Swine Flu: Avoiding Illness at Work

Flu season is here, and swine (H1N1) flu is still around. It might be tempting to crawl in a hole until it passes, but most people have to work. And unless you're sick, staying home from work is neither smart nor practical.

A little knowledge and some common sense practices can help keep businesses up and running.

Stopping the spread of swine flu at work
First, it helps to know how viruses like swine flu spread:

• Flu viruses are usually spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Infected droplets can land on a person or surface within six feet.
• You can pick up a virus by touching something with the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
• Flu germs can live for a few hours on surfaces like phones, desks, counters, tables and doorknobs.

Armed with these facts, here are some ways to avoid getting sick and combat the spread of viruses at work:

• Wash your hands often. To get your hands clean, you need to soap your hands and rub them together under warm water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand gel when you're not near a sink. Place a small amount between your palms and rub it all over your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Throw the tissue away when you are done. Always clean your hands afterward.
• Practice "social distancing." This includes avoiding crowds and keeping a distance of three to six feet from others if you can.
• Wipe down your work area with disinfectant wipes at least once a day. This includes your phone, computer keyboard, mouse and chair arms.
• Avoid using other people's phone, computer and other tools and equipment.

What employers can do
If you run a business, you can take steps to minimize the impact of swine flu in your workplace. In general, you can promote good hygiene if you:

• Encourage your workers to stay home if they're sick.
• Educate workers about flu prevention steps, such as washing hands often, minimizing close contact and covering coughs and sneezes.
• Post signs about proper handwashing near sinks.
• Place bottles of alcohol-based hand rub around the work site if no sinks are available.
• Provide liquid soap, paper towels, tissues and surface disinfectants, and encourage their use.
• Place trashcans where people can easily dispose of tissues and paper towels.
• See that common areas such as restrooms and kitchens are cleaned and disinfected regularly.
• Ask any sick workers to go home.
• Encourage employees to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu and swine flu, if they are candidates. The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against swine flu, but can help prevent the seasonal flu. The swine flu vaccine will be available starting with priority groups this fall. The swine flu vaccine will be given first to people at highest risk for swine flu complications, but once it's more widely available, others will be able to get it.

It's also important to have an emergency plan in place in case swine flu becomes widespread in your area. Create this plan with your employees and review it often. Examples of situations to plan for include:

• How will business continue if many employees are out sick?
• What will you do if parents need to take care of their children or other sick family members?

If a swine flu outbreak hits your community, these management practices can help limit its spread:

• Offer the option of telecommuting, working at home or working staggered shifts if possible. This is especially important for workers who are at a greater risk for complications from the flu:
  • Pregnant women
  • Adults aged 65 and older
  • People with existing medical conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart disease
  • People with weakened immune systems
• Screen employees for flu symptoms when they come to work. Send workers home if they have symptoms.
• Do not penalize employees for being absent when they are sick or caring for an ill family member. And, do not require a doctor's note when they are out sick.
• Consider ways to reduce face-to-face contact if your employees deal with the public. Cancel non-essential business travel.
• Limit meetings. Use e-mail, instant messaging and phone calls instead.
• When meetings are required, keep them short, encourage people to stay about six feet apart and make sure the room is well ventilated.
• Use a bulletin board, Web site or e-mail to keep workers up to date on important pandemic flu information.