36 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY NOVEMBER 2009 www.asse.org

Earlier this year, as reports spread around theworld about the potential impact of theH1N1 virus, many wondered, “How serious

will it be?”; “How many will become ill or die?”;“Will my kid’s school close?”; “Will it really be asbad as they say?”Smart business leaders also asked, “Is our com-

pany ready for this?”; “What does being ready real-ly mean?”; “How can I tell if we’re ready?”; “Howwill we function if 50%, 25% or even 10% of ouremployees simultaneously cannot report to work?”From an organizational preparedness point of

view, H1N1 provides an opportunity to addressshort-term planning for dealing with a flu outbreakor another epidemic, as well as to address generalcrisis and emergency planning.

Is Your Organization Prepared?There is nothing quite like the threat of a flu pan-

demic to put a disaster preparedness and businesscontinuity plan to the test. A pandemic is a seriousthreat. It is a marathon, not a sprint. It also allowssufficient lead time to pull a crisis plan off the shelf(if one exists), dust it off, test the company’s readi-ness, and update or fill any gaps.Alternately, if such a plan does not already exist, a

crisis like H1N1 forces the creation of one. It has beenalmost a year since H1N1 was first detected, andmedical authorities are reporting that the virus may

remain a threat for some time. Even if theillness has not already affected your organ-ization, the threat of serious impact to youroperations will continue.

Why Is CrisisPreparedness Important?Amajor disruption can devastate any

business. A flu pandemic—just like a hur-ricane, a fire or any of a hundred otherdisasters—can literally empty buildings.Organizations must consider what per-centage of their employees can be absentwithout operations being affected.The stakes are high. Some businesses

simply do not recover and reopen after amajor disaster. An organization with a plan in placeis better positioned to limit the damage and is morelikely to emerge in good condition. An organizationthat lacks a sound, recently tested plan is at a muchgreater risk. The critical question is which companyis yours.

It’s Bigger Than the FluLearning whether a company has a plan will

generally indicate how well prepared that companyis for any crisis, disaster or other emergency, andhas implications well beyond H1N1.

Regardless of their sources, most risks can beanticipated, planned for and managed. However,some risks cannot be prevented from occurring.They include:•medical emergencies (e.g., SARS, N5N1, H1N1);•fires or explosions;•natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes,

tornados, tsunamis);•HazMat spills or biochemical releases;•security threats (e.g., workplace/school vio-

lence, terrorism).The good news is that with the proper planning,

a company can prevent these threats from turninginto major crises.

Planning for The Big OneCrisis preparedness planning is often limited to

what an organization perceives as “the big one”—asignificant event seen as highly likely to damagethe organization. However, it is hard to tell inadvance which threat is the big one. An organiza-tion may be better served by taking a broaderapproach to managing scenarios that hold crisispotential. The more prudent approach is to conductan organized risk assessment to identify and pre-pare for plausible risks and risk categories that mayaffect an organization. The wise company invests inthe future by preparing for prioritized, plausiblecrisis risks as if each could represent the big one.H1N1 virus is one such risk. It requires business-

es, governments, schools, churches and a wholehost of organizations to plan calmly, before the cri-sis and all its pressures arrive. If it turns out thatH1N1 is not the big one, the planning will not havebeen wasted. As the past few years have proven, anew significant threat is just around the corner.H1N1 influenza, like other potential large-scale

crises, has unique challenges and characteristics.Certainly, other recent threats such as SARS andavian flu, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, fires in Cali-fornia, hurricanes such as Katrina, anthrax and otherbio-terror threats have posed unique challenges andraised awareness levels, at least for a time.

Conduct a Risk AssessmentThe next potential crisis, whatever it may be, is

lurking just around the corner. Regardless of anorganization’s nature, these risks can be identified,assessed and prioritized. From there, plans shouldbe developed.A blended, integrated approach to risk, emer-

gency, crisis and disaster planning is preferred. Thebest plans combine operations, communicationsand security into one comprehensive, integratedplan. At the core of such planning is an enterpriserisk assessment to identify the organization’s expo-sure to crisis, emergency and disaster risks. The

Learning Fromthe H1N1 Experience

Apandemicis a serious

threat. It is amarathon, nota sprint. And

it will putany disasterpreparednessand business

continuityplan tothe test.

By WilliamBesse and

Jackson Harrell

BestPractices

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From an organiza-tional preparednesspoint of view, H1N1provides an oppor-

tunity to addressshort-term planning

for dealing with aflu outbreak or

another epidemic, aswell as to addressgeneral crisis and

emergency planning.

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simple act of assessing risk exposures arms man-agement to take steps to prevent or minimize dam-age to the organization.

What’s a Company to Do?Managers face vexing decisions about when and

how to prepare for potential crises. What some consid-er an investment that protects against future losses,others consider a current expense that with luck can bedelayed or avoided. The former invest limited funds inthe short run to avoid larger costs in the long run. Thelatter save limited funds in the short run, risking largercosts in the long run if the crisis emerges.An organization that invests in preparation has a

better chance of minimizing the effect of potentialdisasters, or of preventing them altogether. Plan-ning actually provides managers with more controlover an organization’s future. Failure to plan cedescontrol of these risky situations and puts managersand the organization at the mercy of fate.Threats such as H1N1 remind an organization to

conduct a measured assessment across the risklandscape, identifying where operations are vulner-able. Planning can then proceed, allowing theorganization to develop carefully crafted, thought-fully integrated plans to address H1N1 or any othereventualities that could disrupt normal organiza-tional operations and performance.

Planning for a PandemicThe best plans for dealing with H1N1 or similar

pandemics will integrate operations and communica-tions. At a minimum, plans ensure smooth continuityof operations and communicate with employees andstakeholders.Following are steps a company can take to mini-

mize the effect of an H1N1 outbreak on operationsand employees.1) Review your current flu plan or develop a

new one. Test key components, share the plan withemployees and explain related policies, options,pay and benefits.2) Establish lines of communication with state

and local health departments.3) Review sick-leave policies. Consider adjusting

them based on public health recommendations andmake sure employees are fully aware of the policies.4) Consider providing flexible leave policies that

allow workers to stay home and care for sick house-hold members, or stay home if schools close.5) Share best practices with other area business-

es. Work with vendors, chambers of commerce andother business organizations.

6) Add a special button to the com-pany web page so employees can easilyaccess up-to-date, accurate flu informa-tion (e.g., www.cdc.gov/widgets).7) Purchase supplies in advance

(e.g., hand sanitizers, disinfectantwipes) to avoid shortages.In greater detail, a company should

help employees and other stakeholdersprepare to avoid the virus or minimizeits impact. For example, a business cancommunicate the following seeminglysimple reminders to employees:•Wash your hands and use hand

sanitizers often.•Rethink the handshake greeting.•Sneeze into a sleeve, a tissue or

something other than hands.•Stay at home and keep children home if ill

(policies must not punish this).•Get a seasonal flu shot and H1N1 shots, if

appropriate and available.Businesses can also consider adopting special

work practices during critical times. These mightinclude the following:•Develop work-from-home strategies to reduce

employee contact.•Adapt technology to facilitate working from

home, while maintaining IT security.•Reduce travel and increase teleconferencing/

telecommuting.•Set up triggers and procedures for starting (and

ending) the response plan and adopt workplacemonitoring plans to provide trip-wire indicators.•Develop alternate work schedules and cross-

train employees so all critical tasks can continue inthe event of mass workplace illness.•Create special ways to communicate with

employees and suppliers (perhaps via social media)and train employees in its use.

This evolving H1N1 situation should stimulatecompanies and other organizations to take a broaderlook at their planning for other crises, emergenciesand disasters. Conducting regular risk assessmentsthat combine operations, communications andsecurity, empowers the organization to functionwell during a crisis and emerge in good, moreresilient condition.

ReferencesCDC. (2009). Preparing for the flu: A communication toolkit

for businesses and employers. Washington, DC: U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services, Author. Retrieved from http://www.flu.gov/professional/business/toolkit.html.

William Besse is executive director of Andrews Interna-tional’s consulting and investigations division. In this posi-tion, his functions encompass strategic planning relating toconsulting and investigations. Besse has three decades of expe-rience developing, managing and implementing internationalsecurity and risk mitigation programs.

Jackson Harrell, Ph.D., is president and founder of TheHarrell Group, a strategic communications firm that counselsorganizations on a wide range of communications functions.For more than 25 years, Harrell has focused on helping com-panies identify and plan for evolving risks and opportunities.Learn about the companies’ strategic partnership to providefully integrated risk mitigation, crisis planning, avoidanceand response services at www.andrewsinternational.com/newsevents/releases/nr_harrell.html.

This evolvingH1N1 situa-tion shouldstimulatecompaniesand otherorganizationsto take abroader lookat their plan-ning for othercrises, emer-gencies anddisasters.

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Encourage workers to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccine, if it is appro-priate for them according to CDC recommendations (www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm). This helps to prevent illness from seasonal influen-za strains that may circulate at the same time as the H1N1 flu.

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