Haldimand-norfolk HealtH unit Influenza Pandemic Response …...The next step in this process is the...

c o m m u n i c a b l e d i s e a s e t e a m

Inf luenza Pandemic Response Plan

H a l d i m a n d - n o r f o l k H e a lt H u n i t

a tool Kit For Business Continuity Planning

Sept. 2007

Message from the Medical Officer of Health

September, 2007.

A wise man once said: “The further back I look, the further ahead I can see.” The adage speaks eloquently to the wisdom of learning from history. With that lesson in mind, the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit has been engaged in a major planning effort in recent years to prepare our community for the inevitable occurrence of the next influ-enza pandemic. I am pleased to introduce this Business Continuity Planning Tool kit as one of the products of this planning process.

Thanks to the telescopic lens of history, we know for certain that there will be another flu pandemic. What we don’t know is when that outbreak will take place and how virulent the attack will it be. We can, however, take some reasonable precautions that will prepare us for such an event.

A pandemic is an outbreak that covers a wide geographic area and involves a large portion of the population. In the last century alone, we faced three major influenza pandemics, including the Hong Kong flu of 1968, the Asian flu of 1957 and the Spanish flu of 1918, the latter resulting in considerable loss of life worldwide.

It is predicted by some that the next pandemic could very likely impact 30-35% of the population. In Haldimand and Norfolk counties, with a combined population of 111,043, it is estimated that this could result in thousands of our local residents seeking medical treatment. How will our businesses and services cope with such a rate of employee absenteeism? How will we continue to provide even a minimum of service? Preparation is the universal key. Within these pages you will find a comprehensive guide on how to develop a personalized influenza pandemic plan for your business or organization. I would encourage you to make use of this tool, as we have customized it specifically to meet your needs.

I also wish to advise the community that this is just one of the many tools and contingencies your Health Unit is developing in preparation for a flu pandemic. We are working in concert with health authorities within the provin-cial, national and international levels to ensure that every possible mechanism is in place to best protect the health of our community as needs arise.

Dr. Malcolm Lock, MD, MPH Acting Medical Officer of Health Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit

Table of Contents

Background .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Influenza Pandemic Business Continuity Planning Process .............................................................................................................. 2

STEP 1: Establish a Corporate Steering Committee or Individual ............................................................................................. 2

STEP 2: Establish a BCP Committee/Working Group ...................................................................................................................... 2

STEP 3: Identify Essential Services/Functions ........................................................................................................................................... 3

STEP 4: Identify Required Skill Sets and Staff Allocation ................................................................................................................. 4

STEP 5: Identify Any Relevant Issues/Implications for Implementation .................................................................................. 4

STEP 6: Documentation for each Essential Service/Function ....................................................................................................... 6

STEP 7: Compare to the Preparedness Checklist ................................................................................................................................ 6

STEP 8: Review with the Corporate Steering Committee ............................................................................................................ 6

STEP 9: Revise and Test the Plan and Update It ................................................................................................................................... 6

AppendicesA. Essential Service Response Priority Listing ......................................................................................................................................... 7

B. Essential Services/Functions Staffing Allocations Template ...................................................................................................... 8

C. Completed Template for Essential Services/Functions Staffing Allocations .................................................................. 9

D. Action Plan for Maintaining Essential Service/Function .............................................................................................................. 10

E. Action Plan Template for Maintaining Essential Service/Function .......................................................................................... 11

F. Preparedness Checklist for Your Agency/Business ......................................................................................................................... 12

Disclaimer: This Tool Kit is intended to be a guide only. The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is not responsible for any errors, omissions, misuse and/or misinterpretation.

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A Tool Kit for Business Continuity Planning

Influenza Pandemic Response Plan Business Continuity Planning Tool KitBackgroundInfluenza has been with us for centuries. It causes severe illness and death every winter in North America, attacking the elderly and the debilitated with particular ferocity. Every winter, outbreaks of influenza in hospitals and long-term care homes require public health resources to control the spread and minimize the impact of influenza.

Outbreaks of influenza have been known to occur for centuries, and three influenza pandemics have occurred in the previous century alone – the Spanish (1918), Asian (1957) and Hong Kong (1968) pandemics. The Spanish pandemic killed an estimated 20 million people worldwide in two short years with some experts reporting death tolls as high as 40 million. Entire towns were devastated and many families were wiped out as a result of influenza. Physicians tending to soldiers in military camps wrote letters home about young, healthy men who came to the infirmary in the morning with a cough and were dead by nightfall. The virus quickly made its way around the globe.

Experts predict that another influenza pandemic will occur, although the timing and pattern of the pandemic are unpredictable. When it does occur, the impact will be devastating. Estimates suggest up to eight million people in Ontario will be infected. Of those infected, up to four million will become clinically ill and 12,000 will die.

In terms of preparing for the impact of a pandemic in the work environment, it has been projected that approxi-mately 35% of the workforce may be absent due to the effects of the virus on individuals and families. This clearly underscores how important it is for agencies and businesses to prepare plans to ensure continuity of essential ser-vices.

Based on information taken from previous pandemics, the impact of an influenza pandemic in Haldimand and Norfolk, based on a population of 111,000 with a 35% attack rate, could be:

38,500 people infected.

17,325 people will need medical advice.

20,405 people requiring outpatient care.

462 people requiring hospitalization.

115 deaths (80 of which would occur in hospital).

Work has occurred at the federal level that has resulted in the development of a contingency plan that reflects the role of the federal government in an influenza pandemic response. Similarly, at the provincial level, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has undertaken a planning process in collaboration with various stakeholders for an Ontario-wide response to an influenza pandemic.

Given the federal and provincial forecasts, municipalities across Ontario need to prepare for such an event. The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit has been actively preparing for this event for several years so that we will be posi-tioned to meet the challenges of an influenza pandemic, whenever it occurs.

The next step in this process is the development of Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) to maintain essential services or functions during a pandemic emergency. For both government and business, there is an expectation from the public and from employees that services will continue as usual and uninterrupted. In this context, the experiences and disruptions created by the 2003 power outage and the SARS outbreak emphasize the benefits of the emer-gency planning process.

Your agency/organization could be faced with extremely high absenteeism during an influenza pandemic. For this reason, your organization should plan ahead to ensure you have the capacity to maintain service delivery during that time.

Response plans are necessary to ensure business continuity is maintained during a pandemic. To help businesses, this Tool Kit for Business Continuity Planning has been prepared to make the planning process easier and to provide a consistent approach for all those involved.

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Influenza Pandemic Response Plan

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This kit will lead you through the process of identifying:

Your essential services.

Required staffing needs to keep essential services running.

Staff skill sets in your organization.

Opportunities for reallocation of staff to fill positions vacant due to absenteeism during a pandemic emergency.

This Tool Kit provides you with all of the resources you will require to develop your organization’s Business Continuity Plan.

Influenza Pandemic Business Continuity Planning ProcessThe Business Continuity Planning process consists of the following steps:

Establish a Corporate Steering Committee or individual to oversee the planning process.

Establish a Business Continuity Planning Committee or Working Group.

Identify Essential Services/Functions (see definition on page 7).

Identify required skill sets and opportunities for staff reallocation.

Identify any relevant issues/implications for implementation.

Prepare a Business Continuity Plan for each essential service/function.

Compare with the Preparedness Checklist (see Appendix F on page 18).

Review your Business Continuity Plan with the Corporate Steering Committee.

Revise and test the plan and update as required.

STEP 1: Establish a Corporate Steering Committee or IndividualCorporate Support and CommitmentThe key to the success of any initiative of this significance is corporate support and commitment. Corporate lead-ers, through their actions, communications, priority setting and direction, must instil the importance of influenza pandemic business continuity planning throughout their corporations. This may require direct communication and training/education on the subject matter.

The first step in the planning process is to establish a Corporate Steering Committee or a person to oversee, sup-port and/or direct the process. The steering committee should establish terms of reference with timelines. The cor-porate committee/representative will also provide a valuable review forum as work proceeds towards developing a Business Continuity Plan. Documentation throughout the process is highly recommended. There are several tem-plates in the appendices of this Tool Kit that can facilitate your documentation needs during the business continuity planning process.

In addition to a Corporate Steering Committee, it is recommended that your organization establish a Business Continuity Planning Committee or Working Group that will be responsible for developing the Business Continuity Plan.

STEP 2: Establish a BCP Committee/Working GroupRepresentation on this committee/working group is very important. Participants should be able to identify essential services/functions and understand the implications of service disruptions.

The following points should be considered when establishing the committee/working group:

Use an existing committee/working group that is already in place that deals with emergency planning issues.

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If necessary, establish a new committee/group to conduct the business continuity planning process.

The committee/group members should be from the senior level with decision making authority.

Representatives from each business unit should be involved and must be able to identify the resources, issues and solutions related to the business continuity planning process.

Representatives must understand the reporting structure and decision-making process within their respective divisions, departments and/or corporations.

Develop terms of reference and submit them to the Corporate Steering Committee for review and/or approval.

Involve union and/or association representatives if relevant.

Members of the committee should review the templates contained in the appendices and make any changes to suit the needs of their business units. The templates, in addition to serving as tools for essential services/functions iden-tification as outlined in Step 3, can also be used as documentation tools.

STEP 3: Identify Essential Services/Functions The objective of the business continuity planning process is to determine how an organization will maintain essential services/functions in the event of significant staff absenteeism.

To begin the discussions related to essential services/functions, it is important to reach a common understanding of what determines an “essential service and/or function.”

An essential service is defined as:

A service and/or function that when not delivered creates an impact on the health and safety of individuals.

A service and/or function that may lead to the failure of a business unit if activities are not performed in a speci-fied time period.

In some organizations, there are also essential services and/or functions that must be performed to satisfy regula-tory requirements. Also, depending on the nature of the service/function, the impact may be immediate or may occur over time.

Experts suggest that during an influenza pandemic, organizations may experience staff absenteeism rates of 30% to 35 % for extended periods of time. This figure does not include the “sympathetic sick” (i.e., people that may be required to stay home to care for ill family members). This means that organizations may be forced to modify, reduce or even eliminate specific services/functions to cope with the impacts of a flu pandemic. The impact of staff absenteeism may be across the organization or localized to specific business units.

As you begin discussions about essential services/functions, you may find that you have existing resources that you can use to extract information about essential services in your organization (e.g., emergency plans, Y2K plan, etc.). You may recall that the focus of emergency planning for Y2K was on contingency plans to deal with equipment and technical disruption. For an influenza pandemic, the focus is on how to maintain essential services from a staffing perspective. Your experiences during the 2003 power outage may also be helpful in identifying essential services.

Another important element of the business continuity planning process is to identify not only the generally accepted essential services/functions, but any additional services/functions that will be created as a result of the influenza pandemic response. This type of service is generally referred to as “surge activity” or “enhanced services demands” (e.g., increased demand for customer service due to service interruptions resulting from staff shortages). This will have a significant impact on Health and Emergency Services Departments.

The following steps may help your organization identify essential services/functions:

Identify all the services/functions performed by the business units.

Identify any “surge activities” that may be created or increased as a result of the influenza pandemic response.

Identify any services that may be performed from home and/or by external sources or contracted out.

Sort the services/functions by department/division and/or the business unit into three categories:

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Priority A: essential services /functions.

Priority B: services/functions that can be suspended for a short period of time (e.g., services that can be suspended for one month).

Priority C: services/functions that can be suspended for an extended period of time.

You have now identified your Essential Services/Functions.

STEP 4: Identify Required Skill Sets and Staff AllocationA critical step in the business continuity planning process is to identify the number of staff and necessary skills required to perform and maintain essential services/functions.

This information will be vital when it becomes necessary to reallocate staff resources within the business unit or across the corporation. The following steps may help:

Identify the number of staff (by classification) required to maintain the essential services/functions. Include essen-tial services/functions created or increased by the “surge activity.” Examples of staff classifications include cus-tomer service agents, electricians, chartered accountants or data entry clerks.

Identify any special requirements necessary to perform the essential services/functions (e.g., a licence to operate heavy machinery).

Continue to use the document in Appendix B as you move through the process of identifying staff allocations for essential services/functions. This will help you capture the information necessary to develop your plan.

STEP 5: Identify Any Relevant Issues/Implications for ImplementationAn important step in the process is to identify any issues and/or implications that may result from, or be created through, any essential service/function reduction, modification and/or elimination.

Each should be discussed, and any relevant comments/solutions should be documented.

It is recommended that part of this process include documentation and a planned response for each Priority A essential service/function.

You may find the following list useful when developing your plan and documenting the responsibilities of designated individuals within the business unit for the identified essential services/functions. (This provides a quick of over-view of key areas to consider. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care have also prepared a more detailed Emergency Preparedness Checklist, located in Appendix F.)

A sample template to facilitate the documentation of action plans required for an essential service is included in Appendix E.

Activation of PlanHas a notification system been documented to activate/terminate the contingency plan?

Who has decision-making authority, and what are the identified essentials services/functions?

Who are their alternates if they are unavailable?

PlanningHave there been discussions with key external partners regarding their pandemic readiness plans for business continuity?

Is there a need to involve external individuals in the preparation and review of a Business Continuity Plan for your organization (e.g., elected officials, unions, legal counsel, etc.)?

Has the process for decision-making been reviewed and documented?

Have all relevant issues/implications and action plans been documented?

Have alternatives to face-to-face group meetings during a pandemic emergency been considered? This is par-

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ticularly important to prevent the spread of influenza, as it is transmitted easily from person to person (before a person begins to exhibit symptoms) through coughing and sneezing or contact with contaminated surfaces such as unwashed hands, phones and eating utensils.

Have plans been developed for potential work alternatives such as alternate work sites or work-at-home arrange-ments for key people at risk?

Has each essential service been reviewed to consider the implications of service modifications, reductions and/or elimination?

Policies and ProceduresHave existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) been reviewed and modified and/or revised as needed?

Surveillance/AttendanceIs there a process established to monitor staff absenteeism within each business unit?

What level of staff absenteeism will necessitate a change in the delivery of any essential service/function?

If your organization can no longer function due to extremely high absenteeism, what are the implications and which business units/divisions would still be required to continue (e.g., finance, human resources) to provide employee support?

Delivery of Essential Services to the CommunityDoes your business have responsibility for providing services to the community during an emergency?

Delivery of Services What are the implications when a specific essential service/function needs to be modified? (Consider direct com-munity impact with reduction in services.)

Identify any options that may exist to maintain each essential service/function, such as cancellation of vacations; approval of overtime; re-deployment of staff; cross-training; contracting services out; use of volunteers, part-time staff, retired staff or other staff resources; mutual aid, etc.

Consider the sustainability of service reductions for a period of a number of weeks or months.

Human ResourcesWill cross-training be required?

Do re-deployed staff and/or volunteers require security checks or special clearance?

Are single incumbent positions, security codes, access and passwords an issue? Do you have staff from other areas that can be re-allocated to these types of positions?

Are there issues relating to a collective agreement?

Do you require any advance approval to use staff that may not possess the necessary certifications (e.g., licences, etc.)?

What are the implications pertaining to due diligence, liability (legal and civil), public image and confidence?

Has a list of resource needs been developed including procurement of people, equipment/materials, source and contact information for each?

CommunicationsHave you prepared a communication strategy for internal and external partners?

Testing the PlanHas the Business Continuity Plan for your organization/business been tested?

Has a process been established to conduct regular reviews of the Business Continuity Plan for your organization/business?

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STEP 6: Documentation for each Essential Service/FunctionThe documentation of decisions and actions for each essential service/function is the final step in drafting a Business Continuity Plan. This step should be taken once you have:

Identified essential services/functions.

Identified any relevant issues/implications that may arise when the level of service/function is modified.

This portion of the plan details how each essential service/function is maintained, reduced, modified and/or elimi-nated; who has decision-making authority; what solutions will be put in place; any necessary actions to follow and any communication strategy. A template has been provided in Appendix E to document this process.

STEP 7: Compare to the Preparedness ChecklistReview the Preparedness Checklist (Appendix F) to ensure that all issues have been addressed, including the deci-sion-making process/authority for implementing service reduction. As part of this review, additional documentation may be required to ensure that all critical elements have been addressed. Some of the issues may fit best in your overall organizational emergency response plan.

STEP 8: Review with the Corporate Steering CommitteeA draft of the Business Continuity Plan should be presented to your Corporate Steering Committee for review and/or comment. This will help establish consistency for all business units/departments in the business continuity planning process and ensure that all critical elements in the plan are addressed. In addition, the Corporate Steering Committee will monitor the progress of the initiative and develop a better understanding of the overall corporate impact of an influenza pandemic emergency.

STEP 9: Revise and Test the Plan and Update It.Once the Business Continuity Plan is complete, you need to circulate the plan for information and training purposes within your organization. As with any other plans, the Business Continuity Plan will require at least an annual review for any necessary revisions.

Last but not least, conducting an emergency exercise to test the plan will help your staff understand the Business Continuity Plan, how and when it’s activated, who is responsible for what and how it fits with your corporate strat-egy to deal with an influenza pandemic emergency.

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Appendix A: Essential Service Response Priority ListingComplete the attached form (Appendix B) by working through the following process. A completed template is pro-vided as an example.

Identify all services/activities within a program/division/business unit and list them in the Service/Activity column.

Services that must be maintained throughout staff shortages should be identified as Priority A. Services that can be discontinued for a short period of time, such as four weeks, should be identified as Priority B. Services that can be discontinued during the entire influenza pandemic due to staffing shortages should be identified as Priority C.

List Priority A services together. List Priority B services together. List Priority C services together.

Identify and describe the type of staff needed to deliver the services (e.g., electricians, chartered accountants or information technologists). Fill in the additional columns as required if more than one group of staff is involved in the delivery of the essential service/activity.

Indicate the number of staff currently assigned to the service/function.

Identify the number of staff remaining in the event of a 35% staff absence rate, and record the number in the column “FTEs available at 35% absence.”

Identify whether the service/function is expected to experience a surge in demand during a pandemic.

Indicate whether there is a potential to have the service/function delivered by volunteers, the private sector or other agencies.

Indicate whether the service/function can potentially be performed from home.

Develop a plan for dealing with each essential service/function to respond to staffing shortfalls or surge demands. A sample template is provided in Appendix C (page 13).

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Appendix D:

Action Plan for Maintaining Essential Service/Function An action plan for each essential service/function should be documented during the planning process (one page for each essential service). The action plan should include details about:

The essential service/activity.

Key emergency staff, i.e., the individual(s) responsible for implementing the action plan.

Details of the activation procedure.

Identification of corporate and community impact issues.

Reallocation potential of staff from other service/function areas.

Communication strategy to staff, business partners and customers/community.

Staff absenteeism monitoring activities.

Reporting requirements to decision makers.

Decision-making process during an influenza pandemic.

Resource needs, including a listing of contact information for staff (for notification and communication purposes) and private sector partners (for purchasing equipment, obtaining additional staffing resources, etc.).

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mic

Bus

ines

s C

ontin

uity

Pla

n in

tegr

ated

with

you

r em

erge

ncy

prep

ared

ness

pla

n(s)

?

Who

has

res

pons

ibili

ty fo

r pr

ocur

emen

t m

atte

rs, e

.g.,

orde

ring

reso

urc-

es a

nd/o

r eq

uipm

ent

durin

g an

em

erge

ncy

episo

de?

Who

nee

ds t

o ap

prov

e th

e Bu

sines

s C

ontin

uity

Pla

n?

��


Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

Test

ing

of t

he P

lan

How

will

you

tes

t an

d/or

eva

luat

e yo

ur B

usin

ess

Con

tinui

ty P

lan?

How

will

you

tes

t yo

ur c

omm

unic

atio

n sy

stem

s?

Dec

isio

n-m

akin

g an

d R

epor

ting

Who

will

be

in c

harg

e an

d m

ake

deci

sions

with

in y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

conc

erni

ng s

ervi

ces

durin

g a

pand

emic

/em

erge

ncy

episo

de?

Wha

t w

ill b

e th

e m

echa

nism

for

regu

lar

repo

rtin

g to

you

r m

anag

emen

t st

aff,

boar

d, g

over

nmen

t or

cou

ncil

(whi

chev

er a

re a

ppro

pria

te fo

r yo

ur

orga

niza

tion)

?

Is th

ere

a co

ntac

t lis

t of

all

inte

rnal

and

ext

erna

l clie

nts,

part

ner

agen

-ci

es a

nd s

take

hold

ers?

Is th

ere

a co

ntac

t lis

t of

all

seni

or s

taff

with

in y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess?

If pu

blic

tra

nspo

rtat

ion

beca

me

a pr

oble

m, c

an e

mpl

oyee

s ar

rang

e al

tern

ate

form

s of

tra

nspo

rtat

ion

to w

ork?

If ne

cess

ary,

coul

d st

aff l

ive

at t

he w

ork

loca

tion

or a

n al

tern

ativ

e w

ork

loca

tion

for

som

e pe

riod

of t

ime?

Hav

e yo

u pr

epar

ed s

ite-s

peci

fic n

otifi

catio

n fo

r of

fice

clos

ures

and

con

-ta

cts

for

the

publ

ic/c

lient

s?

Surv

eilla

nce/

Att

enda

nce

Who

in y

our

orga

niza

tion

has

resp

onsib

ility

for

colle

ctin

g/m

anag

ing

info

rmat

ion

abou

t st

aff a

bsen

teei

sm?

Who

is t

hat

pers

on’s

back

up?

Do

you

have

dat

a on

the

ave

rage

num

ber

of s

taff

abse

nces

due

to

ill-

ness

and

vac

atio

n at

diff

eren

t tim

es o

f the

yea

r (m

onth

ly r

ates

)?


��

Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

Is th

ere

a m

echa

nism

with

in y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

to m

onito

r an

d re

port

incr

easin

g st

aff a

bsen

teei

sm d

ue t

o ill

ness

to

heal

th a

utho

ritie

s (e

.g.,

Hea

lth a

nd S

afet

y C

oord

inat

or, H

ealth

Uni

t? A

n in

crea

se in

sta

ff ab

sent

eeism

due

to

illne

ss m

ight

be

attr

ibut

ed t

o th

e sp

read

of i

nfec

-tio

ns a

mon

g co

-wor

kers

, sug

gest

ing

an o

utbr

eak

of d

iseas

e.).

Del

iver

y of

Ess

entia

l Ser

vice

s to

the

Com

mun

ity

Doe

s yo

ur a

genc

y/bu

sines

s ha

ve a

res

pons

ibili

ty fo

r th

e pr

ovisi

on o

f ser

-vi

ces

to t

he c

omm

unity

dur

ing

an e

mer

genc

y?

Prov

ision

of f

ood.

Mas

s ho

usin

g.

Car

e fo

r sp

ecia

l nee

ds p

eopl

e.

Hom

e ca

re a

nd c

hild

car

e.

• • • • Hav

e th

ese

serv

ices

bee

n pl

anne

d fo

r sh

ould

the

re b

e a

staf

f red

uctio

n du

e to

abs

ence

?

Who

has

sig

ning

aut

hori

ty fo

r ex

pend

iture

s du

ring

an e

mer

genc

y an

d w

ho is

tha

t pe

rson

’s ba

ckup

?

Are

the

re c

lear

ly s

tate

d po

licie

s an

d pr

oced

ures

tha

t co

ver

signi

ng

auth

ority

and

acq

uisit

ions

?

Wha

t is

the

staf

f cap

acity

of y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

and

are

ther

e pr

ovi-

sions

to

brin

g in

add

ition

al s

taff

and/

or v

olun

teer

s?

Hav

e al

tern

ativ

e se

rvic

e pr

ovid

ers

been

iden

tifie

d to

ass

ist

with

mai

n-ta

inin

g yo

ur e

ssen

tial s

ervi

ces?

Wha

t du

ties

will

the

y ha

ve a

nd w

hat

addi

tiona

l tra

inin

g w

ill t

hey

requ

ire?

Hav

e in

sura

nce

cove

rage

and

uni

on

issue

s be

en a

ddre

ssed

?

Wha

t is

the

surg

e ca

paci

ty o

f ser

vice

s de

liver

ed b

y yo

ur a

genc

y/bu

si-ne

ss?

Has

an

inve

ntor

y be

en p

repa

red

for

spec

ializ

ed e

quip

men

t/fa

cilit

ies

that

m

ay b

e ne

eded

dur

ing

a pa

ndem

ic e

piso

de?

��


Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

Is th

ere

a m

echa

nism

tha

t w

ill e

nsur

e th

at a

dditi

onal

equ

ipm

ent

( e.

g.,

page

rs, c

ell p

hone

s, re

frig

erat

ors,

etc.

) ca

n be

obt

aine

d w

ith m

inim

um

dela

y?

Who

has

aut

hori

ty fo

r or

derin

g re

pair/

repl

acem

ent

equi

pmen

t an

d w

ho

is th

at p

erso

n’s

back

up?

Mat

eria

ls a

nd S

uppl

ies

Are

you

cur

rent

ly s

tock

ed w

ith a

ll ne

cess

ary

supp

lies

for

regu

lar

day-

to-

day

func

tions

?

Doe

s yo

ur a

genc

y/bu

sines

s ha

ve c

onta

ct li

sts

for

all y

our

supp

liers

and

al

tern

ate

supp

liers

?

Doe

s yo

ur a

genc

y/bu

sines

s ha

ve a

cces

s to

inve

ntor

y (in

clud

ing

seria

l nu

mbe

rs)

of a

ll co

mpu

ter

equi

pmen

t, pr

inte

rs, f

ax m

achi

nes

and

phot

o-co

pier

s in

cas

e re

pairs

are

nee

ded?

Doe

s yo

ur a

genc

y/bu

sines

s ha

ve c

onta

ct li

sts

for

all e

quip

men

t re

pair

pers

ons?

Who

aut

horiz

es r

epai

rs a

nd s

uppl

y/eq

uipm

ent

orde

rs?

Are

the

re o

ther

em

ploy

ees

who

can

tak

e ov

er t

his

resp

onsib

ility

in t

he e

vent

of a

n em

erge

ncy?

Trai

ning

/Ori

enta

tion

Wha

t ar

e th

e tr

aini

ng n

eeds

per

tain

ing

to e

mer

genc

y an

d flu

pan

dem

ic

cont

inge

ncy

plan

s fo

r in

tern

al a

nd e

xter

nal b

usin

ess

part

ners

/age

ncie

s?

Wha

t ad

ditio

nal t

rain

ing

will

be

requ

ired?

Wha

t or

ient

atio

n/ed

ucat

ion

shou

ld b

e ar

rang

ed fo

r yo

ur e

mpl

oyee

s to

ra

ise a

war

enes

s ab

out

an in

fluen

za p

ande

mic

em

erge

ncy?

Hav

e st

aff b

een

mad

e aw

are

of b

asic

infe

ctio

n co

ntro

l gui

delin

es t

o pr

e-ve

nt t

he t

rans

miss

ion

of in

fluen

za (

e.g.

, han

d-w

ashi

ng p

roce

dure

s, et

c.)?


��

Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

Del

iver

y of

Ser

vice

sH

ave

serv

ices

in y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

been

prio

ritiz

ed t

o ta

ke in

to

acco

unt

min

or t

o m

ajor

sta

ff ab

senc

es d

ue t

o ill

ness

?

Wha

t is

the

role

of y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

with

res

pect

to

assis

ting

with

se

rvic

e de

man

ds in

hea

lth c

are

faci

litie

s (e

.g.,

hosp

itals

, Lon

g-Te

rm C

are

Hom

es, H

omes

for

the

Age

d an

d H

omes

for

Spec

ial C

are)

and

has

thi

s pl

an b

een

com

mun

icat

ed t

o th

ese

faci

litie

s?

Who

will

mak

e de

cisio

ns a

bout

red

ucin

g le

vels

of s

ervi

ce a

nd/o

r ca

ncel

-lin

g se

rvic

es t

empo

raril

y?

Is th

ere

a pr

e-ap

prov

al p

roce

ss in

pla

ce fo

r pu

rcha

sing

addi

tiona

l sup

-pl

ies?

If n

ot, h

ow lo

ng d

oes

it ta

ke fo

r ap

prov

al t

o be

gra

nted

?

How

will

red

uctio

n/te

mpo

rary

can

cella

tion

of r

egul

ar s

ervi

ces

be c

om-

mun

icat

ed t

o lo

cal s

take

hold

ers,

the

publ

ic a

nd b

usin

ess

part

ners

?

Doe

s yo

ur p

lan

iden

tify

the

need

to

cons

ult

with

the

Med

ical

Off

icer

of

Hea

lth p

rior

to a

ny m

ajor

com

mun

icat

ion

stra

tegy

abo

ut r

educ

ing

ser-

vice

del

iver

y du

e to

sta

ff ab

senc

es r

elat

ing

to in

fluen

za?

Cou

ld a

ny o

f the

age

ncy’

s/bu

sines

s’s s

ervi

ces

be p

rovi

ded

from

ano

ther

w

ork

loca

tion?

Hav

e si

tes

prov

idin

g vu

lner

able

ser

vice

s (s

uch

as n

ursin

g ho

mes

, hom

es

for

the

aged

, hom

es fo

r sp

ecia

l car

e) b

een

iden

tifie

d an

d ha

s th

e in

ven-

tory

of s

uch

serv

ices

bee

n sh

ared

with

app

ropr

iate

ser

vice

pro

vide

rs?

Patie

nt t

rans

port

atio

n.

Patie

nt a

sses

smen

t se

rvic

es.

Food

ser

vice

s.

Equi

pmen

t su

pply

ser

vice

s (i.

e. o

xyge

n eq

uipm

ent)

.

• • • • Has

you

r ag

ency

dev

elop

ed a

list

of s

kills

and

pro

fess

iona

l com

pete

ncie

s of

sta

ff th

at a

re t

rans

fera

ble

to o

ther

bus

ines

s un

its, a

genc

y fu

nctio

ns o

r fo

r su

ppor

t to

hea

lth-c

are

inst

itutio

ns in

the

com

mun

ity?

Hav

e su

ppor

t se

rvic

es b

een

plan

ned

for

wor

kers

, suc

h as

tra

nspo

rta-

tion,

chi

ld c

are,

mea

ls an

d gr

ief c

ouns

ellin

g?

Do

you

have

a p

lan

to r

eple

nish

dep

lete

d su

pplie

s?

��


Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

Hum

an R

esou

rces

H

as y

our

agen

cy p

repa

red

an in

vent

ory

of s

kills

in t

he e

vent

tha

t pe

ople

fr

om y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

are

requ

ired

to p

erfo

rm d

utie

s/fu

nctio

ns in

ot

her

busin

ess

units

/age

ncie

s to

mai

ntai

n es

sent

ial s

ervi

ces?

Hav

e lia

bilit

y iss

ues

been

add

ress

ed fo

r vo

lunt

eers

and

re-

assig

ned

staf

f m

embe

rs?

Do

you

have

a c

urre

nt li

st o

f sta

ff co

mpl

ete

with

tel

epho

ne n

umbe

rs?

Has

som

eone

bee

n as

signe

d re

spon

sibili

ty t

o en

sure

tha

t it

rem

ains

cur

-re

nt?

Do

you

have

a c

urre

nt li

st o

f rec

ently

ret

ired

staf

f (co

mpl

ete

with

tel

e-ph

one

num

bers

) w

ho m

ay b

e co

ntac

ted

in t

he e

vent

of e

xtre

me

staf

f sh

orta

ges?

Do

rele

vant

em

ploy

ees

have

acc

ess

to a

list

of a

ll em

ploy

ees

and

rel-

evan

t st

akeh

olde

rs?

Is th

ere

a co

py o

f the

hea

lth a

nd d

afet

y m

anua

l on

site

in y

our

agen

cy/

busin

ess?

Who

will

be

in c

harg

e of

com

mun

icat

ing

with

em

ploy

ees

in y

our

agen

-cy

? D

o yo

u ha

ve a

bac

kup

pers

on(s

) to

tak

e on

thi

s re

spon

sibili

ty?

Who

will

rep

rese

nt y

our

agen

cy/b

usin

ess

on c

omm

unity

em

erge

ncy

resp

onse

tea

m(s

), if

requ

este

d to

par

ticip

ate,

and

are

the

re b

acku

ps fo

r th

ose

pers

ons?

Who

will

be

resp

onsib

le fo

r pa

ymen

t iss

ues

rela

ted

to o

vert

ime

and/

or

addi

tiona

l sal

ary

issue

s? A

re t

here

sta

ff de

signa

ted

as b

acku

ps fo

r th

ese

posit

ions

?

In t

he e

vent

of a

sta

ff sh

orta

ge, w

hat

role

s/re

spon

sibili

ties

coul

d ex

ter-

nal c

ontr

act

wor

kers

and

vol

unte

ers

fill?

Wha

t ro

les/

resp

onsib

ilitie

s co

uld

co-w

orke

rs f

ill?

Who

has

the

aut

hori

ty t

o hi

re c

ontr

act/

tem

pora

ry w

orke

rs a

nd t

ake

on

volu

ntee

rs?

Is th

ere

a ba

ckup

per

son

for

this

job?


��

Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

Doe

s yo

ur a

genc

y/bu

sines

s ha

ve a

sys

tem

sta

ff us

e to

rep

ort

abse

nce

due

to il

lnes

s an

d ot

her

reas

ons?

Is t

his

info

rmat

ion

acce

ssib

le o

n a

daily

ba

sis?

Rec

ords

and

Rec

ord

Kee

ping

Has

you

r ag

ency

/bus

ines

s de

velo

ped

appr

opria

te r

ecor

ds k

eepi

ng p

ro-

cedu

res

for

item

s su

ch a

s:

Staf

f abs

ence

s.

Vaca

tion.

Com

plai

nts

and

issue

s.

• • • Do

you

have

a p

lan

to r

ecor

d sig

nific

ant

deci

sions

tha

t w

ere

mad

e du

r-in

g a

flu p

ande

mic

/em

erge

ncy?

Is re

gula

r re

port

ing

to b

oard

s/go

vern

men

t re

quire

d?

Com

mun

icat

ion

In y

our

orga

niza

tion,

who

has

prim

ary

resp

onsib

ility

for

com

mun

icat

ing

with

the

pub

lic, b

usin

ess

part

ners

and

sta

ff?

Who

is t

hat

pers

on’s

back

up in

the

eve

nt t

hat

pers

on is

sic

k w

ith in

flu-

enza

?

Are

the

re p

eopl

e in

you

r or

gani

zatio

n w

ho h

ave

sole

acc

ess

to in

com

-in

g in

form

atio

n (e

.g.,

busin

ess

info

rmat

ion,

inci

denc

e re

port

s, co

mpl

aint

s, et

c.)?

If s

o, h

ave

you

arra

nged

for

desig

nate

s to

rec

eive

thi

s in

form

atio

n?

Doe

s yo

ur o

rgan

izat

ion

mai

ntai

n a

cent

ral i

nven

tory

of p

assw

ords

to

offic

e eq

uipm

ent

and

elec

tron

ic f

iles?

Is t

here

a d

esig

nate

for

the

per-

son

who

has

res

pons

ibili

ty fo

r th

e in

vent

ory?

If yo

ur in

form

atio

n te

chno

logy

per

son

is ill

, who

m c

an y

ou t

urn

to if

you

ex

perie

nce

com

pute

r pr

oble

ms?

��


Ro

les

and

Res

po

nsi

bil

itie

s fo

r an

In

flu

enza

P

and

emic

Bu

sin

ess

Co

nti

nu

ity

Pla

nC

hec

k w

het

her

th

e ac

tio

n i

s ad

dre

ssed

in

th

e P

lan

Do

cum

ent

wh

o i

s re

spo

nsi

-b

le f

or

each

act

ion

/dec

isio

n-

mak

ing

pro

cess

How

doe

s yo

ur s

taff

com

mun

icat

e w

ith e

ach

othe

r du

ring

offic

e ho

urs

and

afte

r-of

fice

hour

s? Is

the

re a

n al

tern

ate

form

of c

omm

unic

atio

n th

ey c

an r

ely

on (

e.g.

, cel

l pho

nes,

page

rs, e

tc.)?

Who

are

you

r se

curi

ty c

onta

cts

shou

ld t

here

be

a pr

oble

m w

ith p

hysi-

cal a

cces

s to

you

r w

ork

loca

tion

and

are

ther

e ba

ckup

s to

you

r se

curi

ty

cont

acts

?

If m

ail s

ervi

ce is

inte

rrup

ted,

are

the

re c

ritic

al it

ems

you

need

to

rece

ive

or d

eliv

er t

hat

you

will

nee

d to

mak

e al

tern

ativ

e ar

rang

emen

ts fo

r?

Doe

s yo

ur o

rgan

izat

ion

send

out

tim

e-se

nsiti

ve le

tter

s or

doc

umen

ts

and

is th

ere

a ba

ckup

sys

tem

for

thes

e?

How

are

cou

rier

pack

ages

gen

eral

ly r

ecei

ved

and

sent

out

?

How

will

you

sen

d ou

t pu

blic

ser

vice

ann

ounc

emen

ts a

nd n

ews

rele

as-

es?

Do

you

have

a p

roce

ss fo

r co

nsul

ting

with

the

Hea

lth U

nit

prio

r to

an

y re

leas

es?

Will

em

ploy

ees

and

the

publ

ic b

e ab

le t

o ac

cess

a w

ebsi

te o

r te

leph

one

num

ber

to g

et u

pdat

es o

n se

rvic

e de

liver

y ne

ws?

Rec

over

yW

hat

are

the

imm

edia

te le

sson

s le

arne

d?

Who

will

hav

e th

e au

thor

ity t

o no

tify

the

vario

us e

mpl

oyee

s, cl

ient

s an

d st

akeh

olde

rs r

egar

ding

rei

nsta

ting

serv

ices

and

fin

ally

ret

urni

ng t

o fu

ll se

rvic

e?

Who

will

be

resp

onsib

le fo

r ev

alua

ting

your

loca

l res

pons

e?

Whi

ch fa

ctor

s sh

ould

be

exam

ined

as

part

of t

he e

valu

atio

n?

Hav

e an

y co

unse

lling

nee

ds fo

r st

aff b

een

prov

ided

for?


�0

ResourcesPublic Health Agency of Canada, Pandemic Influenza Plan http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cpip-pclcpi/index.html

Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Influenza Pandemic Plan http://www.heatlh.gov.on.ca

World Health Organization, Pandemic Preparedness http://www/who.int

Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit http://www.hnhu.org (click on ‘Diseases’ then ‘Emergency Plan’)

Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Pandemic Planning Tool Kit www.occ.on.ca

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) www.wsib.on.ca

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety www.ccohs.ca/pandemic/

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

This document was adapted from material produced by Halton Region.

Dedicated to Improving

Our Communities’ Health

SimcoeP.O. Box 247, 12 Gilbertson DriveSimcoe, ON N3Y 4L1519.426.6170 / 905.318.6623

Email: [email protected]: www.hnhu.org

Caledonia282 Argyle Street SouthCaledonia, ON N3W 1K7905.318.5367

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