PREPAREDNESS FOR BUSINESSES AND HOMES
MANAGING ILLNESS
12.1 Discovering illness in the workplace could mean healthy employees' refusal to come to the office due to safety concerns. According to the workplace health and safety regulations in most countries they would be well within their rights to do so.
12.2 It is imperative therefore to have clear guidelines in place for dealing with illness and these plans must be communicated effectively to all staff.
12.3 Such plans should include the following:
12.3.1 If a person feels ill, or if someone observes that another person is sick at work, they are to contact the Crisis Manager/Influenza Manager or person responsible by telephone as soon as possible.
12.3.2 Avoid visiting this person if possible - manage the process over the phone
12.3.3 Check if the employee has any of the symptoms. Use the illness screening flow chart.
12.3.4 If the sick employee does not have any symptoms like those listed, they are very unlikely to have influenza, and should be reassured but advised to call the Influenza Manager again later or to see their doctor if they are still concerned.
12.3.5 If the illness does have symptoms that match some of those listed, they should be treated as a 'suspect case'. It may be helpful to have a Sickness at Work Report Form completed, including details of any staff and/or visitors they have been in contact with.
12.3.6 This information will permit the Influenza Manager to identify recent movements and monitor well-being during the pandemic.
12.3.7 The ill employee should be informed where they can find a face mask and instructed to wear it immediately. This is to help protect other staff.
12.3.8 The sick employee should leave work and immediately contact medical assistance. This may involve phoning the person's normal doctor or nurse, or a specially designated centre to seek further advice. The employee's manager should be informed that they have left work.
12.3.9 The ill employee, should, if at all possible, avoid public transport when leaving work.
12.3.10 Ascertain who has the sick staff been in contact with. Identify contacts (once an employee is suspected to be infected) and advise contacts in person that they have been in contact with a person suspected of having influenza
12.3.11 Ask contacts to go home, and stay at home until advised otherwise.
12.3.12 The ill employee's work station should be cleaned and disinfected.
12.4 The Influenza Manager will need to set up pandemic response procedure to manage the absence and return to work of the employee and their contacts. Some issues to consider include:
12.4.1 Advice to the ill employee on how long to stay away from work.
12.4.2 Decisions on the leave and cover arrangements.
12.4.3 Checking on the sick staff member during his/her absence from work. This will facilitate treatment, contact tracing, etc., if they become ill.
12.4.4 Set up a process in the plan for ensuring both that: the ill employee is healthy before allowing them to return to work; and that they are encouraged to return to work once they are well.
12.5 Prevention is always better than cure. Encourage staff to perform a self illness check before coming to work each day, including themselves and their families.
12.6 Have a return-to-normal notification tree in place so that all staff are aware of the all-clear in the office in case some are waiting to return to work.
12.7 Have Public Relations plans in place and ensure all staff are aware of the 'line-to-take' in case they are asked by the press or public to comment on the situation.
12.8 Workplace cleaning. Most modern offices sub-contract cleaning services, organised either by the businesses themselves or by the building's management company. If your cleaning services are sub-contracted or otherwise managed by outside service providers, query their plans for cleaning and disinfection during a Bird Flu outbreak.
12.9 Study the response to those queries, or if cleaning services are provided internally, consider the following:
12.9.1 During a pandemic, it is necessary to implement additional measures to minimise the transmission of the virus through environmental sources, particularly hard surfaces (e.g. sinks, handles, railings, objects and counters).
12.9.2 Transmission from contaminated hard surfaces is unlikely but influenza viruses may live up to two days on such surfaces.
12.9.3 Influenza viruses are inactivated by alcohol and by chlorine. Cleaning of environmental surfaces with a neutral detergent followed by a disinfectant solution is recommended. Surfaces that are frequently touched with hands should be cleaned often, preferably daily.
12.10 Should no additional cleaning services be available for whatever reason, then refer to the following table to assist in your own cleaning and disinfecting regime.
12.10.1 Workplace Cleaning Products
|
Disinfectants |
Recommended use |
Precautions |
|
Sodium hypochlorite: 1000 parts per million of available chlorine, usually achieved by a 1 in 5 dilution of hospital grade bleach. |
Disinfection of material contaminated with blood body fluids. |
Should be used in well ventilated areas. Protective clothing required while handling and using undiluted bleach. Do not mix with strong acids to avoid release of chlorine gas. Corrosive to metals. |
|
Granular chlorine: |
May be used in place of liquid bleach, if it is unavailable. |
Should be used in well ventilated areas. Protective clothing required while handling and using undiluted bleach. Do not mix with strong acids to avoid release of chlorine gas. Corrosive to metals. |
|
Alcohol: e.g. Det-Sol 5000 or Diversol, to be diluted as per manufacturer's instructions. e.g. Isopropyl 70%, ethyl alcohol 60%. |
Smooth metal surfaces tabletops and other surfaces on which bleach cannot be used. |
Flammable and toxic. To be used in well ventilated areas. Avoid inhalation. Keep away from heat sources, electrical equipment, flames,and hot surfaces. Allow it to dry completely, particularly when using diathermy, as this can cause diathermy burns. |
12.11 When illness is identified and the sick employee has left the workplace, it is important that their work area / office, along with any other known places they have been are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
12.12 Among other things, planning should identify the basic hygiene practices (including hand hygiene) to be followed by cleaners, protocols for the use personal protection equipment and methods for waste disposal.
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