Will your business survive the next
pandemic influenza outbreak?
BREAKING NEWS! Harvard Survey:
Four-Fifths of Businesses Foresee Severe Problems Maintaining
Operations If Significant H1N1 Flu Outbreak.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2009-releases/businesses-problems-maintaining-operations-significant-h1n1-flu-outbreak.html
MORE
NEWS: On August 19, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance recommending actions that
non-healthcare employers should take now to decrease the spread of
seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu in the workplace and to help maintain
business continuity during the 2009-2010 flu season. The guidance
includes additional strategies to use if flu conditions become more
severe and some new recommendations regarding when a worker who is
ill with influenza may return to work. The purpose of "Preparing for
the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers",
available at
http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/toolkit.html,
is to provide information and communication resources to help
businesses and employers implement recommendations from CDC’s
Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the
2009-2010 Influenza Season.
The guidance in this document may change as additional
information about the severity of the 2009-2010 influenza season and
the impact of 2009 H1N1 influenza become known. Please check
www.flu.gov
and
http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/guidance.html
periodically for updated guidance.
Make a Plan . . . Make a
Difference
Officials and experts do not know when the next
influenza pandemic will occur, only that it is inevitable. Experts
estimate that communities may be affected in 6 to 8 week waves that may
continue for up to 18 or even 24 months. Businesses will face additional
financial hardships, due to 40 to 50 percent absenteeism and disruptions
in the supply chain and transportation.
Pandemic influenza occurred three times in the last century, and has
the potential to cause significant social and economic disruption in the
future.
It is essential to plan for this possibility.
By keeping informed about pandemic influenza, and being aware of
likely actions on the part of policy makers to control a pandemic,
businesses can plan how to best respond and assist.
Together
We Can Help Sustain The Economy, Trade And Business In Colorado …
Provide Your Ideas and Suggestions for Possible
Statutory or Regulatory Changes.
Current Federal and
State statutes and regulations may be too restrictive for businesses to
survive when the next pandemic influenza outbreak or other large health
emergency occurs. View the current labor and
employment laws that are pertinent.
To provide other ideas
or suggestions for how CDLE, the State, or Federal government can help
businesses prepare for, and minimize the negative effects of, a Pan Flu
or other widespread health emergency or disaster:
Maryann.Motza@state.co.us
Dean.Conder@state.co.us
Businesses will play a key role when the next
pandemic influenza outbreak occurs. Businesses will have a key role in
protecting employees’ health and safety as well as limiting the negative
impact to the economy and society. The Colorado Departments of
Labor and Employment (CDLE) and Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
collaborated to create a pamphlet to help you help us sustain the
economy, trade and business during a pandemic influenza or other
major health emergency. You can download a copy of the pamphlet
from our website, Pandemic
Influenza Planning and Business Preparedness. This document is
in PDF format and requires a download of the free Adobe® Reader® in
order to view and print the pamphlet. Click below to download the
current version of Adobe® Reader®.
You
should also encourage your employees to develop a personal plan. Visit
www.readycolorado.com
for details. Employees should also be encouraged to assemble a
family emergency kit (see
www.whatifcolorado.com for assistance).
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 a 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. The checklist can also be customized
to assist small to medium-sized businesses plan for and cope with a
pandemic. Further information can be found at:
For other assistance and further information to assist you in
planning for the next pandemic, go to the following websites:
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE),
Emergency Preparedness and Response Division, Pandemic Influenza
Information
www.cdphe.state.co.us/epr/pandemic.html
www.cdphe.state.co.us/epr/Public/businesspanready.pdf
- U.S. pandemic influenza information and planning assistance
www.pandemicflu.gov
www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/businesschecklist.pdf
For additional information, check out these other websites:
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
www.cdc.gov/flu/
www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm
- World Health Organization (WHO)
www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en
- Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/focuson/flu/default.htm
- Pandemic Flu Checklist for children and families
www.pandemicflu.gov/planguide/checklist.html
- Free Online Preparedness & Community Response to Pandemics
Course
www.ualbanycphp.org/learning/registration/detail_Pandemics.cfm
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