by jbs082909 b — August 31, 2009—Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gary Locke, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced new guidance recently for businesses to plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season.
Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the 2009-2010 Influenza Season, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is designed to help employers prepare now for the impact that seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza could have this fall and winter on their employees and operations.
Employers’ plans should address such points as encouraging employees with flu-like symptoms or illness to stay home, operating with reduced staffing, and possibly having employees who are at higher risk of serious medical complications from infection work from home, according to the CDC guidance.
It is not known whether the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus will cause more illness or more severe illness in the coming months, but the CDC recommends that everyone be prepared for influenza. Because seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza pose serious health threats, employers should work with employees to develop and implement plans that can reduce the spread of flu, and to encourage seasonal flu vaccination as well as H1N1 vaccination when that vaccine becomes available.
The guidance notes the importance of numerous actions that can be taken to help reduce the spread of flu, such as regular and frequent hand washing and routine cleaning of commonly touched surfaces; reviewing sick leave policies and making the policies flexible for workers who may have to stay home with ill family members; encouraging flu vaccination; canceling non-essential meetings; spacing employees farther apart; and encouraging employees who are at higher risk for flu complications to work from home or stay home if the flu is severe.
For more information about the upcoming flu season, visit Flu.gov.
