Bill Minor Ventura Foods, LLC PLANNING FOR A PANDEMIC

Bill Minor Ventura Foods, LLC PLANNING FOR A PANDEMIC

Today s Topics What is a pandemic A tale of two pandemics Why plan for a pandemic Possible effects of a severe pandemic Developing a pandemic plan Elements of a viable pandemic plan Pandemic plan stages Summary Resources

What is a pandemic? A pandemic is a global outbreak of a new disease to which humans have little or no immunity. Influenza has caused all the pandemics in the last century. - 1918 Spanish Flu - 1957 Asian Flu - 1968 Hong Kong Flu - 2009 H1N1 California Flu

A tale of two pandemics 2009 H1N1 California Flu 1918 Spanish Flu

2009 H1N1 California Flu Per CDC Estimates (USA only) 22 million infected between April and October 2009 98,000 hospitalized 3,900 deaths Mortality Rate ~ < 0.02% This flu was neither as infectious nor as lethal as the seasonal flu that kills ~ 36,000 people annually.

2009 H1N1 California Flu It did spread across the world in less than seven months. Mortality was significantly higher than seasonal flu for the very young and for pregnant women. Those born before 1957 rarely contracted this flu immunity from H1N1 stains that circulated from 1918 until 1957.

1918 Spanish Flu Three waves of infection between 1918 and 1920 One third of the population infected 675,000 deaths in the USA, up to 50 million world wide Case- Fatality rate of >2.5% compared to <0.1% for other flu pandemics High mortality rates in young, otherwise healthy adults H1N1 type flu

Why should we plan for a pandemic? Experts tell us that it is a matter of when, not if. The next pandemic could be highly contagious and highly lethal. H5N1 Avian Flu is being closely watched - 50% case mortality ratio - No sustained human-to-human transmission - That could change quickly Airborne Ebola, Virulent West Nile, Dengue Fever

Probable Effects of a Severe Pandemic Multiple waves of infection over a two to three year period > 40% absenteeism at the peak of each wave, lasting for weeks Health care facilities/public services overwhelmed - More patients than hospital beds - Law enforcement understaffed and overloaded - Basic public services hampered

Probable Effects of a Severe Pandemic Operating infrastructure degraded - Electricity, water, sewer Your suppliers impacted - raw materials, transportation Changes in social behaviors - Voluntary or government mandated - Bans on public gatherings - Changes in shopping patterns

How would your business fare in a severe pandemic? Answer: Not very well unless you plan NOW!

The purpose of a pandemic plan is to provide a tool for planning for and mitigating the effects of a pandemic on the employees and customers of your company.

Developing A Pandemic Plan The development and maintenance of a viable pandemic plan requires a commitment of significant resources, primarily manpower. Executive-level buy-in is essential. All functional areas must be involved - Operations, Legal, IT, Human Resources, Finance/Accounting, QA. If executive-level support can not be obtained, don t waste your time.

Pandemic Plan Elements Leadership Outreach Supply Chain Workforce Monitoring Manufacturing

Leadership Cross-functional committee for each location and for company Designated coordinator and two levels of back-up for company and each location Clear definition of responsibilities Clear chain of command Documentation and training

Supply Chain Multiple contacts for each supplier of goods and services, multiple means of communication with each contact. Multiple points of supply for each item purchased or multiple vendors. Ask suppliers for their pandemic plans. Borrow from the best of these. Consider replacing single-point providers or those with poor or nonexistent plans.

Manufacturing Know exactly which of your plants can make which products and in what quantities. Look at capacities with various manning schemes. Maintain a monthly capacity utilization data base. Model the impact of one or more plants going offline.

Workforce Primary and secondary back-ups for every company leadership position from the CEO to a shift supervisor. Full contact info for each. Identification of key production and administrative positions. Cross-train to bolster qualified people. Identify positions that could work from home and equip them to do so. Employee awareness respiratory and hand hygiene, company-paid vaccinations, training.

Workforce Plan for a severe pandemic: Social Distancing 6 feet Use of filtering face masks Pandemic-related personnel policies

Workforce Enhanced sanitation techniques Stockpiling of filtering face masks and supplies Quarantine of symptomatic employees Restrictions on meetings, travel, visitors

Monitoring Monitoring worldwide, USA, state, local. One person for the company AND one at each location responsible for doing this. Communication to Company Pandemic Coordinator and site coordinators through dedicated email group. Monitor CDC, WHO, state and local health agency websites at least weekly.

Outreach Forge relationships with local health care providers. Forge relationships with local health and public service agencies. Participate in pandemic planning seminars held by trade associations. Talk to your suppliers and customers about their pandemic plans you might learn something useful.

Pandemic Plan Stages Currently at WHO Pandemic Phase 6 the highest level. This means little in the real world addresses the spread, but not the severity. The stages of your plan have to work for you. The stages of Ventura s plan were influenced by those established by The Southern Company.

Ventura s Pandemic Plan Stages Stage 1 - Pre-Planning for a Pandemic Completed but must be maintained perpetually. Stage 2 Severity Similar to the Spring/Summer of 2009 We are at this stage now. The focus is on employee awareness, employee training, preparing for a more severe pandemic and constant monitoring of local, national and world developments. Stage 3 Severity Greater than Experienced Thus Far This stage is triggered by local management in consultation with the pandemic committee and Operations Management. Depending on the severity, any of a menu of actions may be taken.

Summary Experts tell us a severe pandemic is inevitable. A severe pandemic will disrupt our enterprises. A sound pandemic plan can mitigate the effects of a pandemic on our employees and customers.

Summary continued The elements of a pandemic plan should include leadership, supply chain, manufacturing, workforce, monitoring and outreach. The stages of a pandemic plan depend largely on your business.

Resources http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ http://www.flu.gov http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu http://www.who.int

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