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Hawaii OSHA Alert

May 13th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

Most employers have developed detailed plans for a number of threats, including terrorist activities, fire, flood and power outages. However, according to a recent Hawaii OSHA alert, your workplace should also have a plan for a global flu epidemic.

A recent Hawaii OSHA alert is stressing the need for such an alert. A new flu pandemic, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), could disrupt world economies and have an impact greater than any single terrorist attack.

What are the personal steps we can take? Many of them are the same precautions used now for seasonal flu. They involve obvious suggestions like staying home from school or work during your illness; covering your face when you sneeze or cough, while taking care to use a disposable tissue; washing your hands frequently, using a hand sanitizer; and staying at least 6 feet away from people who are infected.

Businesses should consider steps like scheduling conference calls rather than meetings, or encouraging work from home where possible. Such a plan could also limit public access to employees by installing drive-through windows. Contact between workers could be limited.

Seasonal flu can be dangerous to the elderly, to those with weak immune systems, or to small children. But normally, it is an event we consider more annoying than harmful. An influenza pandemic is another story. According to the Hawaii OSHA alert, when a new strain of the virus appears on the scene, immunity does not exist. The ailment passes rapidly from person to person, soon spreading around the world.

That’s what happened during the last major pandemic of influenza, from 1918-1920. It spread quickly, killing more than 50 million victims in a year and a half. The death toll included otherwise healthy young adults who died sometimes within days of coming down with the disease.