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Step 3. Develop your Plans
Context:
This information is provided to help your business prepare and respond to the health and business risks created by an influenza pandemic.
This material has not been drafted as prescriptive, legal advice. There is no one, single pandemic scenario. Business planning needs to be pragmatic and provide enough options for a business to respond to a range of scenarios. Successful planning will involve talking with staff working in the business and with suppliers and customers. Businesses will need to keep themselves informed of developments and update their plans accordingly.
Fundamental but important things to keep in mind:
A pandemic will affect your business, staff and customers just how much will depend on the severity of the pandemic and how well prepared you are.
You need to implement your plan for it now covering steps your business can take before, during and after the pandemic. There is no one, single response you can plan for you and your staff need to be able to respond flexibly, depending on the situation.
Look to the recovery phase as a basis for your planning actions you take during the pandemic will impact on your ability to return to business.
Good communication between employers, employees, unions and other workplace participants is a critical step in planning.
Work with your employees on a plan that will enable you to keep your business open as long as possible, or if you are an essential service, to remain open right through the pandemic. Keep yourself informed. Talk to your staff and supply chain so you can update your plan as things change.
Recognise the human dimension to a pandemic. People will have important and legitimate personal, family and community responsibilities (for example, childcare if schools are closed) - so your planning will need to treat them as a reality to work with, not as an inconvenience to avoid or work against.
Expect people to be concerned about contracting influenza during a pandemic it is only natural. Good health and safety practices will provide the best framework for helping you respond to the risk of infection, and will assure people that all practicable steps have been taken.
Eliminate, Isolate or Minimise:
The biggest risk (and, therefore, the thing to try and eliminate, isolate or minimise as much as possible) is close contact between people.
Think about your workplace - think about what is practical for you.
EXAMPLES include:
1. Eliminate the risk of possible infection through person-to-person contact:
Enable more people to work from home without the need for face to face meetings
Offer internet shopping and other self-service options (and be prepared for more customers to use it)
Work varied shift patterns, or extended or flexible hours to limit the number of people in the workplace at any one time
Dont come into the workplace if you are feeling unwell
2. Isolate the risk of possible infection:
Install screens
Use Night Service windows to remove direct staff/customer contact
3. Minimise the risk of possible infection:
Provide and use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where appropriate and practical for your workplace e.g. P2 masks, gloves etc. and provide the associated training, waste disposal and decontamination facilities
Provide training and improve facilities to maximise personal hygiene e.g. hand washing techniques, foot-operated lined waste bins
Provide training and facilities to enable people to maintain social distancing i.e. so they are able to work far enough away from others to prevent cross infection
Ref: USA Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Click here to download the HHS CDC checklist (284KB pdf)
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