In a continuing effort to help companies safeguard their employees, operations and other stakeholders against a possible H1N1 pandemic, AmCham Shanghai hosted a corporate preparedness event on May 6 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Experts presented on risk mitigation and how to coordinate efforts of a corporation’s key functional areas including human resources, legal counsel and communications in the event of a pandemic.
Speakers Dr. Jeffery Staples, president of Parkway Health’s China and North Asia division, Victor Bai, vice president of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Asia Council, and Ken Jarrett, vice chairman of APCO Asia’s Greater China region, spoke on flu prevention measures and corporate emergency planning for pandemics. Dr. Staples warned attendees not to underestimate the H1N1virus. H1N1 may follow the pattern set by the Spanish flu of 1918 which died down in the spring and summer and then returned to peak in the fall. Dr. Staples advised attendees to practice good hygiene techniques such as hand washing, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and cleaning clothes and workspaces. Dr. Staples predicted that a pandemic’s effect on a business would be significant, lasting from 9 to 15 months, resulting in high levels of absenteeism and affecting factors such as production, supply chain, distribution and sales issues.
Bai emphasized the importance of implementing an emergency management system to cope with a crisis and having measures in place both before and after a pandemic. Communication, both internally and externally, is of the utmost importance in managing rumors and avoiding unnecessary panic, said Bai.
The most important thing one can do in a pandemic situation is to get informed, said Jarrett. A company needs to communicate accurate, timely and consistent information to key stakeholders such as staff, their families, clients, the government, and the local community. It is important to be able to respond quickly, keep information current and accurate, have monitoring systems in place and have well-trained spokespeople because in a crisis, facts can be quickly distorted, said Jarrett. Some steps companies should take include creating a crisis management team and an emergency communications system, establishing policies and guidelines in advance, planning for business continuity and possible impacts on your employees and their families.
For more information about swine flu, please visit our H1N1 Flu Info Center here.
To view Victor Bai’s presentation, click here.
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