Originally posted on BLR.com. For more information and to register, click here and enter code “Speakfree” to register free-of-charge compliments of Jackson Lewis.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

1:30 to 3 p.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific 

Flu season seems to come earlier these days. And, when it strikes, it lasts longer and is more severe.

The CDC says that flu costs businesses approximately $10.4 billion annually for hospitalizations and outpatient visits—and that doesn’t even cover losses from absenteeism and losses in productivity.

H1N1, SARs, and MERs are just a few of the recent outbreaks, and there are other strains to be concerned about. Two years ago a new strain of bird flu (H7N9) was identified, and it has the potential to develop into a pandemic.

Flu season brings about a host of safety and HR compliance issues for California workplaces. For example:

– Should you offer a flu vaccination programs?
– Can you require employees to get a flu shot?
– Should you send someone home who’s ill or appears to be ill—and when and how should you go about that?

And regulations are getting even more complicated, as Cal/OSHA has issued the first in the nation Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD) standard (8 CCR § 5199). It’s one of the most complex and difficult OSH standards ever developed, with the goal of protecting workers at higher risk for contracting influenza in their workplaces. The ATD standard also requires covered employers to provide training and maintain specific records.

What do you need to do NOW to comply? What’s your course of action when faced with conflicts between its requirements and guidance and orders issued by public health departments?

Join us on November 24 to sort through the compliance confusion. Our presenter, a California attorney who regularly advises organizations on occupational safety, health and employment matters, will teach you how to develop and implement cost-effective, compliant ATD standard programs, including strategies for keeping your workforce healthy on the job during flu season.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Interpret and apply the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Disease Standard
  • Evaluate recent, ongoing, and proposed changes to the regulations
  • Determine whether a given facility or location is covered by the standard
  • Assess the key elements of the standard including:
    – Written infection control procedures
    – Engineering and administrative controls, such as patient triage and appropriate placement, and cleaning and disinfection procedures
    – Source control, including providing instructions and masks or other materials to patients and visitors for covering their cough
    – Droplet precautions for patient care
    – Providing influenza vaccine at no cost and to all employees who have occupational exposure
    – Respirator usage
    – Airborne infection isolation procedures
  • Implement the “best practices” other facilities have experienced success with
  • Avoid enforcement actions
  • Identify resources to help you develop and implement a fully compliant program

Register for this event to learn how best to respond to seasonal flu and other outbreaks in your California workplace!