Swine Flu (H1N1) Advice for Employers

The swine flu pandemic means employers need to take steps to protect workers and to ensure appropriate business continuity plans are in place. The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the swine flu alert to its highest level, declaring that the 2009 H1N1 flu virus has reached the global pandemic level. The virus is classified as a pandemic because of its global spread to 170 countries, not its severity. Less than 1% of the people who have contracted the H1N1 virus have died from it, compared with 3.6% of those who came down with seasonal flu in 2008 or the 60% who came down with avian flu -- also known as bird flu -- during the outbreak in 2003. Still, the 1 million cases of swine flu to date dwarf the 421 cases of avian flu (H151), and that number is expected to grow dramatically -- especially among children between ages 12 and 17. A presidential advisory group of leading scientists has warned of possible absentee rates of 30% to 50% for an unknown duration. So what should employers be doing to help prepare for a swine flu outbreak?

Employers should develop a plan to mitigate the four key business risks:

Risk: Absenteeism

Mitigation: Absenteeism is the issue to focus on for swine flu. Employers should have a plan that both organizes their own staff to ensure coverage of critical business functions with high absenteeism and enables remote access for the greatest number of employees, who may need to stay home if their children get sick or there is an outbreak at the office.

Risk: Employees will be uncertain what the rules and plans are in case of an outbreak

Mitigation: Communicate the business continuity plan, the policy regarding what to do if you or a household member gets sick and specifics about where to find updated information. Most companies will want to encourage people who are sick or have been exposed to the H1N1 virus to stay home.

Risk: Your vendors will be affected at levels that have an impact on your service

Mitigation: Set up your communication strategy with vendors now to keep apprised of the impact of the pandemic on the individual vendors.

Risk: Employee infection

Mitigation: Employers should take steps to help protect employees, including these steps suggested by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

• Encourage sick workers to stay home and away from the workplace, and provide flexible leave policies.
• Encourage infection control practices in the workplace by displaying posters that address and remind workers about proper hand washing, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette.
• Provide written guidance on swine flu, either through e-mail or other written workplace communications. Employers should ensure that the guidance is written in a manner appropriate to the language and literacy levels of everyone in the workplace. Employers should work closely with local and state public health officials to ensure they are providing the most appropriate and up-to-date information. Information regarding the swine flu is available on the CDC's website.
• Provide sufficient facilities for hand washing and alcohol-based (at least 60%) hand sanitizers (or wipes) in common workplace areas such as lobbies, corridors, and restrooms.
• Provide tissues, disinfectants, and disposable towels for employees to clean their work surfaces, as well as appropriate disposal receptacles for use by employees.
• One study showed that the influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for up to 2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface. To reduce the chance of spread of the swine flu virus, disinfect frequently touched hard surfaces in the workplace, such as work stations, counter tops, door knobs, and bathroom surfaces by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.

The latest information on Swine Flu (H1N1) including vaccination updates can be found at http://www.flu.gov