Group Offers Swine Flu Preparation Steps for Businesses

The Institute for Business & Home Safety is urging organizations to review their preparedness for an influenza pandemic.

“Evaluating specific risks and planning well beforehand for a variety of potential emergencies that could disrupt day-to-day business is critical, no matter how big or small a company may be,” Julie Rochman, president of the Tampa, Florida-based IBHS, said in a statement issued Monday, April 27.

The IBHS pandemic preparedness recommendations include:

• Determine when to curtail employee travel, domestically and internationally.

• Develop business continuity policies that provide work-at-home options.

• Address sick-leave policies, because people who develop swine flu or those attending to relatives may need to be on leave longer than the policy allows.

• Consider the impact a shutdown of public transportation or the loss of basic utilities would have.

• Determine at what point the organization would need to close its doors.

Filed by Mark A. Hofmann of Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

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