By Patricia Curran, R.N.

In an influenza outbreak, you play a key role in protecting your employees’ health and safety. The workplace is one place where everyone can help stop the spread of the flu. The actions you take “locally” can help limit the impact of the illness on the economy and society as a whole.

Pandemics, like the viruses that cause them, are unpredictable and can occur at any time. As with any potential catastrophe, it’s essential to have a contingency plan. We can’t afford to let our guard down and let this flu season turn into another pandemic.

Preparation
So, how can you be sure you’re prepared in the event of a serious outbreak? Here are some recommendations that will help your employees stay healthy and keep your business going.

1. Develop an emergency action plan.
The goal is to protect your employees while keeping interruptions to your business to a minimum. Be sure the plan takes care of managing and controlling operations and communications in case your headquarters and key people become inaccessible. Appoint a core team to coordinate the emergency response. If you have many locations, you should have coordinators at each facility. Make sure that you can maintain your core business operations over an extended period of time — you might have only a minimal workforce. Plan to make vaccines available to your employees.

2. Review and update your policies and procedures.
At the very least, check your employee communications, telecommuting and leave, and travel policies.

3. Educate and prepare your employees.
It all starts with common sense health and hygiene. Educate employees on how to prevent the spread of germs:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• If you are sick with flu–like symptoms, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)

2011-2012 flu Vaccines
The most important thing you can do for yourself, your company, your employees and coworkers, family, and friends — and even for strangers — is to get the flu shot this fall and make it available to employees. The influenza vaccination recommendation this year is simple: everyone six months old and up should receive the influenza vaccine.

The flu is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Anyone can get sick from the flu. For more information about influenza and how to protect yourself, your family, and your employees, visit http://www.gov.bc.ca/FluBC/.

The 2011-2012 vaccine will protect against:

• Influenza A H3N2 virus
• Influenza B virus
• H1N1 virus

These three viruses are expected to be the most common this year; they’re the same strains as those in last year’s vaccines. However, the CDC has always recommended that people get vaccinated every year for optimal protection. The immunity you acquired from last season’s vaccine won’t be as strong, and may not be enough to prevent infection this season.

If one of your employees does get the flu and hasn’t been vaccinated, vaccination is still useful.

Remember, you can’t build up a natural resistance to the flu because it keeps changing. You can get it more than once a season. The flu season generally runs from October to May, so flu vaccination during the winter months can still provide protective benefits for patients who have not yet received the vaccine.

Protect Your Business
Influenza kills between 4,000 and 8,000 Canadians annually and causes more deaths than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined.

As an employer, you have to strike a delicate balance when dealing with your employees’ health, wellness, and freedom of choice. Health officials encourage you to prepare for the upcoming flu season and a potential worst-case scenario. As you review your current policies, procedures, and health care coverage, remember that all action items must comply with federal and provincial regulations on workplace safety, personal information, and labour standards.

Finally, without appropriate communication that helps your employees understand the issues and protect themselves and others from infection, your business needs could be left to chance.

Patricia Curran, R.N., is a registered nurse and a Principal in the National Clinical Practice of Buck Consultants, A Xerox Company. She can be reached at Patricia.Curran@buckconsultants.com.