Workplace Planning for Health-Related Emergencies

Company planning for disasters or health emergencies remains a hot topic in the news and in organizational conference rooms. Disaster planning is critical for all companies large and small, and like an insurance policy, it should be in place before an emergency arises. Proactive disaster planning is key for organizational survival in a crisis.

Here are a few points that companies should keep in mind when considering disaster planning, specifically for an epidemic or health emergency:

• Create a comprehensive and detailed disaster plan with specific instructions on what each person in the organization should be doing, how communication will be handled and how business will continue in the event of a disaster.

• Ensure that your disaster plan is compliant with any local, state and federal regulations and that your plan is following the guidelines that are provided by local, state and federal authorities. Agencies such as the CDC and FEMA have a very comprehensive set of guidelines that they publish for companies to follow in the event of an emergency or disaster.

• Make sure your company communicates with your employees that your organization has a disaster plan, which includes the actions to take during a natural disaster and during an epidemic.

• Encourage your employees to inform their family members of this plan.

• Provide training to all supervisors and managers in the company on their responsibilities in this plan.

• Ensure that managers are making note of unusually high health-related absences so that reports can be made to upper management and health authorities as necessary.

• Train supervisors and managers to be observant and sensitive to the morale of their employees when a communicable disease is forecasted and to report any of these concerns to the organization’s Human Resources Department.

• Ensure that every aspect of your disaster plan is communicated completely and comprehensively to all members of the organization.

At every stage of disaster and epidemic preparedness, it is critical that calm be maintained and that employees are reassured that their management has a solid plan that they are following to ensure the safety and well-being of both the individual and the organization.

Following these simple rules and using common sense can help your staff and your company through a crisis.

In the workplace, "Be Prepared" is not just a motto, it is an imperative.