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For every business, large and small, there is a pressing need to prepare for a pandemic. Whether it happens this year, or next . . .or five years from now - a pandemic will come again.
As we are reminded almost daily by the CDC and the WHO: It isn't a matter of `if', it's just a matter of `when'.
When that day comes (and it will probably last a year, perhaps longer) - and if the pandemic is on the severe end of the spectrum - then every business large and small will find themselves literally fighting for survival.
To get through a severe pandemic intact will require good planning and foresight.
Fortune 500 companies are spending millions of dollars to prepare for this eventuality, but preparations shouldn't be limited to multi-million dollar enterprises.
If you own a business, not matter how small, you need to be preparing it to weather a pandemic storm.
There are, quite frankly, some business models that are going to have a very tough time during a pandemic. Movie theatres, sports venues, and some sit-down restaurants may find themselves closed, at least temporarily, during the height of a pandemic wave by order of the local health department.
Social distancing will be a major concern, and business models that require crowds of people in close quarters are going to run into problems. Businesses that supply or support these entities are also likely to see difficulties.
How badly these businesses will be impacted will depend upon the severity, and longevity, of a pandemic.
Businesses that could otherwise stay open will find other challenges.
Providing a safe working environment for employees will be one of the biggest challenges facing business owners, as a failure to do so would not only increase absenteeism it could also open them up to legal liabilities.
The Federal government, while not mandating specific rules for employers, has issued `guidelines' that speak strongly about the need for businesses to prepare for a pandemic event.
The following are just a few of the ones be found on the WORKPLACE PLANNING page at www.pandemicflu.gov.
Employer and Employee Guidance
- Interim Guidance on Environmental Management of Pandemic Influenza Virus
CDC guidance on hygiene and use of disinfectants on surfaces frequently touched by hand (equipment, door handles, light switches, etc.).Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance for Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Employers (PDF - 405 KB) (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic (PDF - 313 KB) (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Provides guidance and recommendations on infection control in the workplace, including information on engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment, such as respirators and surgical masks.
Guidance for Protecting Workers Against Avian Flu (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Learn how employees who may be exposed to avian flu can stay protected.
Cover Your Cough (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Includes flyers and posters, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Chinese, Hmong, and Khmer.
Stopping the Spread of Germs at Work (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Basic precautions for protecting employee health.
- Quick Cards for Employees to Protect Yourself from Avian Flu (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Federal Employment Laws
- Federal Employment Laws - For Employees
- Federal Employment Laws - For Employers
- Contacts for Employers and Employees with Questions on Federal Employment Laws
- Workplace Questions (U.S. Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Information on many of the questions that arise during pandemic planning. The subjects covered include: human resource policies, equal employment and privacy issues, workplace benefits, workplace safety and health issues, and unemployment issues and financial assistance.
Not being a lawyer, I can't speak to the liability a business might incur by not abiding by these guidelines. But if it were me, I'd certainly be discussing this with my attorneys.
Dealing with absenteeism will be another major problem for most employers. While trying to work with 40% of your workers absent will be difficult, there are some positions absolutely critical to operations.
If Gladys in accounting is the only one who knows how to run the payroll program, and she is out with the flu, then no one gets paid.
During a pandemic, it is even possible that some employees will succumb to the virus. Others may be disabled or suffer a long convalescence. Employers need to be planning now for that eventuality.
Cross training employees, particularly for mission critical tasks like payroll management, should be a priority. Businesses that have `depth' in their employee's skills, are more likely to survive.
The HHS has put together a business planning checklist. If you don't already have a pandemic plan, then this is a good basis to start with to create one.
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
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Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist (PDF - 284.24 KB)
[En Español (PDF) (276KB)]
Letter to Business Leaders from Secretaries Chertoff, Leavitt, and Gutierrez
In the event of pandemic influenza, businesses will play a key role in protecting employees' health and safety as well as limiting the negative impact to the economy and society. Planning for pandemic influenza is critical. To assist you in your efforts, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed the following checklist for large businesses. It identifies important, specific activities large businesses can do now to prepare, many of which will also help you in other emergencies. Further information can be found at www.pandemicflu.gov and www.cdc.gov/business.
Checklist Sections
A pandemic could last a year, perhaps longer. We haven't the luxury of sending everyone home for 12 months until it is over.
Life, and business, must go on - even during a pandemic crisis.
There will be many casualties during a severe pandemic.
Adequate planning and preparation now could help ensure that your business isn't one of them.
