What can be done to prepare for the possibility of pandemic influenza?
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (‘the Act’), employers are required to provide and maintain, as far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. This includes situations where employees and contractors may be at risk of contracting influenza during a pandemic. If there is concern about the risk of employees being exposed to influenza while at work, a risk assessment should be carried out with reference to information available at the sites shown at the end of this advice. Employers should develop prevention and control strategies appropriate to the workplace, in consultation with their employees and ensure that all employees are aware of these strategies. These strategies may include plans to deal with contingencies such as staff shortages or infection control requirements arising from an influenza pandemic. As it is not known what form a human flu pandemic would take until it actually occurs, it is not possible to prov
