THE AVIAN FLU THREAT. How can a company prepare for an event that has such a highly unsettling potential, but may never occur? How can you approach management and request resources to prepare for the possibility of a Pandemic, when this cyclical event occurs rarely (three times in the 20th century – last in 1968)? Over the last year or so, we certainly saw the impact of such an event and many companies responded correspondently. The key for any company is to leverage resources that can be used in other disaster events.
At RP Risk Advisors, we consider the threat of a Pandemic to be similar to that of any other threat. While there are some specific actions that one can take to prepare for the distinct threat of a Pandemic scenario (purchase of masks, gloves and the inception of more detailed work-at-home disciplines), we would like to think that the perspective of being generally prepared for any eventuality is a more diligent, cost-effective and expeditious solution. What we see already is that we must be more strategically aligned in pursuing medical countermeasures and be more integrated in working toward a common goal to meet both current and future needs.
What is this Pandemic issue all about? Being prepared and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. The best protection against a pandemic is encouraging employees with the practice of good healthful habits. This can be achieved by encouraging your employees to stay home if they have flu-like symptoms, wash their hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner, cover their coughs and sneezes, clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact, and encourage employees to get vaccinated. If an event occurs, there may be a limited amount of time to respond (e.g. widespread restrictions on travel, closings of schools and businesses, cancellation of large public gatherings), so developing a plan, involving your employees in the development and review of the plan, sharing the plan and policies with your employees, and working with the chambers of commerce and local associations to improve response efforts, will all help in keeping everyone well informed in the event of a pandemic.
On the first anniversary of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, it is important to look at the future of pandemic planning and how we can improve the way we plan and respond. We have learned from this experience about protecting the American people from threats, man-made or made by Mother Nature. This pandemic has proven that the vaccine technology we have depended on over the past fifty years, needs to be supplemented with new, faster, more flexible manufacturing methods.
What can you do to be prepared for any disaster occurrence? RP Risk Advisors can help your company make a personal decision on what to do, and what to spend for such planning so that people are prepared for, protected from, and resilient in the face of health threats with potentially negative health consequences.