Influenza: Information for Businesses in Boston
Current Flu Alert Level:
Level 1
(Click here for description of Boston's Flu Alert Levels)
Business Flu Alerts: Click Button Below to Sign Up:
Basic Flu Information for Everyone:
Guidance Materials for Businesses
- How to Write Your Plan
- Keeping Healthy: 10 Tips for Businesses
- Keeping Healthy: 8 Tips for Individuals
- Frequently Asked Questions
Two Hours Off Policy:
On Monday, August 17, 2009, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced that all city workers will be given two hours paid time off this flu season to get vaccinated against seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza and he encourages businesses to do the same for their employees. He also asks businesses to support their employees if they need to stay home because they are ill or if they need to take care of others who are ill. It is critical for those who are ill to stay home to prevent the spread of influenza. More information for unions and human resources will be available shortly.
· Tips for Business Preparedness:
1. Plan Now
a. Develop a Business Continuity Plan – 2009 H1N1 flu outbreaks will impact your organization, employees, suppliers of critical materiel, and your family. Identify your office’s essential functions and the individuals who perform them. Make sure you have trained enough people to properly work in these essential functions and allow for potential absenteeism. Develop a plan that will sustain your core business activities for several weeks. Make sure you have alternate plans for critical supplies in case there is disruption in your supply chains. For information about planning see:
i. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/
ii. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/workplace/
iii. http://www.ready.gov/business/plan/index.html
iv. http://www.flu.gov/professional/business/guidance.html
v. http://www.flu.gov/professional/business/smallbiz.html#04
vi. http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3327pandemic.pdf
b. Review and Update Sick Leave Policies so that:
i. Employees with the flu can stay home until they have been symptom free for 24 hours and for a minimum of 4 days.
ii. Employees with sick minors can stay home with them if necessary.
iii. Doctor’s notes are not required for individuals who have been sick with the flu; clinicians will not be able to accommodate this request for everyone who is sick during a pandemic.
iv. See What to Do If You Get Flu-Like Symptoms for more information.
2. Protect Well Employees
a. Encourage good infection control practices in the workplace by displaying posters that address and remind workers about proper hand washing, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette. Posters can be downloaded or ordered at no charge from BPHC at: www.bphc.org/flu.
b. Provide written guidance (email, etc.) on 2009 H1N1 flu appropriate for the language and literacy levels of everyone in the workplace. Employers in Boston should work closely with the Boston Public Health Commission to ensure they are providing the most appropriate and up-to-date information (e.g., the CDC H1N1 Flu website).
c. Provide sufficient facilities for hand washing and alcohol-based (at least 60%) hand sanitizers* (or wipes) in common workplace areas such as lobbies, corridors, and restrooms.
d. Provide tissues, disinfectants, and disposable towels for employees to clean their work surfaces, as well as appropriate disposal receptacles for use by employees. A list of EPA approved cleaning supplies can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/influenza-disinfectants.html.
3. Reduce the Spread of Infection, encourage employees to:
a. Stay home if they are sick. If someone has symptoms of influenza-like illness, they should stay home for a minimum of 4 days and for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities (their fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine). They should keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick.
b. Employees who are well but who have an ill family member at home with 2009 H1N1 flu can go to work as usual (this is assuming that if the ill family member does not require care from the employee; your employees may need to stay home to be with sick family members). These employees should monitor their health every day, notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill. Employees who have an underlying medical condition or who are pregnant should call their health care provider for advice, because they might need to receive influenza antiviral medicine to prevent illness.
c. Cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after using it. Additional information on stopping the spread of germs can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/stopgerms.htm.
d. Wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after they cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers* can be used if soap and water are not available.
e. Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
f. Avoid close contact with sick people. If an employee suspects that they have been exposed to a sick person with 2009 H1N1 influenza they may continue to go to work as usual. These employees should monitor their health every day and should notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill.
· For businesses that include frequent travel, make sure you are aware of current guidance, which can be found at:
o http://pandemicflu.gov/individualfamily/travelers/
· Frequently Asked Business Questions:
1. What is the big deal?
We have been asked by many businesses why 2009 H1N1 Flu is a big deal, given the fact that fewer people have died of H1N1 than the seasonal flu. We consider it to be a 'big deal' for the following reasons:
a. It is a new virus: Few people are immune to it, resulting in rapid spread through a community. In Boston during a 60 day period in late spring, an estimated 23,000 people had influenza like illnesses; given the fact that seasonal flu was not circulating at the time, these cases were most likely 2009 H1N1 Flu.
b. It targets younger people, resulting in a greater impact on businesses: the seasonal flu tends target older individuals (over 65), while 2009 H1N1 Flu has tended to target a younger demographic. An estimated eleven percent of Boston school-aged children were infected with 2009 H1N1 Flu during a 60 day time period this past spring. This resulted in multiple school closures to prevent further spread.
c. A vaccine is now available for 2009 H1N1 influenza, but it is currently in very limited supply. More supplies are expected to be available over the coming months.
2. How can you distinguish between seasonal and the 2009 H1N1 flu?
The symptoms are very similar, and without a sophisticated diagnostic test one cannot distinguish between the two. A rapid flu test is widely available, but it often is “negative” even in people who have influenza. . Furthermore, it cannot tell whether the person has 2009 H1N1flu or some other flu strain.
3. Should we be stockpiling masks for essential personnel?
The Boston Public Health Commission does not recommend that healthy people wear masks. The most effective use of masks in the general community or businesses is for them to be worn by individuals who are sick. The masks are more effective as a mechanism to prevent sick people from spreading the virus than to protect well people from getting infected. For additional face mask guidance go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/masks.htm#table1.
4. Additional answers to frequently asked questions about the 2009 H1N1 Flu are available at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm
Additional Resources:
· http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/
· http://www.mass.gov/dph/swineflu
· http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
·
OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic
Requests for Flu Presentations & Outreach:
To request a flu presentation or outreach support at your organization, please fill out the Service Request Form and email it to Sandra Vasquez at svasquez@bphc.org, or fax it to her attention at 617-534-2297.
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