As I participated in a tour of a new regional health care distribution center recently, I had to ask about the long rows of black shrouded unit loads that lined several aisles. They were flu pandemic supplies, our tour guide said.
To this I had two thoughts. The first was that I was looking at an awful lot of flu pandemic supplies. Somebody really is taking this pandemic stuff seriously. The second was that I needed to finish this second column about flu pandemic. An added bonus is that, with the normal flu season coming on, you can take simple steps at your workplace to prevent flu among your employees.
It is worth reiterating that an outbreak of pandemic flu could be devastating to a business. In an average winter, flu kills an estimated 36,000–40,000 Americans and hospitalizes over 200,000. It costs the U.S. economy over $10 billion in lost productivity and direct medical expenses.
As bad as that sounds, experts say a pandemic flu outbreak could kill over 500,000 people in the U.S., hospitalize an additional 2 million, and cost the economy as much as $160-$675 billion.
Let’s look at how businesses can prepare internally for the worst and how they can respond if-when pandemic flu hits:
• Consider how your business will deal with high rates of absenteeism.
Think about your core business activities. Have you developed the ‘bench strength’ to keep them going if your company suffers a flu outbreak for several weeks?
• Inform employees about the company’s preparations for pandemic.
Let them know how they should respond during an outbreak. For example, if they contract flu, instruct them not to come to work. Make employees feel confident that you are taking precautionary steps so that healthy employees can continue to work during a pandemic event.
• Have an adequate supply of sanitizing and cleaning agents, tissue and masks.
• Tell employees how they should conduct themselves during a pandemic.
This is probably food for thought during any normal flu season, but especially during a pandemic flu situation. Viruses that cause flu infect the lungs, throat and nose. They typically are spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Tell employees to observe the following practices to help prevent flu:
• Practice social distancing — keep distanced from other employees if feasible or, if possible, work remotely.
• Keep work areas well ventilated and leave windows open.
• Recognize signs and symptoms of flu, and stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid coughing on others; cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean hands with soap and water, gel sanitizer or alcohol-based hand wipes.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth; germs are easily transferred from a contaminated surface when someone touches their eyes, nose or mouth.
For a complete planning checklist, visit www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html.
For more information on how to prevent the spread of flu at work, visit www.cdc.gov.
