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1. FEATURE STORY:
PANDEMIC INFLUENZA: POTENTIAL “BIRD”EN
FOR EMPLOYERS

Ask the World Health Organization (WHO) about avian flu, and it will tell you an outbreak is inevitable.  Ask employers if they’ve taken steps to prepare for an outbreak, and they’ll likely say they haven’t and will want a good reason why they should.  The disruption to business as a result of employee absenteeism and soaring health care costs should give employers two good reasons. WHO has reported 93 deaths, mostly in Asia, as a result of human contact with infected birds.  However, the strain known as “bird flu” could develop into a strain that is contagious among humans.  While there have been no reported cases in the world of human-to-human transmission (and with any luck, there won’t), if such a strain does develop, the transmission from person to person will likely be rapid and overwhelm unprepared businesses.

Government agencies and labor groups have made some efforts to protect the nation’s businesses and industries from a flu pandemic.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration posted precautions for poultry-industry workers on its website.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued an “enhanced” warning (“precaution” is lower; “warning” is higher) for travelers to the areas of Asia where bird flu has hit.  And the nation’s largest labor organizations, the AFSCME and the AFL-CIO, along with other unions, petitioned the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue mandatory requirements for protecting health care workers and first responders during a pandemic.  Currently, the DOL has only voluntary guidance on protecting workers from the pandemic flu.

The Department of Health and Human Services, along with the CDC, took a preemptive stance against an outbreak and issued a checklist for businesses to protect their employees and limit the negative impact of a pandemic.  Here are some of the most critical items from the list.

Preparing Your Business

• Identify a pandemic coordinator and/or team.

• Identify essential employees and other critical inputs required to maintain business operations by location and function.

• Find up-to-date, reliable pandemic information from community public health, emergency management, and other services.   

Preparing Your Employees And Customers

• Forecast and allow for employee absences during a pandemic.

• Implement guidelines to modify the frequency and type of face-to-face contact (e.g., hand-shaking, seating in meetings, office layout, shared workstations) among employees and between employees and customers.

• Evaluate employee access to and availability of health care, mental health, and social services during a pandemic; improve services as needed.

• Identify employees and key customers with special needs, and incorporate the requirements of such persons into your plan.

Establishing Pandemic Policies

• Establish policies for flexible worksites (e.g., telecommuting) and flexible work hours.

• Establish policies for preventing influenza spread at the worksite.

• Establish policies for employees who have been exposed to pandemic influenza, are suspected to be ill, or become ill at the worksite.

Protecting Employees And Customers

• Provide sufficient and accessible infection control supplies (e.g., hand-hygiene products, tissues, and receptacles for their disposal).

• Ensure availability of medical consultation and advice.

Educating Employees

• Develop programs and disseminate materials covering pandemic fundamentals (e.g., signs and symptoms of influenza, modes of transmission), personal and family protection, and response strategies (e.g., hand hygiene, coughing/sneezing etiquette, contingency plans).

• Ensure that communications are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

• Identify community sources for timely and accurate pandemic information and resources for obtaining counter-measures.

For the complete “Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist,” surf to:

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FREE REPORT OF THE MONTH:

Check out the new Free Report, “Identity Theft: A Workplace Threat Not To Be Taken Lightly,” which arms you with the legal and practical information you need to know to defend your company against one of the fastest growing crimes in the country. You get tips on how to secure confidential information and minimize identity theft risk factors; practices for protecting employee Social Security numbers; a model letter for notifying employees of identity theft; and steps you can pass on to employees to help them take their identities back.

Kick back, relax, and take a few minutes to check out the HR Soapbox, "Workplace Rules That Make You Glad You Don't Work For These Companies," in which an editor describes some over-the-top workplace rules that should make you appreciate your company's rules a little more.