The Australian government has published a practical guide to assist companies make continuity plans for pandemic influenza, and to manage businesses through an outbreak.

‘Being Prepared for a Human Influenza Pandemic – A Business Continuity Guide for Australian Businesses’ complements the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza released in May this year.

While the Health Management Plan sets Australia's management strategy from a health perspective, this business guide provides a practical tool for companies to start their own pandemic plans.

An Australian Government statement says: “Preparing for a pandemic presents new challenges for us all - so government is encouraging businesses to rethink their existing contingency strategies to cope with an event like a human influenza pandemic.

“Although government provides the information and planning tools, there is a responsibility for individual businesses to develop their own plans to ensure they could manage the effects of a pandemic and recover quickly.”

The new pandemic planning guide includes the following contents:

How might pandemic influenza affect my business?
Characteristics of a pandemic
Staff absenteeism
Other immediate effects
Financial implications

How can I minimise the impact of a pandemic on my business?
Preparation
Business continuity planning
Step 1: Identify your business’ core people and skills
Step 2: Establish a pandemic planning team
Step 3: Plan for staff absences
Step 4: Consider the effects of supply shortages on operations
Step 5: Establish and maintain two-way communication
Step 6: Consider human resource issues
Step 7: Test your plan and know when to activate it

How can we help protect staff from getting sick?
Basic precautions
Practice good personal hygiene
Workplace cleaning
Air conditioning
Personal protective equipment
Social distancing—reducing contact with others
Restricting staff travel
Restricting workplace entry
Annual influenza injections
Screening workers and managing staff who become ill at work

How do I manage my customers and stakeholders?
Communication
Duty of care to your customers

For a copy of the guide or the associated kit for small businesses visit www.industry.gov.au/pandemicbusinesscontinuity

For more information on Australia’s health response to pandemic influenza visit www.health.gov.au/pandemic

Direct PDF link for the guide.

•Date: 18th July 2006• Region: Australia •Type: Article •Topic: Pandemic planning
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