Business influenza information abounds. But what is authoritative?
The media is flooded with all kinds of stories about the Swine Flu /2009 H1N1 Novel Influenza. Our email boxes are being filled with all kinds of rumors, myths, and offers regarding this possible ‘pandemic.’
We’ve looked at a lot of sites, and a lot of resources. The workplace planning tab at www.flu.gov looked like a great all in one place resource for manufacturers like us. But following a link there led me to http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/guidance/ and I think that this is the one H1N1 influenza resource that you need.
Besides technical disease information and precautions, here are some of the ideas from this site that employers should be considering if the H1N1 outbreak occurs this year.
- Prepare for increased numbers of employee absences due to illness in employees and their family members, and plan ways for essential business functions to continue.
- Advise employees before traveling to take certain steps
- Prepare for the possibility of school dismissal or temporary closure of child care programs
- Consider increasing social distancing in the workplace and canceling non-essential business travel
- Make sure your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance, and that your employees are aware of these policies.
- Make contingency plans for increased absenteeism caused by illness in workers or illness in workers’ family members that would require them to stay home. Planning for absenteeism could include cross-training current employees or hiring temporary workers.
More ‘Tools You Can Use’ include:
Born before 1957? Interesting article HERE.
For training materials including powerpoints and spanish language materials try here
OSHA has an easy to read explanation of what a pandemic is and other resources for employers and employees.
OSHA guidance on preparing our workplaces.
The ability to anticipate and intelligently manage risk is what separates the great managers from the wannabes. These links help you with your preparations.
Have you reviewed your sick leave, cross training, and other policies in preparation for the upcoming influenza season?
