A business Rx for swine flu?

Newsday (New York)
Copyright 2009 Newsday, Inc.

October 19, 2009 Monday
ALL EDITIONS
SMALL BUSINESS: A business Rx for swine flu? Readiness
BYLINE: Jamie Herzlich
SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. A33

Small-business owners are used to operating lean, but many would be ill prepared to continue operations if an influenza pandemic hit their workplace.

A pandemic could affect as much as 40 percent of the workforce during periods of peak influenza illness, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Admin-istration in Washington, D.C.

That's why federal and health care officials are urging small businesses to prepare for the possibility of a wider H1N1 flu outbreak this fall and winter. This includes having a pandemic plan in place to be able to continue operations with higher levels of absenteeism.

"All businesses should be prepared for the upcoming flu season," says Dr. John Halpin, a medical epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "They should have a pandemic plan that has the flexibility to adapt to various scenarios from fairly mild to severe."

That's because it's difficult to predict the effect a pandemic might have on any particular area, says Halpin. The CDC offers tips on H1N1 planning at cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/tool kit, as does the Department of Homeland Security at sba.gov/ idc/groups/public/documents/ sba_homepage/sba_h1n1.pdf.

Prevention
A big part of planning for H1N1 is taking measures to prevent the spread of germs in the workplace. According to Matthew Crimmins, director of health and safety for the American Red Cross in Nassau County, this includes:
	Advising employees to stay home when they are sick
	Not returning to work until at least 24 hours after fever has passed
	Encouraging (not mandating) employees to get vaccinated
	Promoting hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes.
The Red Cross offers businesses on-site training for H1N1 (swine flu) pre-vention/preparation; call 516-747-3500 in Nassau and 631-698-3688 in Suffolk.

Common Sense
When it comes to prevention, a lot of it is common sense, explains C.J. Meyers, chief financial officer at Teachers Federal Credit Union in Farmingville, which has taken precautions to prepare for H1N1. For instance, the credit union has placed signs reminding employees to wash their hands, be considerate of others when coughing, etc. It also has developed operational procedures in case of a pandemic, and has an area on H1N1 awareness on its intranet site, says Meyers. "We're keeping on top of it. The ability to serve our customers is very high for us."

Staying Operational
	To maintain operations you must have a plan for what happens if employees can't work, says Tom Abruzzo of Merrick-based TAMP Systems, which provides consulting and software for disaster recovery/business continuity and pandemic planning. You need to know who is cross-trained in various operations, what employment agencies to call for temporary help, and which employees can telecommute, says Abruzzo.
	Document general operating procedures, key contacts, favorite suppliers, etc., so if key people become ill, the company can still function, explains Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez, founder of High Alert Llc, a disaster preparedness consultancy in Kissimmee, Fla., and co-author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Disaster Pre-paredness" (Alpha Publishing, $14.95). Review human resources and sick-day policies and allow for flexibility, he adds.

If Affected
	Refer to your pandemic plan for protocol/procedures.
	Enable employees to work remotely.
	Sanitize workplace/affected area.
	Consider letting employees bring children to work if schools are closed.
	What to include in a pandemic plan
	Employees who are cross-trained in various disciplines
	Alternative workforce options, e.g., retired employees
	Succession plans for key-employees
	Employees who can work from home
	Supply-chain interruption strategies
	Reference to standard operating procedures that could be used by temporary employees
	HR policies/procedures that would be used during a pandemic

Copyright 2009 Newsday, Inc.

TAMP Systems has more than 25 years of planning expertise and know-how; and has earned and maintains a CBCV certification from DRII, which is the world-wide leader in more than 90 countries for education and certifications in business continuity management. You can rest secure that pandemic, health crisis and workforce interuption plans developed by TAMP will decrease the impact of these incidences affecting your organization.