Emergency Procedures – Swine Flu
While there is a swine flu pandemic - which means that swine flu has now spread around the world - most of the cases reported so far in the UK have been mild. Only a small number have led to serious illness and these have often been in patients with underlying health problems.
This guide gives advice on how to manage the impact of swine flu on your business and how to protect your staff.
It also covers managing absence due to sickness, insurance policies and the importance of risk management and business continuity planning.
Transmission of the Swine Flu Virus
Viruses are microscopic organisms that can only reproduce by first infecting the cells of the host - a human being in the case of the human variant of swine flu.
As infected cells replicate, the virus spreads in the host's body.
Viruses cannot replicate outside of a host.
How swine flu is transmitted from person to person
The virus can spread from person to person:
· via large droplets from an infected person coughing and/or sneezing within a short distance of someone (usually within one metre)
· by touching or shaking the hand of an infected person and then touching the mouth, eyes or nose without first washing the hands
· by touching surfaces or objects, eg door handles, that have become contaminated with the flu virus and then touching the mouth, eyes or nose without first washing the hands
Transmission via surfaces or objects in a modern, built-up environment can be limited and is controllable through sensible, conventional cleaning, especially of hard surfaces in hygiene areas. Newspapers, post, books and banknotes are not a significant route of transmission and can be excluded from consideration.
In all cases, transmission can be most effectively controlled through good personal hygiene and ensuring that workers showing flu-like symptoms go home or don't come to work until they are no longer infectious
Protecting your employees from swine flu
Despite there being a swine flu pandemic, the vast majority of people should go about their normal activities, including going to work.
The best way to stop your employees getting swine flu is to promote good hygiene practice at every opportunity. Therefore, you should encourage your staff to:
· always carry tissues
· cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing - using a tissue when possible
· carefully dispose of a dirty tissue after one use
· wash their hands frequently with soap and water or use a sanitizing gel when hand washing is not possible to deactivate the virus and reduce its spread from your hands to your face or to other people
In short, you should encourage staff to ' catch it, bin it, kill it'.
Additionally, you should advise everyone not to come to work if they begin to suffer symptoms and send them home if they show symptoms while in the workplace. They should stay at home until they are no longer infectious – usually five days after symptoms appear.
You should advise cleaning staff to frequently clean hard surfaces, such as door handles. To do this, they should continue to use a normal cleaning product, such as neutral detergent and warm water.
There is no need to avoid people who might have come into contact with those having the illness, such as work colleagues whose children are at schools with a confirmed case but who are not themselves ill.
The use of sanitizing gel and facemask's
Sanitizing gel is effective against the influenza virus. However, it should only be used on visibly clean hands - if the hands are dirty, soap and water should be used.
Only on very rare occasions would a facemask be an appropriate precaution, such as if a healthy person was unavoidably in close contact (less than a metre) with someone who had flu.
If masks are worn, they should be worn once and then carefully discarded.
Staff who are in contact with the public
A healthy person would be unlikely to contract swine flu unless they were in close contact with someone who is symptomatic.
Close contact is defined as within one metre.
Pregnant staff and swine flu
The Chief Medical Officer has advised that some pregnant women who catch swine flu may develop complications (including pneumonia) that could put their own and their baby's health at risk.
The risks are greatest in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. It is too early in the pandemic to quantify these risks, but most pregnant women who catch the disease are likely to make an uncomplicated recovery.
Bearing these risks in mind, at present you do not need to advise pregnant employees to curtail normal activities such as coming to work, travelling on public transport and attending events.
However, to reduce their risk of infection and complications pregnant staff are advised to:
· Observe good hand hygiene (frequent use of soap and water or sanitizer).
· Avoid contact with someone who is known or suspected to have swine flu wherever possible.
· Make early contact with their GP if they have flu-like symptoms. The GP will be able to advise if antiviral treatment is needed to help reduce the severity of illness and reduce the likelihood of complications.
The government has stockpiles of Relenza, an inhaled antiviral drug that treats flu without reaching the developing foetus. An expert group reviewed the risk of antiviral treatment in pregnancy and found that it is much smaller than the risk posed by the symptoms of swine flu.
If a pregnant employee asks not to attend a large densely populated gathering where they have little control over personal contact, you should agree to their request.
Dealing with staff who have swine flu
You should tell your staff not to come to work if they begin to suffer flu-like symptoms.
Also tell your staff that if they show symptoms while in the workplace, they should tell their manager and then go home as soon as possible. You should also encourage them to stay at home until they get better.
If the person can't go home immediately, encourage them to adopt good hygiene practice and avoid close contact with other people.
The symptoms of swine flu
People with swine flu typically have fever (over 38°C/100.4°F) and two or more of the following symptoms:
· headache
· runny nose
· sore throat
· aching muscles
· loss of appetite
· unusual tiredness
· diarrhoea or vomiting
· shortness of breath or cough
When a worker suffering from swine flu should contact their doctor
Staff with swine flu should contact their GP directly if:
· they are pregnant
· they have a serious underlying illness
· their condition suddenly gets much worse
· their condition is still getting worse after seven days
While there is a swine flu pandemic - which means that swine flu has now spread around the world - most of the cases reported so far in the UK have been mild. Only a small number have led to serious illness and these have often been in patients with underlying health problems.
This guide gives advice on how to manage the impact of swine flu on your business and how to protect your staff.
It also covers managing absence due to sickness, insurance policies and the importance of risk management and business continuity planning.
Transmission of the Swine Flu Virus
Viruses are microscopic organisms that can only reproduce by first infecting the cells of the host - a human being in the case of the human variant of swine flu.
As infected cells replicate, the virus spreads in the host's body.
Viruses cannot replicate outside of a host.
How swine flu is transmitted from person to person
The virus can spread from person to person:
· via large droplets from an infected person coughing and/or sneezing within a short distance of someone (usually within one metre)
· by touching or shaking the hand of an infected person and then touching the mouth, eyes or nose without first washing the hands
· by touching surfaces or objects, eg door handles, that have become contaminated with the flu virus and then touching the mouth, eyes or nose without first washing the hands
Transmission via surfaces or objects in a modern, built-up environment can be limited and is controllable through sensible, conventional cleaning, especially of hard surfaces in hygiene areas. Newspapers, post, books and banknotes are not a significant route of transmission and can be excluded from consideration.
In all cases, transmission can be most effectively controlled through good personal hygiene and ensuring that workers showing flu-like symptoms go home or don't come to work until they are no longer infectious
Protecting your employees from swine flu
Despite there being a swine flu pandemic, the vast majority of people should go about their normal activities, including going to work.
The best way to stop your employees getting swine flu is to promote good hygiene practice at every opportunity. Therefore, you should encourage your staff to:
· always carry tissues
· cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing - using a tissue when possible
· carefully dispose of a dirty tissue after one use
· wash their hands frequently with soap and water or use a sanitizing gel when hand washing is not possible to deactivate the virus and reduce its spread from your hands to your face or to other people
In short, you should encourage staff to ' catch it, bin it, kill it'.
Additionally, you should advise everyone not to come to work if they begin to suffer symptoms and send them home if they show symptoms while in the workplace. They should stay at home until they are no longer infectious – usually five days after symptoms appear.
You should advise cleaning staff to frequently clean hard surfaces, such as door handles. To do this, they should continue to use a normal cleaning product, such as neutral detergent and warm water.
There is no need to avoid people who might have come into contact with those having the illness, such as work colleagues whose children are at schools with a confirmed case but who are not themselves ill.
The use of sanitizing gel and facemask's
Sanitizing gel is effective against the influenza virus. However, it should only be used on visibly clean hands - if the hands are dirty, soap and water should be used.
Only on very rare occasions would a facemask be an appropriate precaution, such as if a healthy person was unavoidably in close contact (less than a metre) with someone who had flu.
If masks are worn, they should be worn once and then carefully discarded.
Staff who are in contact with the public
A healthy person would be unlikely to contract swine flu unless they were in close contact with someone who is symptomatic.
Close contact is defined as within one metre.
Pregnant staff and swine flu
The Chief Medical Officer has advised that some pregnant women who catch swine flu may develop complications (including pneumonia) that could put their own and their baby's health at risk.
The risks are greatest in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. It is too early in the pandemic to quantify these risks, but most pregnant women who catch the disease are likely to make an uncomplicated recovery.
Bearing these risks in mind, at present you do not need to advise pregnant employees to curtail normal activities such as coming to work, travelling on public transport and attending events.
However, to reduce their risk of infection and complications pregnant staff are advised to:
· Observe good hand hygiene (frequent use of soap and water or sanitizer).
· Avoid contact with someone who is known or suspected to have swine flu wherever possible.
· Make early contact with their GP if they have flu-like symptoms. The GP will be able to advise if antiviral treatment is needed to help reduce the severity of illness and reduce the likelihood of complications.
The government has stockpiles of Relenza, an inhaled antiviral drug that treats flu without reaching the developing foetus. An expert group reviewed the risk of antiviral treatment in pregnancy and found that it is much smaller than the risk posed by the symptoms of swine flu.
If a pregnant employee asks not to attend a large densely populated gathering where they have little control over personal contact, you should agree to their request.
Dealing with staff who have swine flu
You should tell your staff not to come to work if they begin to suffer flu-like symptoms.
Also tell your staff that if they show symptoms while in the workplace, they should tell their manager and then go home as soon as possible. You should also encourage them to stay at home until they get better.
If the person can't go home immediately, encourage them to adopt good hygiene practice and avoid close contact with other people.
The symptoms of swine flu
People with swine flu typically have fever (over 38°C/100.4°F) and two or more of the following symptoms:
· headache
· runny nose
· sore throat
· aching muscles
· loss of appetite
· unusual tiredness
· diarrhoea or vomiting
· shortness of breath or cough
When a worker suffering from swine flu should contact their doctor
Staff with swine flu should contact their GP directly if:
· they are pregnant
· they have a serious underlying illness
· their condition suddenly gets much worse
· their condition is still getting worse after seven days
Swine Flu
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Crisis management and business continuity planning
Business continuity planning and swine flu
All businesses should have business continuity arrangements in place for unexpected events. You should regularly review your business continuity plans to prepare for the potential impacts of the swine flu pandemic.
In the Workplace – Nationwide Retails systems Ltd
Prevention and Control of Swine Flu spread within Nationwide premises
1. Display CATCH IT – BIN IT – CLEAN IT posters in predominant places
2. Copies of Swine Flu information leaflets available in all departments
3. Tissues available for all employees
4. Sanitising GEL available in all departments
5. Central policy document available in reception
6. Swine Flu documentation available on company web site Link to Swine Flu advice web site
Planning for staff absence
Current assumptions suggest absence rates for illness may reach 12 per cent of the workforce at the peak of the pandemic.
The best current estimate of the length of illness is that:
· half those people becoming ill will recover within seven calendar days
· 25 per cent will need between eight and ten calendar days to recover
· 25 per cent will have symptoms for 11 or more calendar days
Current data and experience of previous pandemics suggests people will be unavailable for work for an average of approximately 10 calendar days for clinical cases without complications, and 14 calendar days for those with complications.
This includes some allowance for a short period of recuperation following recovery from clinical illness in addition to the period with flu symptoms.
Also included in the assumption is an estimate for those at home caring for ill children. However, it does not include any additional absence due to fear of contracting swine flu or the need to look after adult dependants who are ill.
If schools are closed due to influenza during term-time (due to lack of availability of staff or planned closure), absence rates may increase as parents may need to stay at home to look after children.
It has been estimated that this could cause an additional 15 per cent of the workforce to be absent for the duration of the school closure. This is based on the proportion of the national workforce with dependent children of school age at home, as evidenced by survey data.
However, the actual proportion of staff with children at school will vary from employer to employer.
Business closures
The government does not intend to:
· advise closure of businesses
· introduce any restrictions on internal or international travel
Any decisions to close businesses are for business managers to take.
The government is working in partnership with many infrastructure operators in response to the outbreak of swine flu and they are being regularly kept up to date with information.
Home working
As part of your ongoing business continuity planning, you should consider whether the possibility of home working would be appropriate and feasible, eg by finding out which staff have a broadband internet connection that is able to meet their home-working needs.
Internet service providers believe that it is unlikely that the number of people asked to work from home would impact significantly on internet provision nationally. Businesses should speak to their IT suppliers to understand their individual contractual arrangements regarding the provision of broadband services.
When connecting into an office network remotely, there are several points within the network where congestion can occur. As part of contingency planning, businesses should ensure with IT suppliers that they have contracted for appropriate infrastructure equipment and have selected a suitable package to meet their home working needs.
Fuel supplies
The government has been working with the energy sector, trade associations and energy companies to ensure their contingency plans are up to date.
Even with staff absences at levels of 20 to 25 per cent, there are unlikely to be any significant disruptions to fuel supplies.
If absences do reach these levels, any fuel shortages are expected to be localised and relatively short lived.
Business continuity planning and swine flu
All businesses should have business continuity arrangements in place for unexpected events. You should regularly review your business continuity plans to prepare for the potential impacts of the swine flu pandemic.
In the Workplace – Nationwide Retails systems Ltd
Prevention and Control of Swine Flu spread within Nationwide premises
1. Display CATCH IT – BIN IT – CLEAN IT posters in predominant places
2. Copies of Swine Flu information leaflets available in all departments
3. Tissues available for all employees
4. Sanitising GEL available in all departments
5. Central policy document available in reception
6. Swine Flu documentation available on company web site Link to Swine Flu advice web site
Planning for staff absence
Current assumptions suggest absence rates for illness may reach 12 per cent of the workforce at the peak of the pandemic.
The best current estimate of the length of illness is that:
· half those people becoming ill will recover within seven calendar days
· 25 per cent will need between eight and ten calendar days to recover
· 25 per cent will have symptoms for 11 or more calendar days
Current data and experience of previous pandemics suggests people will be unavailable for work for an average of approximately 10 calendar days for clinical cases without complications, and 14 calendar days for those with complications.
This includes some allowance for a short period of recuperation following recovery from clinical illness in addition to the period with flu symptoms.
Also included in the assumption is an estimate for those at home caring for ill children. However, it does not include any additional absence due to fear of contracting swine flu or the need to look after adult dependants who are ill.
If schools are closed due to influenza during term-time (due to lack of availability of staff or planned closure), absence rates may increase as parents may need to stay at home to look after children.
It has been estimated that this could cause an additional 15 per cent of the workforce to be absent for the duration of the school closure. This is based on the proportion of the national workforce with dependent children of school age at home, as evidenced by survey data.
However, the actual proportion of staff with children at school will vary from employer to employer.
Business closures
The government does not intend to:
· advise closure of businesses
· introduce any restrictions on internal or international travel
Any decisions to close businesses are for business managers to take.
The government is working in partnership with many infrastructure operators in response to the outbreak of swine flu and they are being regularly kept up to date with information.
Home working
As part of your ongoing business continuity planning, you should consider whether the possibility of home working would be appropriate and feasible, eg by finding out which staff have a broadband internet connection that is able to meet their home-working needs.
Internet service providers believe that it is unlikely that the number of people asked to work from home would impact significantly on internet provision nationally. Businesses should speak to their IT suppliers to understand their individual contractual arrangements regarding the provision of broadband services.
When connecting into an office network remotely, there are several points within the network where congestion can occur. As part of contingency planning, businesses should ensure with IT suppliers that they have contracted for appropriate infrastructure equipment and have selected a suitable package to meet their home working needs.
Fuel supplies
The government has been working with the energy sector, trade associations and energy companies to ensure their contingency plans are up to date.
Even with staff absences at levels of 20 to 25 per cent, there are unlikely to be any significant disruptions to fuel supplies.
If absences do reach these levels, any fuel shortages are expected to be localised and relatively short lived.
