to create, manage, and execute a successful pandemic response plan from start to finish. Expert Sam Smith, the former Director of Disaster Recovery and Physical Security for a major telecommunications data center, presents the information based on his experience in pandemic preparedness and safety. It also offers a pandemic response checklist.
In an effort to aid facility managers prepare for a potential epidemic, International Facility Management Association (IFMA) IFMA Foundation is offering its Pandemic Preparedness Manual, available for free download.
The goal of this complimentary resource is to assist in planning for, controlling and responding to a possible swine flu threat. General guidance on establishing and maintaining a business continuity program is also addressed in this document. For more information, see the IFMA Web site.
