Preparing Small Business Workplaces for Influenza Pandemic

1
Preparing Small Business Workplaces forInfluenza
Pandemic

• This material was produced under grant number
• SH-16619-07-60-F-51 from the Occupational Safety
  and Health Administration, U.S. Department of
  Labor.
• It does not necessarily reflect the views or
  policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor
  does mention of trade names, commercial products,
  or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.
  Government.

Boat People SOS - Oct 07
Based on OSHAs Guidance and pandemicflu.gov
2
Goals of Pandemic Influenza Planning

• Reduce morbidity
• Reduce mortality
• Maintain essential services and operations for
  your business during a pandemic

3
This is scary and we dont know

• We dont know the timing of the next pandemic,
  how severe it will be. We dont know what drugs
  will work. We dont have a vaccine. Yet we are
  telling everyone to prepare for a pandemic. Its
  trickyThis is scary and we dont knowthats the
  message.
• Dick Thompson
• World Health Organization
• December 2005

4
Three Types of Influenza

• Seasonal influenza refers to the periodic
  outbreaks of respiratory illness in the fall and
  winter.
• Avian influenza - also known as the bird flu - is
  caused by virus that infects wild birds and
  domestic poultry. Two types Low pathogenic avian
  influenza virus (H5 and H7) and highly pathogenic
  avian or bird influenza of the H5N1 strain.
• Pandemic influenza refers to a worldwide outbreak
  of influenza among people when a new strain of
  the virus emerges that has the ability to infect
  humans and to spread from person to person.

5
What is seasonal flu?

• Contagious, respiratory illness
• Affects 5-20 of population each year
• Kills approximately 36,000 every year
• Can be prevented with a vaccine

6
Bird or Avian Flu H5N1

• A powerful virus
• Spread by migratory birds
• Transmitted from birds to humans and other
  mammals
• Kills 60 of its victims
• It continues to change

7
H5N1 Transmission

• Bird ? Human
• Handling live diseased birds
• Preparing dead diseased birds
• Eating undercooked poultry
• Human ? Human
• Rare
• 2004 Thailand
• 2006 Indonesia

Courtesy of Dr. Steve Lawrence
www.bbc.co.uk
8
What is Pandemic Influenza?

• An influenza pandemic occurs when a new
  influenza virus appears against which the human
  population has no immunity, resulting in several,
  simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous
  numbers of deaths and illness.

9
Flu Pandemics in the Last Century

• 1918 Spanish Flu
• Killed 50 million worldwide
• Killed 675,000 Americans
• 1957 Asian Flu
• Killed 2 million people worldwide
• Killed 70,000 Americans
• 1968 Hong Kong Flu
• Killed 1 million people worldwide
• Killed 34,000 Americans

10
How a Severe Pandemic Influenza Could Affect
Workplaces

• Absenteeism - A pandemic could affect as many as
  40 percent of the workforce during periods of
  peak influenza illness. Employees could be absent
  because they are sick, must care for sick family
  members and/or children.
• Change in patterns of commerce - Consumers may
  also change the ways in which they shop as a
  result of the pandemic.
• Interrupted supply/delivery - Shipments of items
  from those geographic areas severely affected by
  the pandemic may be delayed or cancelled.

11
Occupational Risk Pyramid for Pandamic Influenza
Healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, dentists)
Healthcare employees (medical technicians,
mortuary employees)
Employees with high-frequency contact (nail
people, retails)
Office employees
12
How Influenza Can Spread Between People

• Influenza is thought to be primarily spread
  through large droplets (droplet transmission)
  that directly contact the nose, mouth or eyes.
• Droplets are produced when infected people cough,
  sneeze or talk, sending the relatively large
  infectious droplets and very small sprays
  (aerosols) into the nearby air and into contact
  with other people.
• Large droplets can only travel a limited range
  therefore, people should limit close contact
  (within 6 feet) with others when possible.

13
Potential Impact of Pandemic Flu

• Interruption of services
• Public transportation, communications, schools,
  banks, stores, restaurants, utilities, medical
  care, police and first responders
• Negative impact on world economy
• Overwhelmed hospitals
• Supply shortages for local businesses

14
Who Should Plan for an Influenza Pandemic?

• It is important for all businesses and
  organizations to begin continuity planning for a
  pandemic now.
• Lack of continuity planning can result in a
  cascade of failures as employers attempt to
  address challenges of a pandemic with
  insufficient resources and lack of skilled
  employees.
• Proper planning will allow employers to better
  protect their employees and prepare for changing
  patterns of commerce and potential disruptions in
  supplies or services.

15
Small Business Employee Exposure to Pandemic
Influenza at Work

• A significant number of Vietnamese people work in
  small businesses such as nail salons, retail
  shops, markets, and restaurants.
• Frequent and close contact (within 6 feet
  physical contact with customers in nail salons),
  greatly increases their exposure to known or
  suspected sources of pandemic influenza virus
  such as coworkers, and the general public.
• And thus are considered medium-to-high exposure
  risk.

16
Develop a Business Pandemic Influenze Plan

• As an employer, you have an important role in
  protecting employee health and safety, and
  limiting the impact of an influenza pandemic.
• Hand-outs of Business Pandemic Influenza
  Planning. This materials is based on
• www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html
• (more detailed in slide 25)

17
Step 1 Create a plan for You

• What might happen?
• School closures
• 30 of workforce absent
• Voluntary quarantine or isolation
• Social distancing measures

• Who do you need to plan for?
• Yourself
• Your children
• Your job
• Those with special needs, at home or in a facility

18
Step 2 Prepare supplies
19
How Employers Can Protect Their Employees

• This plan will include four type of controls
• listed from most effective to lest effective
• Engineering controls
• Administrative controls
• Work practice controls
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Depending on business workplace, employers
• may choose one or more types of controls.

20
Engineering Controls

• Small business, particularly nail salons should
  install ventilation system with air filtration.
• Retail stores should install physical barriers,
  such as clear plastic sneeze guards where
  possible.

Note Nail employees spend 9-10 hours/day inside
the salon. Good ventilation is important. It
protects you and employees from unpleasant
odors, hazardous chemicals, irritating
pollutants, etc.
21
Administrative controls

• Small business employers should schedule their
  employees tasks in ways that minimize exposure
  levels. For example

• Developing a policy that encourages ill
  employees to stay home without fear of any
  reprisals.
• Rotate workers if feasible and give them more
  exercise breaks during certain exposure.
• Post signs about symptoms of the flu and suggest
  sick customers to avoid contact with their
  employees

22
Work Practice Controls

• Employers will be educated to implement safety
  work practices
• so that employees can reduce the duration,
  frequency or
• intensity of exposure to known or suspected
  influenza virus.
• For example

• Providing resources that promote personal
• hygiene no-touch trash cans, hand soap,
• hand sanitizer, disinfectants and disposable
• towels.
• Encouraging employees to obtain a flu shot.
• Providing employees with up-to-date
• education and training on influenza risk
• factors, protective and preventive
• behaviors.
• Developing policies to minimize contact
• between employees and between
• employees and clients (within 6 feet),
• include reducing the number of crowded
• settings.

23
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Small businesses, particularly nail salons
  should provide employees PPE (masks, gloves,
  safety glasses and face shield) to minimize
  exposure to influenza virus.

24
Personal Protective Equipment (cont.)

• PPE should be properly fitted, properly worn and
  maintained especially properly removed and
  disposed to avoid contamination of self and
  others.
• Employees should wash their hands frequently. For
  nail salon employees, they should wash their
  hands after each service to customers.

25
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
(1)
26
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning (2)
27
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning (3)
28
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning (4)
29
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning (5)
30
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning (6)
31
Questions?