Swine Flu
After a period in which swine flu had largely been displaced from the media headlines, the World Health Organisation has now declared a global flu pandemic – the first in 40 years. By the end of May there had been over 35,000 confirmed cases from 88 countries around the world. Recent data suggest that the first wave may not yet have peaked (see graph) and there is a general consensus amongst the scientific and medical communities that a major outbreak may occur in the UK as part of a second wave beginning in the autumn of this year.
Swine Flu: new cases per day (end April - middle June 2009)
There are many sources of information and advice on swine flu. These are directed variously towards employers, the medical professions and the general public. If you are an employer and you are concerned about the threat of swine flu but too busy to analyse all the publicly available information, why not seek advice from the IOM? We can advise you on all aspects of swine flu, and the effect it can potentially have on your staff and your organisation. A major outbreak could have a serious disabling effect on your business, and it is certainly not too soon to be making plans to mitigate the impact.
Up to date information about the pandemic is available from:
www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
Here are some of the questions your business needs to address:
Medical:
- What are the symptoms and time course of the disease?
- What is the incubation period?
- How long do sufferers remain infectious?
- What advice should you give staff who have symptoms?
- How should staff go about seeking treatment?
Hygiene:
- How is the virus transmitted?
- What practical hygiene measures should you adopt in the workplace?
- Should you alter your policies on business travel and attending meetings?
- What is the correct advice on the use, fitting and disposal of face masks?
- How do you ensure that staff and visitors follow the advice they are given?
HR / Organisational Issues
- Do you have adequate cover for key members of staff / critical functions?
- What will your policy be in relation to staff who have family members with the virus?
- Will you provide paid leave to staff who need to care for dependants?
- How many of your staff can effectively do their jobs from home?
- What will you do if public transport is seriously disrupted?
- How might your staff be affected by school closures?
IT Issues
- How many of your staff have the necessary hardware to work from home effectively?
- How robust are your arrangements for remote working and connecting to your servers?
- Can your servers support a big increase in remote working?
Procurement
- How will you cope if some of your suppliers are out of action because of the virus?
- Should you be stockpiling certain critical supplies?
If you need to discuss these or other questions, please contact us. We would be pleased to come and discuss a tailored approach to contingency planning for swine flu, based on the specific needs of your business. We will help you identify the key issues and the actions you should be taking, assist you in putting together appropriate policies and procedures, and help you to implement any necessary changes to practices within your organisation, in order that you can minimise the impact of a pandemic.