Planning for a pandemic

Agents can play a key role

By Phil Zinkewicz

In 1995, actor Dustin Hoffman starred in a film called “Outbreak,” which also featured Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. The film focused on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus called Motaba. The film called into question the role of the U.S. govern­ment in creating the virus for military purposes, as well as the government’s unwillingness to make the problem known to the public and its inability to contain the virus.

The film, which was a solid box office success and was nominated for various awards, raised some “what-if” scenarios as the media began to question what the government would really do in a similar situation, and whether the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has plans in case an outbreak does occur. In fact, a real-life outbreak of the Ebola virus did occur in Zaire only a few months after the film was released.

When a disease reaches epic proportions such as were seen in the film, it is called a pandemic. Thankfully, we are not faced with an Ebola-like situation today, but recently we have faced our own pandemic in the H1N1 virus or so-called swine flu. Unlike in the film, the government stepped up to the plate in this pandemic with a strong push to develop and distribute a vaccine, but as the vaccine was being released there were still “what-if” questions that worried the population. What if the vaccine is being released before proper testing? What if it doesn’t reach those portions of the population that really need it? What if the vaccine doesn’t work at all?

Protection challenge

How can we as citizens and business entrepreneurs protect ourselves against a pandemic or at least mitigate its impact?

That question was addressed in a recent teleconference hosted by Agility Recovery Solutions, a provider of mobile business continuity solutions. Participating in the teleconference were Bob Boyd, Agility CEO; former FEMA Administrator David Paulison; and former Associate Chief Medical Officer of Homeland Security William Lang, M.D.

Dr. Lang explained the difference between a disaster and a pandemic. A disaster, he said, is usually confined to a particular region, while a pandemic affects two or more regions of the world. “Pandemics affect a wider realm of people,” he said.

“In disaster situations, insurers look at property loss primarily, but a pandemic affects the workforce, which is a business’s most valuable asset. In this pandemic, insurers have gone from taking actuarial-based gambles to a more proactive approach in dealing with loss control. Companies can talk to their agents and agents can talk to their clients to determine what pandemic plans are in place.”

Paulison agreed: “The most difficult thing is to get small businesses to put together a business plan. Agencies have to help their clients in leading by example.”

Boyd said that the most significant factor affecting the daily operations of a business is employee absenteeism. A pandemic likely will substantially reduce the number of workers available to businesses, and matters will be made worse if employees must care for ill children at home or when schools are closed for extended periods. Business owners play a key role not only in protecting their employees’ health, but also in limiting the negative impact on their local economies by remaining operational during an interruption.

Ten-step plan

Agility CEO Boyd outlined a 10-step process that business owners can follow to help prepare their companies and employees for a pandemic.

1. Maintain a healthy work environment. Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick; to avoid touching their noses, mouths and eyes; to cover their coughs and sneezes; to wash their hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after coughing, sneezing or blowing their noses. Keep frequently touched common surfaces clean. Try not to use other workers’ phones, desks, offices, or other tools and equipment.

2. Be informed. Provide education and training materials in an easy-to-understand format and in the appropriate languages and literacy levels for all employees. All information related to a potential outbreak should be accredited by a reliable source such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Make all employees aware of CDC recommendations for obtaining the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available in your area.

3. Communicate openly and proactively with employees. Provide workers with up-to-date information on influenza risk factors and instruction on proper behaviors. Establish a communication network via phone, e-mail or text to reach employees remotely and provide up-to-the-minute information related to a potential outbreak. Conduct town hall meetings with employees, customers and the public.

4. Identify a pandemic team. Identify key members of your organization responsible for the management of vital company functions. Members of the pandemic team will be responsible for imple­menting the company’s contingency plan across all departments and for disseminating information.

5. Identify essential job functions. Identify critical functions and activities needed to facilitate near normal operations and survive as an economic entity. Identify primary and supporting functions based on their impact on providing essential goods and services for the business and the community.

6. Cross-train employees. Cross-train employees to perform essential functions in the absence of key management. Make arrange­ments to outsource critical functions like IT administration to third-party vendors.

7. Prepare for telecommunication needs. Plan to implement practices to minimize face-to-face contact between workers if advised by the local health department. Develop other flexible policies to allow workers to telecommute (if feasible) and create other leave policies, including the distribution of tangible resources to employees’ homes or remote locations.

8. Diversify your supply chain. Develop a list of redundant vendors for key supplies. Make arrangements with backup suppliers and vendors to obtain resources needed to facilitate critical operations and key functions. Maintain reliable utility services.

9. Update sick, family and medical leave policies. Develop policies that encourage ill workers to stay at home without fear of reprisals. Encourage your staff to stay at home if they are feeling ill to reduce person-to-person contact. Recognize the emotional, mental and physical needs of employees during a catastrophic health event.

10. Prepare financially. Encourage direct payroll deposits for all employees. Be prepared to handle large volumes of insurance claims. Determine the levels of accessible cash required to maintain business operations and to provide cash advances to employees.

“This process will serve as a guideline to enhance management’s decision-making ability during periods of turmoil that can ensue following a pandemic disaster,” said Boyd. “Challenging vendors and suppliers to evaluate their own pandemic continuity plan also guarantees that important resources are received or available in a timely manner without causing interruption in business operations.”