Ways to stop the spread of flu at work

Protect yourself and your workplace using the following methods to reduce the spread of infection:

1. Good coughing and sneezing habits
2. Washing and drying hands properly
3. Social distancing
4. Barriers
5. Gloves, overalls and eye protection
6. Masks and respirators
7. Health monitoring
8. Ventilation
9. Workplace cleaning

1. Good coughing and sneezing habits

What everyone should do

Use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze
Keep away from other people

Place - do not throw - the tissue in a bin afterwards

Wash your hands with soap and water

Dry your hands well on a paper towel

People who are coughing or sneezing more than normal should be sent home.

What employers should do

Make sure staff know, and practise, good coughing and sneezing habits

Provide a supply of tissues

Provide a covered bin, located where it can't be knocked over, to put the tissues in

Provide plastic bags to line bins that have a drawstring top. Set up a system where the last person to put a tissue into the bin closes the bag, replaces the liner and puts the bag in the waste

Set up a system for disinfecting bins (see cleaning)

Provide hand washing facilities, including hot water, a basin, soap and paper towels. Provide a covered, lined bin for used paper towels.

2. Washing and drying hands properly

This is the most important thing you can do to reduce the spread of infection.

What everyone should do

Wash and dry your hands regularly and properly using the methods shown below

When you wash your hands use soap or an antiseptic hand wash

Dry your hands thoroughly, using a disposable towel. Use the towel to turn off the tap and open the door
Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible

Always wash and dry your hands after coughing, sneezing, handling used tissues or other objects and surfaces touched by other

Wash and dry your hands before and after eating and grooming.

Full description of hand Hygene with Soap and Water

Full description of Hand hygene with Alcohol-based hand Sanitizer

What employers should do

Provide adequate supplies of soap, paper towels and other hygiene equipment. Be prepared for disruptions in supply during a pandemic

Make sure staff and visitors know, and practice, good hand washing and drying habits.
Post hygiene notices in workplace entrances, washrooms, hand washing stations and public areas

Use newsletters, emails, employee notice boards and information in payslips to remind employees of the importance of good hygiene during a pandemic. A good source of notices is Wiscomsin's Department of Health and family Services.

3. Social distancing

What everyone should do

If you get influenza do not go to work until you are fully well again

Avoid crowded places and large gatherings

Try to stay at least one metre away from other people

Where practical, avoid contract with sick people

Avoid public transport. If you have to use it, avoid the rush hour

Bring lunch and eat it away from other people

Do not congregate in tearooms or other places where people socialise

Avoid face-to-face meetings. Use the phone, video conferencing and email instead

If you must meet face-to-face keep the meeting short, choose a large room or meet outside, and sit at least a metre away from each other. Avoid shaking hands, hongi or hugging

Where possible, postpone travel, training sessions, and other gatherings.

What employers should do

Make sure staff and visitors know about the importance of social distancing, and practice it

If possible, get employees to work from home, or introduce shifts

Have one shift leave the workplace before the next arrives

Thoroughly ventilate the workplace between shifts

Stagger start, finish and break times so fewer people are using changing rooms and other facilities at once

Set up systems so you can deal with clients and suppliers by phone, email or fax

Cancel or postpone non-essential meetings, training sessions and other gatherings

If face-to-face gatherings must take place, provide large rooms so people can sit at least a metre away from each other

Encourage staff to avoid recreational activities where they could come into contact with infectious people.

4. Barriers

What everyone should do

Make use of barriers supplied by your employer, such as wide counters and screens.

What employees should do

Where practical, erect barriers to protect staff from close contact with others

Where appropriate, install 'night service' barriers - like the ones seen in some service stations - to protect staff.

5. Gloves, overalls and eye protection

What everyone should do

Find out from your boss, union or official sources such as the Ministry of Health, whether you should be using protective equipment such as disposable gloves, eye splash protection and disposable overalls at work

Make sure you use any personal protective equipment that has been recommended.

What employers should do

If staff are exposed to a medium or high risk of infection supply them with disposable gloves, eye splash protection and disposable overalls. Use our Risk Analysis tool and information from the Ministry of Health to assess the level of risk

Make sure staff know how to use, and safely dispose of, this equipment.

6. Masks and respirators

What everyone should do

Find out from your boss, union or official sources such as the Ministry of Health, whether you should be using a mask/respirator, and which one to use

Make sure you know the proper way to put on and take off the mask/respirator. See Wear it right below

Check the mask is fitted correctly every time you wear it

Perform risky tasks only when you are wearing the recommended mask/respirator.

What employers should do

Do a risk assessment to see if masks/respirators are necessary. See our Risk assessment tool

Decide which mask/respirator to use and make a plan for introducing them into your workplace. See Using respirators

Inform staff about the need to use masks/respirators and how they fit in with other protections such as hand washing

Ensure staff are trained how to use, fit and dispose of the masks/respirators properly

Give them opportunities to practise fitting and using the masks/respirators.

Supervise the proper fitting and use of masks/respirators.

7. Health Monitoring

What everyone should do

If you start feeling ill at work tell your boss, or follow your workplace's system for reporting suspected flu cases

If you are well enough, tell someone the names of everyone you have been in contact with and what you have been doing

If surgical masks are available, put one on

Leave work and immediately contact a health professional. Depending on what happens during a pandemic, this could be a nurse, doctor or special health centre. The latest advice on what to do if you fall sick is on the Ministry of Health website

If someone else at work is showing signs of flu, inform your boss, or follow the system for reporting suspected flu cases.

What employers should do

Set up a system for monitoring the health of staff members and visitors
Set up a system for staff to report suspected cases of flu, and for dealing with suspected cases. Ensure staff know how to use these systems

Consider appointing an Influenza Manager to deal with flu issues.

Example system for dealing with suspected flu cases

If a person is ill at work:

Avoid visiting the person if possible, manage the process over the phone

Check if the person answers 'yes' to any of the following:

• High fever (or feels feverish and hot)
• Headache
• Fatigue and weakness
• Sore throat, cough, chest discomfort, difficulty breathing
• Muscle aches and pains
• Been overseas recently
• Been in contract with someone diagnosed with flu

If the person doesn't have any of these symptoms they are unlikely to have flu. Reassure them. But advise them to call again later if they are still concerned, or to contact their doctor

If the person answers 'yes' to some of these questions they should be treated as a suspect case

They should be told to immediately put on a surgical mask to protect other people, and where to find this mask

The person should be told to leave work immediately, and contact a health professional. This might be their usual doctor or a special centre set up for the pandemic. Up to date advice on who to contact will be available from the Ministry of Health

The person's manager should be told they have left work

Identify who the person has been in contact with, and tell those people they have been in contact with someone suspect of having flu

Ask these people to go home, and stay home until advised otherwise

Thoroughly clean and disinfect the employees work area. See workplace cleaning

Is it a cold or the flu?

Post this chart around your workplace to help staff identify whether the symptoms they are experiencing are signs of a cold or the flu:

SYMPTOM or SIGN	INFLUENZA	COMMON COLD
Fever	Usual, sudden onset, 38oC - 40oC and lasts 3-4 days	Rare
Headache	Usual and can be severe	Rare
Aches and pains	Usual and can be severe	Rare
Fatigue and weakness	Usual and can last 2-3 weeks or more after the acute illness	Sometimes, but mild
Debilitating fatigue	Usual, early onset can be severe	Rare
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea	In children less than 5 years old	Rare
Watering of the eyes	Rare	Usual
Runny, stuffy nose	Rare	Usual
Sneezing	Rare in early stages	Usual
Chest discomfort	Usual and can be severe	Sometimes, but mild to moderate

8. Ventilation

What everyone should do

Try to ensure your workplace is well ventilated. Flu can spread in small enclosed spaces with in adequate ventilation

Where possible, open doors and windows, and tell your boss if you suspect the air conditioning system is faulty.

What employees should do

Make sure staff understand the importance of good ventilation, and how they can help improve it

Where possible, open doors and windows. Ventilate workspaces between shifts
If you own the building, ensure the air conditioning system meets standards in the New Zealand Building Code, Clause G4, Ventilation

Otherwise, get the building owner to confirm the air conditioning meets the standards in the Code.

9. Workplace cleaning

What everyone should do

Clean surfaces such as sinks, handles, railings and counters, with a detergent then a disinfectant. Flu viruses can live for up to two days on these surfaces

Surfaces frequently touched by hands should be cleaned daily
Ensure cups, dishes and cutlery are washed with soap and hot water. Do not share these items.

What employers should do

Make sure staff know about, and practise, extra workplace cleaning during a pandemic

Arrange for surfaces frequently touched by hands to be cleaned daily, using a detergent then a disinfectant. The table below suggest products to use and concentrations

Ensure cups, dishes and cutlery are washed with soap and hot water. Do not let staff share these items

Remove all magazines and paper from reception areas and lunch rooms.

Workplace cleaning products

Disinfectants	Recommended use	Precautions
Sodium hypochlorite: 1,000 parts per million of available chlorine, usually achieved bt a 1 in 5 dilution of hospital grade bleach.	Disinfection of material contaminaetd with blood and body fluids	Should be used in well ventilated areas. Protective clothing required while handling and using undiluted bleach. Do not mix with strong acids o avoid release of chlorine gas. Corrosive to metals.
Granular Chlorine: e.g. Det-Sol 5000 or Diversol, to be diluted as per manufacturer's instructions.	May be used in place of liquid bleach, ifit is unavailable	Protective clothing required while handling and using undiluted bleach. Do not mix with strong acids o avoid release of chlorine gas. Corrosive to metals.
Alcohol: e.g. isopropyl 70%, ethyl alcohol 60%	Smooth metal surfaces, tabletops and other surfaces on which bleach can not be used.	Flammable and toxic. To be used in well ventilated areas. Avoid inhalation. Keep away from heat sources, electrical equipment, flames and hot surfaces. Allow it to dry completely, particularly when using diathermy, as this can cause diathermy burns.