The Leader - September 2007 - (Page 62) th e p o t e Nt I a l pa N dem Ic: Wh y em er GeN cy pre p are dNe s s p laNs make s e Ns e W he the r the p aNde mI c s t rIk e s o r No t critical personnel, especially engineering staff, within the building and, if possible, between properties cannot be overemphasized. As with the company plan, it will be necessary to compile a list of mission-critical operations, identify individual employees responsible for each, and cross-train personnel to cover for incapacitated coworkers. the ImportaNce of eNhaNced JaNItorIal servIces about the author Cleaning and disinfecting protocols based on the unique characteristics, usage and traffic patterns of the property should be developed in conjunction with each property’s janitorial contractor or in-house personnel prior to the onset of the pandemic. Since no two properties are alike, the cleaning plan should be carefully tailored to ensure that items with which large numbers of people come in contact on a daily basis are cleaned more frequently than normal. stop the coNtaGIoN at the door Jim Rosenbluth is Managing Director of Crisis Management for Cushman & Wakefield. An important preventative measure that can significantly reduce the spread of the contagion within a property is placing disinfectant hand-wipe dispensing stations at all entrances. Enabling tenants and visitors to disinfect their hands as they enter the property is a cost-effective means of reducing cross-contamination, although it will not prevent the spread of the virus from visitors who are already contagious. In addition, as mentioned above, consideration should be given to closing communal dining facilities for the duration of the pandemic to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination common in large gatherings. a crItIcal part of your emerGeNcy preparedNess plaN A pandemic preparedness plan should be an integral part of every commercial property’s emergency action plan, along with “shelter-in-place” procedures, emergency evacuation instructions and directions to a designated assembly area outside the building. Whether or not H5N1 ultimately mutates to a form easily transmitted between humans, history has taught us that some virus inevitably will. The degree to which you have prepared in advance to deal with a pandemic will, to a large extent, determine how you, your company and your work force fare during what may well be a watershed event. th e le ade r 62 september / october 2007 http://gspnet.com http://gspnet.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.