Simplified Business
Pandemic Preparedness and Recovery Plan for the Bird Flu and Avian Flu Influenza
We
undertook the development of this Bird Flu or Avian Flu Influenza planning consulting specialty fully aware
that most businesses do not have the financial, manpower or skills to
necessary to develop the “ultimate pandemic plan” to address the impact of the
Bird Flu or Avian
Flu; therefore we designed our
Bird Flu or Avian
Flu planning processes and procedures to be implemented with limited resources.
Our Simplified Business Pandemic Continuity Plan focuses is on minimizing the impact upon your business and increasing
your company’s
probability of financially surviving the Pandemic.
This initiative was developed in response
to growing client concerns as the Avian or Bird flu outbreak spreads from
Southeast Asia to commercial centers in Asia, India, Middle East and
Europe. Traditional Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity Plans
focus on the short term impact to physical assets - plants and
equipment - the pandemic flu targets your human resources. Companies need to take into consideration that the Bird Flu
or Avian Flu is not a normal business risk and plan for it - the
Bird or Avian Flu has unique characteristics that make if potentially
more serious.
Pandemics are far different than other natural disasters!
Companies should be in a planning mode
now.
Our pandemic preparedness for business
services include:
-
Simplified
Business Pandemic Preparedness and Recovery Planning.
-
Auditing of existing plans (Disaster
Recovery, Business Continuity and Pandemic Plans) to ensure that they
properly address the unique needs arising due to an influenza
pandemic.
-
Continuity Plans for Pandemic
Preparedness
-
In-house
training programs for companies in the process of developing a plan
-
Seminars for Small and Medium
Sized Organizations.
A one day seminar on Bird Flu or Avian
Flu Business Pandemic
Preparedness and Recovery Planning, will be offered across the nation through trade
and insurance associations.
Benefits of a Business Pandemic Plan
for the Bird Flu or Avian Flu Influenza
-
Safeguard employees;
retain skills and productivity
-
Competitive advantage during and after
recovery
-
Keep existing customers and gain new ones
-
Recover quickly
-
Minimize financial losses during
-
Minimize exposure to lawsuits
-
Minimize operation costs during and after
-
Reduce costs today while providing for
the future
-
Find more efficient ways to operate today
The CDC has estimated that the Bird Flu
or Avian Flu will
travel around the world within one week from the outbreak. Health
and Human Services
Secretary Mike Leavitt (Dec. 5, 2005) said “Within 16 weeks of the
theoretical Thai outbreak, 92 million Americans would have been
infected with H5N1Flu.” The CDC estimates that in a worst case
scenario that 90 million (1/3) Americans will be infected by the Bird
Flu and almost 2
million will die.
The Federal government is mandating and
funding all State and Local governments’ efforts so they are prepared
for this, but businesses are being left to develop their own plans.
Once the Bird or Avian Flu Pandemic starts, companies will not have the time to do
planning. We have developed a practical and thorough process, which
small to medium sized firms can easily implement. Companies need to
address key issues - what to do when they cannot get enough raw
materials, subassemblies, or goods to sell? What to do when the
demand for their products or services spike because their competitors
cannot deliver or have shut down? What to do protect their employees
and critical operations or functions?
Why do you need a Business Pandemic Preparedness and Recovery Plan?
Only 18% of US businesses have a Bird Flu
or Avian Flu Plan in
place, and these are the large firms like 3M or IBM. A company will face the following issues when the Pandemic arrives:
1. Employees
will become sick and not be able to come to work. It has been
estimated by the CDC (worst case scenario) that 25% of employees will
be absent through illness. The Pandemic is expected to last one to
two years and come in three or more waves – the virus mutating with
each wave.
2. The
CDC estimates that another 25% of your employees could be
absent because they are staying home with sick family members, they
have children at home because the schools are closed or they are
afraid of becoming sick.
3. Supply
lines will be jeopardized due to illness at suppliers, entrance
restriction into the country, or simply a lack of people willing to
work (suppliers, boat crews, dock workers, truckers and warehouse
employees). Companies may not be able to manufacture or deliver. Most
firms do not have a month’s worth of supplies or products in
inventory; in fact most firms have only a few days’ supplies (a
just-in-time strategy).
4. During
the Katrina disaster the Federal Government asked the nations truckers
to provide refrigerated trucks to support the effort in New Orleans.
The trucker industry responded within hours and sent trucks to New
Orleans. But, almost immediately the nation’s
distribution of fresh and frozen foods felt the impact of a shortage
of trucks. The same situation will happen in a pandemic as
truckers become sick or stay home. Our supply lines are very thin and
not designed to withstand this type of impact.
5. Companies
may not be able to pay their bills, employees or collect on accounts
receivable.
6. Your
sales force efforts will be restricted dramatically if public
transportation availability becomes an issue and/or your customers do
not come to you place of business or they do not allow non-employees
into the place of business.
7. Most
developed countries have programs in place to close their borders. If
the borders are closed, how does a company import its materials or
goods? What will be the impact upon the business?
8. Companies
will face a variety of legal issues – lawsuits from employees,
vendors, customers and possibly government agencies for failing to
follow government regulations.
9. Your
large customers/clients will be asking you for your Plan to
insure it meets their needs. If you don’t have one, will they look for
another supplier/vendor?
10.
What benefits can a
company expect from planning for the Bird Flu or Avian Flu
Pandemic?
-
Safeguard employees;
in addition to the humanitarian considerations, it is vital for
companies to retain the skills and knowledge employees provide
-
Competitive advantage during and after
recovery
-
Minimize financial losses during
-
Minimize exposure to lawsuits
-
Minimize operation costs during and after
-
Recover quickly
-
Keep existing customers and gain new ones
The Bird Flu or Avian Flu is not a normal business
risk, and now is the time to plan for it. The World Health
Organization (WHO) has announced that we are at the Alert Level 3: the
bird flu has arrived in Asia, India, the Middle East, Africa and
Europe. We have a narrow window of opportunity to prepare for it
before it reaches North America and jumps to a form that permits human
to human transmission (WHO Stage 4 Level). Pandemics are far
different than other natural disasters! You cannot stop a pandemic,
but you can be prepared for it and the recovery afterwards. Now
is the time to prepare. Pandemic Preparedness for
Business - take the step now.
For more
information on our Business Pandemic Preparedness and Recovery Planning services
- Please call us
at 763.476.2216 or
e-mail
us at
Contact@wmg-mn.com
Click here
to
contact us about having Ken Wilson as
your Key Note Speaker for your next meeting or for information on our
one or two day seminar.
Preparing Your
Business for a Bird Flu or Avian Flu Pandemic
To listen
to a four part pandemic planning Podcast -
click here to Listen
The Podcasts are
part of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce Pandemic Planning Education
Program
Recommended Links to Major Government and
WHO Web Sites
For
additional information about avian flu from the United States
government:
The Bird Flu or Avian Flu Influenza Pandemic can happen
at any time, now is the time to prepare.
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