Pandemic planning not priority for business

Transcription

1 Story Tools Font size: Pandemic planning not priority for business Private sector more concerned about economy than H1N1 virus By Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa CitizenJune 29, 2009 As Ottawa's medical officer of health makes an urgent call for business continuity plans across the city in anticipation of a resurgence of the H1N1 swine flu, a new survey shows most Canadian businesses are not prepared for a major H1N1 outbreak. With experts fearing that the H1N1 flu will return in the fall in a more virulent form, Dr. Isra Levy is worried that a severe outbreak could cripple services across the city as workers stay home because they are sick, fear being infected or to take care of loved ones. But in a survey last month, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association found that 87 per cent of companies do not have business continuity plans for a flu pandemic. Jeff Brownlee, vice-president of the CME, says while the survey's findings are somewhat surprising, they are understandable in the view of the economic disruption Canadian businesses have faced lately. With the low probability associated with a major flu outbreak, pandemic planning tends to take a backseat, especially at a time when many businesses are facing real-time crises of survival. "With everything that Canadian businesses have been hit with -- we've had a financial meltdown south of the border, we've had a volatile Canadian currency -- there's an economic tsunami to overcome and that becomes the priority," said Brownlee. "The way they look at it, this pandemic could happen, but the dollar is happening, and 'my customers are falling off.' That is the priority. Pandemic planning is sort of on their minds, but they take notice when it really happens." Across Ottawa, contingency planning for a pandemic is a mixed bag of serious commitment and (1 of 5) [7/2/2009 2:43:47 PM]

2 benign neglect, with the public sector more committed than the private sector. John Herbert, executive director of the Ottawa Homebuilders Association, agrees with Brownlee's take. The OHA has 330 member companies employing more than 30,000 people, but Herbert says pandemic planning is not a top-of-mind issue. "I haven't heard anybody in our industry talk about it or be concerned about it. People think the health authorities and the media are crying wolf, and they don't see it as a legitimate threat," Herbert said. But Brownlee says with the recent avian flu scare and now H1N1, the possibility of a pandemic is real, and everyone should take it seriously. "We are still pushing the message as much as we can to try and get businesses to prepare so that when there is a pandemic, the impact is minimal. At the end of the day, everybody has to use their Boy Scout theory: Be prepared." Dean Karakasis, executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Ottawa, couldn't agree more. His group represents people and companies that own or manage buildings across the city. Huge numbers of people live and work in their properties. Karakasis says that's why BOMA takes pandemic planning seriously. The national body has sent out guidelines on how to deal with such an emergency and, locally, "webinars" have been held with the help of experts to map out what to do if a major outbreak occurs. He says the plans cover not only issues such as when and how to evacuate or shut down buildings, but the responsibilities of subcontractors who bring in security officers, cleaners and other workers. "We take pandemic planning seriously and communication is a huge part of it," Karakasis said. "For us, it is about being prepared to help minimize the outbreak and help your tenants." (2 of 5) [7/2/2009 2:43:47 PM]

3 Business continuity planning has become an integral part of emergency readiness because in a flu pandemic, for instance, society's ability to function depends on the continued provision of key services -- from social and economic services to health and transportation. Without an able and willing workforce to pick up the slack, the effects of an emergency could be much worse. The Public Health Agency of Canada expects between 15 and 35 per cent of the workforce to be taken ill at any one time during a flu pandemic. Between 11,000 and 58,000 people are expected to die across the country. The agency says prudent planning requires businesses to plan for up to 50 per cent of their workers being absent for about two weeks at the height of a severe pandemic, which lasts about eight weeks. While absenteeism is the key problem, businesses have to assume that materials needed to keep operations going may be disrupted, as will customer orders. Backup plans are vital to identify supply lines, determine how to fill orders and identify how to keep businesses staffed. "Your business could be faced with extremely high absenteeism rates during a pandemic influenza. For this reason, your organization should plan ahead to ensure you can maintain service delivery during that time," the Business Development Bank of Canada emphasized in a 2007 advisory to clients. Considering Canada's reliance on trade, the bank estimates the Canadian economy could lose as much as $60 billion due to a pandemic outbreak. It could be more if the Canada-U.S. border is closed. In a major emergency such as flu pandemic, the government has enormous powers to quarantine or relocate people, seize property or do any number of things in the name of the public good. But neither Levy, the city nor even the provincial and federal governments can force businesses and institutions to draw up emergency readiness plans. They can only advise that these plans be drawn up. Experts say schools, colleges and universities are particularly vulnerable during a pandemic because they not only have large numbers of people congregated in relatively small places, but the H1N1 flu (3 of 5) [7/2/2009 2:43:47 PM]

4 appears to be attacking young adults more aggressively than the flu typically does. Continuity plans are critical in dealing with sick students who live on campus, evacuating student housing or shutting down campuses, cancellation of classes, what courses could be taught online and where distance learning fits in. Even more critical is the loss and replacement of staff. Area school boards, with responsibility for more than 120,000 students, are all at sea on the issue, with no pandemic readiness or business continuity plans of their own. The good news is the city's colleges and universities are taking pandemic planning seriously. "The biggest challenge for most universities is what is going to be the tipping point at which you decide you can no longer meet your fundamental objective of providing education," said Michael Histed, the University of Ottawa's director of risk management and the man responsible for pandemic planning there. The university has 36,000 students, about 6,000 of whom reside on campus. Histed says one of the university's biggest concerns is the large number of young adults in the 17- to 22-year-old age group that appears to be vulnerable to H1N1. The university is working closely with similar institutions in the city and public health authorities to stay on top of the issue. He said the university will use the summer months to sharpen its focus on key areas identified by an emergency readiness committee. By the time students show up for the start of the academic year in September, the plan will be ready. "We've been working on a business continuity plan for some time and we are now focusing specifically on issues like loss of staff, inability to provide teaching and handling large numbers of the population that are sick," Histed said. Brian Burns, Algonquin College's director of institutional planning, says the college has had a business continuity plan in place for 18 months that covers student and staff safety. The college has more than 16,000 students, a little over 1,000 of whom reside on campus. Burns says Algonquin has a contract (4 of 5) [7/2/2009 2:43:47 PM]

5 with a company to monitor and reach students in campus residences in the midst of a major flu pandemic. The system will help the college identify problem areas and get help there quickly. "The plan covers the basic assumptions on which we are going to react in critical operations, and the duties of various departments and staff in the event of a pandemic," he said. John Ash, the city's manager of emergency readiness, says it is better for businesses and organizations to be safe than sorry. "You may never need to activate your plan, but being prepared for any situation is as valuable as any form of insurance that protects your workplace." Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen (5 of 5) [7/2/2009 2:43:47 PM]