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According to a recent Idaho OSHA alert, an influenza pandemic is very much different from the normal “flu”. The seasonal flu is definitely annoying but rarely life threatening for healthy adults.  Of course, even the seasonal flu can be fatal for small children, the aged or people with an immune deficiency.

The Idaho OSHA alert strongly recommends that all companies include a plan for a worldwide influenza epidemic, or pandemic,  as part of the emergency plans at the workplace.

Why has this become so necessary? That’s because an influenza pandemic like the one that shook the world during 1918 to 1920 could occur again. That pandemic started as a viral infection at a military base in Kansas. Since this was a new strain of virus, no one had immunity to it.  In no time, it spread all over the globe.

The disease came to be known as the “Spanish Flu” because the Spanish press covered this news extensively.  The First World War caused censorship resulting in less coverage in many other countries.

In a horrifying wave of illness that spread across countries, more than 50 million people died in just 18 months.  Even more tragic was the fact that many of them were healthy young adults who succumbed to the disease within days of contracting it.

Therefore, it is no surprise when OSHA states that a pandemic can disrupt the global economy more than any single terrorist attack can. 

So what are the steps one can take to prevent you from getting such a disease? Many common sense steps include personal and public hygiene, such as taking days off of work or school if you are ill. It’s important to cover your mouth with a disposable tissue when you cough or sneeze. Maintain a safe distance of at least 6 feet from infected people. Wash your hands frequently using soap or hand sanitizer.

A number of measures are aimed at reducing contact between coworkers to limit infection. These include having conference calls instead of group meetings. Allow some employees to work from home, and utilize drive-thru windows to avoid exposing workers to members of the public.

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