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PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS FOR BUSINESSES
PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS FOR BUSINESSES
BIRD FLU PREPAREDNESS TIPS
We all know of the threat that
Bird Flu brings to our businesses. We have all been told to prepare. But how do
we prepare? It won't be like other disruptions so our current BCPs won't work.
We have been warned to plan for up to 50% of staff to be absent from work
during the worst period, and to expect the same for our suppliers and clients.
How can we avoid the
inevitable workforce panic? What can we say when our staff, customers, stakeholders
and regulators ask what we are doing to help prepare for Bird Flu? Are we
confident we have done all we can for workplace Health and Safety? How can we prepare our homes and families? What can we do about the flu pandemic and individual preparedness?
Remember what happened during
SARS? According to the HKTDC, 65% of businesses suffered to some extent in their
bottom line, many of those went under. 33% managed to survive unscathed and an
incredible 2% of businesses actually saw an improvement! So how come they were
ready to take up the slack? It was because they had some sort of plan in place,
even if it wasn't designed for something like SARS.
There are many ways businesses
can minimise disruption, absenteeism, panic, workforce infection and financial
losses with good planning, training and preparation. Here are a few tips and
things to think about.
1. Know your exposure
What are the risks to your
business? Some businesses will suffer more than others. Examine where you stand
with:
what are your critical processes
who are your critical people
which are your critical suppliers
what utilities do you rely on
2. Training
Ignorance and panic are our
worst enemies. Teach your staff to:
understand the Bird Flu pandemic
recognise the symptoms and know the differences with the common cold
make it difficult for the infection to spread
protect themselves and their families
involve themselves in your own preparations
3. Human Resources
It is people who will be directly
affected by Bird Flu, not systems, machinery or physical locations. Consider:
deputy training
back up staff
succession plans
leave arrangements
temporary redundancy
4. Influenza Manager
Who will take the lead in your
company’s planning for the pandemic, and the company’s response once the pandemic starts? Nominate an Influenza Manager(s)
to look after:
monitoring of the pandemic and trigger activities
human resource contingency
staff/supplier/customer communications
workplace preparation and disinfection
managing stockpiles
regulatory obligations
managing staff return to work after illness/quarantine
5. Managing illness at work
Discovering illness in the
workplace could mean healthy employees' refusal to come to the office due to
safety concerns. Mitigate this prospect by having:
a compartmentalised workstation layout
arrangements for quarantining the individual(s)
clear guidelines for disinfecting and cleaning workstations
daily illness checks before coming to work
6. Personal hygiene
Practicing good personal
hygiene is probably our best offense against Bird Flu. Educate your staff to:
wash their hands regularly and thoroughly
cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
dispose of tissues in sealed bags after use
avoid touching their face with unwashed hands
7. Communications
Keeping communications open is
critical to business operations. Keep in contact with staff, customers and
suppliers by:
enabling staff to work from home
diverting phone calls and messages
accessing email from anywhere
installing videoconferencing or use conference calling services
8. Social Distancing
Protect staff by minimising
contact with others. Consider the following measures:
avoid face to face meetings
review overseas travel policy/quarantine
stagger working hours to avoid overcrowded public transport
avoid restaurants at lunch hour
allow customers to make orders/enquiries by email/fax/phone/website
practice ghost shifts
9. Awareness
People need constant reminders
and updates. Help increase your staff awareness with:
posters
screensavers
pandemic status boards
regular newsletters
website articles
10. Supply shortages
During a pandemic, supplies of
everything will be short. Consider the need for ensuring adequate availability
of essential supplies in case of:
breakdown of land/sea transportation systems
suppliers own travel restrictions
border closures
disruption to air traffic
11. Stockpiling equipment
Businesses and individuals
have already started stockpiling equipment. Have you? Consider adequate supplies
of:
face masks
rubber gloves
disinfecting soaps
cleaning materials
tissues
Perspex barriers
12. Office environment
Maintaining a clean office
environment is one of our best defenses. Check the:
air ventilation
office cleaning methods
pantry for shared crockery/cutlery
reception for newspapers and magazines
arrangements for identifying visitors/staff who have symptoms
13. Lists and forms
As for any emergency,
pre-prepare all the lists and forms you’ll need. Create:
emergency phone records forms
sickness notification forms
contact lists to record affected staff travel history and
who they have been in contact with
what-to-do checklists
14. Practice, practice, practice
Drills and exercises are the
only way to make sure employees and plans are ready. Schedule:
desktop exercises to check contingency processes
minor exercises to test staff
major full scale exercises for a real life drill
test meetings/conferences remotely using videoconferencing or use conference calling services
You can find solutions to these and many other Bird Flu Preparedness issues by referring to our FREE online reference manual.
don’t know how to do this? don’t
have the time or resources?
birdflu-manual.com
are a team of seasoned business continuity planning professionals. We can help you tailor-make your response, and
hand-hold you through your preparations, with these and many other business continuity
ideas using our staircase approach to readiness. Ours is an affordable,
practical and easy to implement set of measures aimed specifically to help
prepare you, your staff, your business, your family and homes.
don’t LET LACK OF PREPAREDNESS
EFFECT YOUR BOTTOM LINE
Start planning now!
Don’t rely on Government and hospital supplies. There won't be enough. Get yours here now.
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More help? Need a complete solution? Something with all the hard work done for you? Something with customisable templates of procedures, presentations, project timelines and tutorials … to hand hold you through it all? Then you’re looking for our Pandemic Response Manual. It has all of this and much, much more. To learn more about it and get some free stuff click here.
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