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Samuel Phillips Employment Team provides a practical guide for businesses facing potential disruption due to the “SWINE” FLU pandemic. 

Given the recent spread of a virulent influenza virus (generally called “swine” flu), we have prepared this briefing note for businesses in the UK. The point is not to cause alarm, but simply to ensure that your organisation has a contingency plan in place in case a pandemic directly affects you and your business.

POINTS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR CONTINGENCY PLAN

Consider the possible impact on your business:

• Identify someone to co-ordinate and take responsibility for drawing up a plan in case of a pandemic
• Ensure input from a wide range of stakeholders including health and safety representatives and trade union officials
• Identify the critical activities undertaken by your business which would have to continue during a pandemic
• Ensure that your suppliers/sub contractors have robust plans in place
• Consider preparing an additional pool of workers to undertake key tasks and provide training where appropriate
• Determine the potential impact of a pandemic on your business-related travel
• Establish an emergency communications plan and revise periodically. This plan should identify key contacts (with back-ups) and establish chains of communications (including suppliers, customers and employees).

Consider the impact on your employees and customers:

• Forecast and plan for employee absences during a pandemic
• Assess the amount of face to face contact you need with your customers/suppliers and consider plans to modify the frequency and/or type of contact for instance by making more use of tele-conferencing
• Plan for a likely increase in demand for employees welfare services, if they are available, during a pandemic
• Consider your customers’ needs during a pandemic and whether to review your business model and make arrangements to continue to meet those needs, for instance by enhancing mail ordering and internet shopping capacities
• Draft policies for sick-leave absences unique to a pandemic
• Provide sufficient and accessible means for reducing the spread of infection, for instance with increased provision of hand washing facilities or hand-hygiene products
• Consider additional measures to reduce the risk of infection, such as more frequent cleaning on premises, and ensuring that resources are available to do that.

Communicate with and educate your employees:

• Disseminate easily-accessible information about pandemic flu to your workforce which is appropriate to the stage of alert (see below)
• Ensure that communications are culturally and linguistically appropriate
• Disseminate information to employees about your pandemic preparedness and response plan for your business, including their role in this plan
• Develop platforms (e.g. hotlines, dedicated websites) for communicating pandemic status and actions to employees, vendors, suppliers, and customers.

Tell your employees that:

• As far as anyone knows, the symptoms of pandemic flu will be the same as for seasonal flu, although more severe, as it is unlikely that people will have any resistance to it
• If pandemic flu is declared in the UK, they should continue to come to work unless they are ill
• If they do catch flu, they should stay at home and rest until they feel better; take medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol; and drink plenty of fluids
• They can reduce, but not eliminate the risk of catching or spreading influenza during a pandemic by:

o Covering their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible
o Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully – bag and bin them
o Avoiding non-essential travel and large crowds wherever possible
o Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing their hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from their hands to their face, or to other people
o Making sure their children follow this advice.