Preventing Swine Flu In The WorkPlace: Tips For Small Business Owners

The CDC encourages small business owners to come up with contingency plans to keep their shops open if flu season reaches severe levels. Dr. Daniel Jerrigan, Deputy Director of the Influenza Division says, “Plan now to prepare for the impact of influenza this fall and winter. He advises business owners to prepare for two different scenarios:

• The Swine flu remains mild.
• The virus mutates and the illness becomes more severe.

Dr. Jerrigan, says,”Another option small businesses can do is to protect your employees. People should not report for work when they are sick; they are urged to stay at home until their fever subsides at least for day without taking a fever reducing medication. That means three to five days way from work for most people. Some small businesses will have to change their leave practices but we think that’s a good thing for this year.” He says that small businesses need to take steps to maintain the continuity of their operations. “That means keeping your business going even during high levels of absenteeism,” he said.

Janet Napolitano, Director of Homeland Security, says “We need to make sure that operations and businesses continue on even as we go through the flu season. Karen Mills, coordinator of the US Small Business Administration, says having a plan is critical and that having employees out for even a few days is a health concern and also a bottom-line concern. Some employees may have to stay home to take care of ill children or other relatives.

The CDC’s guidelines for small businesses includes:

• Designating someone to be a coordinator and responsible for H1N1 issues.
• Encourage workers to remain home if they are ill.
• Explore other options so that your employees can work from home.
• Promote Personal hygiene and good hand washing techniques.
• Encourage workers to get the seasonal flu shot
• Encourage workers to get the H1N1 vaccine when it is available.
• Provide workers with information on the flu and the prevention of disease.

In addition, an employer could have one or more educational classes about:

• Swine flu – the disease symptoms
• Importance of thorough hand washing
• Disease prevention by covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
• Using hand sanitizers

The employer could:

• Provide sanitary wipes for cleaning off computer keyboards and mice
• Increase disinfection and cleaning of shared, common surfaces, such as, counters, desks, handles on doors and refrigerators, phones, etc.
• Use Automatic Paper Towel Dispensers in the restrooms.
• Use Automatic Soap Dispensers in the restrooms.
• Place alcohol based dispensers of hand sanitizers in locations where there are many employees.
• Furnish employees with desk sized bottled of hand sanitizers.
• Any employee who becomes ill should be sent home
• Develop a policy for return to work after having the flu

With advance planning, both employees and the business owner will be able to deal with the flu if it does strike. For all your industrial supplies needs be sure to visite u-need-it.com