|
Pandemic Planning - Draft #1 |
.. Geoff, June 8/06 |
|---|
This document is to help plan how we at Frontier will deal with a pandemic before and during the event.
According to the WHO, we can expect 10-50% of our employees to be off work at any given time during a pandemic due to illness, family care, or quarantine. The pandemic will likely last several months--maybe a full year--before enough vaccine is produced and distributed to lessen the risks. Many suppliers (particularly smaller ones, our janitors for example) will not be operating. Customer demand may drop dramatically, or may stay relatively constant
Goals
- familiarize all employees in best health
practices
- eliminate or minimize disease transmission vectors within
Frontier
- keep the business running during any disruption
Before
- educate employees how to avoid getting and
transmitting diseases:
Flu shots build up immunity to 'regular' flu strains. This
decreases the likelihood of false alarms during a pandemic. As well, flu shots
for everyone are cheaper than having a single employee off work for a few
days.
- set up a telephone handset for the use of customers and
drivers so they don't use employee's phones
- learn how to work from
home, if your job allows that
- figure out what are the essential
tasks in every job. Train at least 2 other people to do them. Train at
least one other person to do non-essential tasks
- inventory all possible
disease vectors within each building. Look for items that multiple
people touch--doorknobs, faucets, photocopier buttons, keyboards, public
phones, public staplers, file drawer handles
- stock up on supplies
that will be useful during a pandemic, remembering that a pandemic may last a
year or more, and some supplies may become difficult to acquire:
During
- follow the recommendations of local, regional and
national health authorities
- employees who are sick must stay at home for
the recommended self-quarantine period. No exceptions.
- employees
with sick family members must stay at home for the recommended self-quarantine
period. No exceptions.
- each washing tap should have a liquid soap
dispenser, disposable paper towels, and plastic-lined trash can nearby
-
employees should wash their hands several times a day, for 20 seconds, with
soap and warm water, drying with paper towel then discarding it into the lined
waste basket
- all places where customers, drivers or others enter should
have a box of Kleenex, a plastic-lined waste paper basket, and a handwashing
station (handcleaning alcohol gel)
- if you can work from home, do so at
least 2-3 days a week, making sure all essential jobs are covered
- do not
share your phone, pens, stapler or tools; do not use someone else's phone,
desk, pens, tools etc. If you do, wipe them off with disinfectant
- our most
obsessive employee cleans all disease vector areas with disinfectant daily. Use
disposable gloves
- empty garbage daily. Use safe handling procedures (latex
gloves, mask if appropriate). Employees should empty their own trash.
- many
institutions that employees regularly use will be closed. Help employees
develop strategies for managing this
- help employees arrange supplies to
ensure they can be self-sufficient for a week or two in case they get sick and
need to stay home, or need to care for a sick family members
- the virus can
live for 48 hours on hard surfaces (desks, counters). Avoid the work area of
any employee who becomes sick for at least 2 days
Essential jobs
- answering the phones at each branch (calls
can be forwarded to other branches, cellphones or home phones)
- opening the
mail
- bank deposits
- receiving faxes
- invoicing
- shipping &
receiving
- manufacturing
- repairs of customer equipment both onsite and
offsite
All these jobs need several people trained to handle them
Resources
- World Health Organization -
www.who.int
The WHO is the
only reliable, non-hysterical source of information. Unlike media, who aim to
shock and scare you into purchasing their products.
- WHO
handbook for journalists, excellent background
information
- Vancouver Coastal Health - www.vch.ca
- BC Centre for Disease Control -
www.bccdc.org/
- BC Health Guide -
www.bchealthguide.org
- US
government pandemic info website - www.pandemicflu.gov
-
Ontario planning guide for workplace (pdf)
Suggestions? Click the "Problems & questions" link!