The Ebola outbreak is a dynamic and ever-changing situation that must be monitored proactively. There is no doubt it is a public health challenge, with a death rate of about 50%, says the World Health Organization. However, employers and the general public need to put this outbreak and its overall impact into perspective.
At the time of publication, there were no confirmed Ebola cases in Canada. There were four confirmed cases in the U.S., resulting in one death. The one confirmed case of Ebola contracted outside of western Africa—in Spain—was a nurse who treated an infected priest who had returned from western Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 15,319 Ebola cases around the world, resulting in 5,444 deaths (as of Nov. 18, 2014).
Ebola primarily spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and through surfaces and materials (such as bedding or clothing) contaminated with these fluids. For most Canadian employees, the exchange of bodily fluids during the course of regular work activities would not generally occur. Healthcare workers should always implement universal precautions and take additional measures, including using personal protective equipment when working with infected patients.
The following strategies will help employers handle any disease outbreak.
1) Preparation – It’s essential to develop emergency or business continuity plans (BCPs) before an emergency happens. Testing of equipment, technology and capacity for teleworking should all take place before an emergency in order to improve processes and procedures. The BCP needs to be adaptable, revisited on a regular basis—and, most important, driven by facts. This is the time to put together a disaster recovery contact list and emergency protocol, and set up for essential services or workers. It’s also the time to ensure your sick leave policies are up to date and address absences due to quarantine, isolation and the overt illness.
2) Education – Knowledge is the best tool to empower employees. Educating them and dispelling myths can greatly assist in reducing the sense of fear and panic that may be growing with reports of every new suspected Ebola case. Simple information sheets with frequently asked questions, company-wide emails or lunch-and-learn sessions are effective ways to reach a large number of employees in a relatively short time frame.
3) Implementation – There is an extremely low probability of the Ebola outbreak reaching Canada; however, Canadian workers may still travel to affected areas for business or leisure. Consider postponing any scheduled trips to these areas, or replacing in-person meetings with videoconference or other technological substitutes (i.e., Skype, FaceTime, WebEx, etc.). Increased telework can help maintain operations while reducing the risk of infection in the workplace. In the rare event Ebola does reach your city, you will need to deploy your BCP and reassess it as required.
4) Followup – Revisit the plan, training material, process and procedures on a regular basis (at least annually) to ensure the information is up to date and your plan continues to be based on the facts. A debriefing with key team members is essential for constant quality improvement.
Having a plan in place and communicating it to your employees is the best way to keep them healthy—and worry-free.
Susan Novo is a manager of health and disability with Cowan Insurance Group.
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