Protecting Yourself And Your Co-Workers
Every workplace should have a plan in place to reduce the transmission and impact of H1N1 influenza among its workers. In fact, the same infection control principles should apply year-round, and especially during cold and flu season (usually October to March in the northern hemisphere).
The management staff of your workplace should already be taking appropriate steps, but to see if there’s anything missing, here are some simple tips to protect yourself from H1N1 influenza at work:
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or with a hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or cough and sneeze into your upper sleeve. Dispose of tissues in no-touch trash receptacles.
- Wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
- Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with coworkers and customers.
- Avoid shaking hands and always wash your hands after physical contact with others.
- If wearing gloves, always wash your hands after removing them.
- Keep frequently touched common surfaces (for example, telephones, computer equipment, etc.) clean.
- Try not to use other workers' phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment.
- Minimize group meetings; use e-mails, phones and text messaging. If meetings are unavoidable, avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with others and ensure that the meeting room is properly ventilated.
- Limit unnecessary visitors to the workplace.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle; attention to rest, diet, exercise and relaxation helps maintain physical and emotional health.
SOURCE – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor
Your employer will also hopefully relax 'sick day' policies. Public health officials anticipate that absentee rates may increase as workers fall ill, or have to take time off to care for sick children and others. The Ontario Medical Association is also encouraging employers to loosen 'sick note' requirements. Doctors need to able to focus on treating a potentially increased number of patients, and they may not have time to deal with an inundation of sick note requests.
And perhaps the most important and effective step to add to the above is to consider getting the H1N1 flu shot. The evidence thus far is that it is a safe and effective vaccination that can reduce the impact of H1N1 on your health if you should come in contact with the virus.
Do you still have unanswered questions about the H1N1 vaccine? The Public Health Agency of Canada has an excellent, comprehensive and reliable list of questions and answers about the vaccine, which you can find here: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/faq_rg_h1n1-eng.php#vac
