Swine Flu Advice for Employers
Jan 1, 2010
Although there has been a recent drop off in the number of new cases of swine flu reported in recent weeks, it is expected numbers will greatly increase later in the year when the usual seasonal increase in flu cases occurs.
The current Health Protection Agency advice for employees is that anyone suffering flu-like symptoms should get advice on-line or by telephone from NHS Direct, the swine flu information line.
For employers, the advice is to send home employees with flu like symptoms and suggest that they seek medical advice (as above).
To limit spread of illness through the workplace, some good advice for employers includes:
- Display signs reminding employees of flu symptoms;
- Display reminders of good personal hygiene etiquette such as carrying tissues, using a new tissue to cover nose & mouth when coughing and sneezing, disposal of tissues in a bin after one use, regularly washing hands with soap & hot water or sanitised gels - “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”;
- Clean hard surfaces regularly;
- Provide access to hand hygiene facilities such as sanitised gel.
Employers should also consider reducing the number of face-to-face meetings and promoting a culture in which unwell staff feel they can stay at home.
From the business continuity management perspective, employers should also review how the business would respond to a large number of the workforce being absent at the same time or key personnel being taken ill.
Up-to-date information for individuals and employers on the swine flu pandemic can be obtained from www.hpa.org.uk
