Business & Industry Planning

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Overview

In the event of pandemic influenza, businesses will play a key role in protecting employees' health and safety as well as limiting the negative impact to the economy and society. Planning for pandemic influenza is critical. Companies that provide critical infrastructure services, such as power and telecommunications, also have a special responsibility to plan for continued operation in a crisis and should plan accordingly. As with any catastrophe, having a contingency plan is essential.

HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed guidelines, including a checklist, to assist businesses in planning for a pandemic outbreak as well as for other comparable catastrophes.

Checklist and Letter

• Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist [En Español] [PDF - 151KB] [En Español (PDF) (276KB)]
• Letter to Business Leaders from Secretaries Chertoff, Leavitt, and Gutierrez

Critical Infrastructure Guide

• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (PDF) (3.91MB) (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
  Provides contingency planning process for a pandemic. Also provides business planners with sector-specific and common pandemic information planning variables keyed to escalating disaster phases.

For Employees

• Cover Your Cough (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  Includes flyers and posters, in English, español, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog
• Stopping the Spread of Germs at Work [En Español (PDF) (97KB)] (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  Basic precautions for protecting employee health.

Related Links

• Pandemic Planning (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
  Read US Chamber of Commerce information about business planning for pandemic flu.
• The Global Economic and Financial Impact of an Avian Flu Pandemic and the Role of the IMF (PDF) (229KB) (International Monetary Fund)
  Provides a preliminary assessment of the risks and potential impact to the global economy and financial system. Includes summary of the common elements of business continuity planning in the financial sector for pandemic risks.
• Business Roundtable Pandemic Flu Preparedness Recommendations (Business Roundtable)
  Read The Business Roundtable's information about business planning for pandemic flu.