What Employers Can Do to Protect Workers from Pandemic Influenza

During an influenza pandemic, transmission of the pandemic virus can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patients to workers in healthcare settings, but also from customers and coworkers in general work settings. Employers can use a set of occupational safety and health controls referred to as the "hierarchy of controls" to reduce exposures to pandemic influenza in their workplaces. The types of control measures, listed from most effective to least effective, that may be used to protect yourself, your workers and your customers are:

• Engineering controls;
  
• Administrative controls;
  
• Work practices; and
  
• Personal protective equipment (PPE).
  

Most employers will use a combination of these control methods. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of measure when considering the ease of implementation, effectiveness and cost.

Link to OSHA Fact Sheet