Seasonal Flu – Employer Guidance to Reducing Exposure

The pandemic flu remains a concern for all employers. A pandemic can occur at any time and can be mild, moderate, or severe. CDC considered the pandemic in 2009 to be mild, but it still created challenges for employers and showed that many workplaces were not prepared. The precautions identified in this guidance give a baseline for infection control during a seasonal flu outbreak, but they may not be enough to protect workers during a pandemic. Your pandemic flu plan should be based on a “worst-case” scenario – one in which the virus causes severe illness and death in larger numbers of people. Planning for the worst case ensures that you have the right equipment and an adequate supply of it to protect workers. It also ensures that you have planned for additional control options so that you can pick the right combination for the specific pandemic flu virus. For additional information on pandemic flu planning, see OSHA’s Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic and the business planning resources on Flu.gov.  Source: osha.gov