Oregon OSHA Encourages Employers to Prepare for Pandemic Flu

Businesses should develop a written plan that identifies critical work tasks and a contingency plan.

Courtesy: med.uth.tmc.edu

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) encourages Oregon employers to develop and implement procedures to control the spread of the swine flu.

The plan should include taking early, preventive actions and establishing procedures that outline more significant steps should the number of swine flu cases escalate in Oregon.

Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, recommends providing employees with plenty of hand soap, which includes both a cleaner and disinfectant. If hand sanitizers are provided, they should contain a minimum of 60 percent alcohol.

Other recommendations include the following:

• Keep hard surfaces, such as kitchen countertops, desktops, and bathroom surfaces, clean and disinfected. Use disinfectants on surfaces that are touched often, including doorknobs, microwaves, and refrigerator door handles.

• Limit the spread by disseminating general information about transmission, signs, and symptoms of illness (see: oregon.gov).

• Provide immediate access to alcohol-based wipes, disinfectant cleaners, and hand sanitizers when people are working directly with the public.

• Should the situation worsen, prepare to reduce or eliminate unnecessary social interactions when feasible.

Businesses should develop a written plan that identifies critical work tasks and a contingency plan. Good planning includes cross-training employees on critical functions.

It should also outline available Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), any travel restrictions, and the availability of teleworking or alternate hours.

A complete outline for businesses to develop a pandemic influenza plan is available on the federal site, pandemicflu.gov, under the tab "Workplace Planning."

Source: Oregon OSHA is a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, visit orosha.org and the "Hot Topics" section.