Occhealth Bulletin
21 September 2009
News review - Sept 2009
Category: Reviews
Since we are now approaching the ‘flu season, Examinetics, Inc. wishes to dedicate this bulletin to providing you with news and updates on the H1N1 situation. This news item serves as a follow-up to our earlier bulletin with ‘essential links’ dated May 12th. Since that bulletin, a plethora of new resources and websites have been set up with information about the virus, how to protect yourself and your fellow workers and guidance on how best to prevent a widespread outbreak at a place of work.
Flu.gov
The Flu.gov website (www.flu.gov) is a dedicated resource and an excellent starting place for information about seasonal ‘flu, avian ‘flu and H1N1 strains. There are pages about the influenza virus and the symptoms to expect once infected. There is also a searchable library of frequently asked questions (http://answers.flu.gov/), planning checklists (www.flu.gov/professional/checklists.html) and specific pages for caregivers, professionals and travelers. There is an excellent guide entitled ‘Planning for 2009 H1N1 Influenza: a Preparedness Guide for Small Business’ that was released earlier this month to support small business owners this season. The guide suggests how to create a plan and put strategies in place to minimize impact of the illness at a place of work. The resource can be read on screen or downloaded as a ‘pdf’ file. Click here to access both formats.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA includes a web resource entitled ‘Pandemic ‘flu’, from their main website, with specific pages to guide employers and their workers during a pandemic ‘flu outbreak. For example, there is an OSHA Quickcard aimed at all workers entitled ‘How to protect yourself in the workplace during a pandemic’, a factsheet ‘What employers can do to protect workers from pandemic influenza’ and a detailed publication called ‘Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic’. There are also pages directed at healthcare workers and healthcare employers as they are more likely to come in contact with those that have contracted the virus.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH has prepared information and guidance addressing occupational health issues associated with H1N1 ‘flu. From their website there is an excellent resource entitled ‘Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers’. The toolkit contains quick reference factsheets for employers and employees, posters to display in the workplace and template emails or letters for writing to employees.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
CCOHS has a ‘Pandemic planning’ toolkit available on their website for situations at home, in the general community, at work and the workplace. There are downloadable posters and guides available from the toolkit including checklists (pandemic planning for business), business continuity plans and information about protective equipment. Reviewing the resources featured in this bulletin will help you to protect yourself and your fellow workers from influenza virus this season. For further news from the world of occupational health, read our news review bulletins from the Examinetics, Inc. website (www.examinetics.com).