Businesses prepare for swine flu
TEXT OF STORY
Bill Radke: As people ask what they can do to stay healthy, one area of concern
is the office. Jennifer Collins tells us how businesses are responding to the outbreak.
Jennifer Collins: If you’re worried about swine flu at work, you’ve got company.
Ann Brockhaus advises clients like 3-M, Chevron and Boeing on health and safety in the office. She says many companies are still forming their plans for swine flu response.
Ann Brockhaus: People are just struggling with what the nature of this flu is and really concentrating right now on ways to prevent transmission of infection.
Yesterday, Brockhaus spoke to nearly 300 companies on a conference call about the swine flu outbreak. She says before businesses go out and buy boxes of rubber gloves and masks, they should first make sure employees are educated about how the flu spreads.
Epidemiologist Ann Marie Kimball says it’s important not to overreact:
Ann Marie Kimball: So we have to be careful that the energy we put into this, we put into good, constructive, public health worthy actions instead of silliness.
Kimball says the best action is to let sick workers stay home so they can get better.
I’m Jennifer Collins for Marketplace.
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