Preparing for the pandemic

The Asian bird flu pandemic is certain to occur. “It’s not a question of if, but of when,” says Michael Osterholm, associate director of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Center for Food Protection and Defense.

He believes businesses are vulnerable because they rely on immediate delivery of raw materials from far-away places, which may be infected. He advises businesses to develop continuity plans to prepare for the pandemic.

The Center for Disease Control has established a checklist of actions companies can take to prepare. They include:

* identify a pandemic coordinator and/or team with defined roles and responsibilities for preparedness and response planning
* identify essential employees and other critical inputs required to maintain business operations
* find up-to-date pandemic information from public health organizations
* establish an emergency communications plan
* forecast and allow for employee absences during a pandemic
* implement guidelines to modify the frequency and type of face-to-face contact among employees and customers
* encourage and track influenza vaccination for employees