What is your business plan for the coronavirus?
With many industries being affected by the coronavirus, from transportation to healthcare to tourism, has your business mapped out a contingency plan to deal with the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19? It is an absolute must to create a contingency plan so that you can ensure the safety of your employees & customers as well as ensure the continued operation of your business in the event of a coronavirus or other major disaster.
First of all, what are the symptoms of the coronavirus? Early symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, which arise within 2-14 days after contraction. Medical experts believe the virus is spread from person to person through coughing, sneezing or kissing. It is best to keep at least a 3-foot distance from anyone suspected of having the virus.
You can start preparing your business by putting emergency medicine and food kits in the business premises. Do your employees have emergency food and medicine if they are required to be self-contained within your office? Who is in charge of assigning which employees and key staff are needed to continue operating your business in case of such an emergency?
If an employee is suspected of having the virus, it is advisable for them to take advantage of their health insurance plan and use telemedicine services. Instead of going to visit a doctor in person and potentially spread the virus further, please first use telemedicine and contact a doctor over the phone or over video chat. Oscar offers free doctors on call while other health insurance carriers such as Health Net & Blue Shield offer telemedicine services through Teladoc. If diagnosed with COVID-19, it is best to stay at home, wear a facemask and frequently wash your hands to avoid spreading the virus through physical contact or coughing.
When reviewing staffing needs in such an emergency, the employer must make sure that they are not exposing employees to known hazards. OSHA requires employers to:
- Keep its workplace free from a hazard
- The hazard is recognized
- The hazard was likely to cause death or serious physical harm
- The hazard could feasibly be corrected.
Furthermore, an employer cannot take action against an employee who “refuses in good faith to expose himself to the dangerous condition.” Such a condition for a “reasonable person, under the circumstances then confronting the employee, would conclude that there is a real danger of death or serious injury and that there is insufficient time, due to the urgency of the situation, to eliminate the danger through regular statutory enforcement channels.” (29 C.F.R. § 1977.12(b)(2).)
With California’s strict laws on disability discrimination, California employers must be careful when approaching staff about their abilities to work during the coronavirus or other disasters. Employers must make sure their managers and supervisors are not asking employees questions about perceived disabilities or face penalties for disability discrimination.
ADA-COMPLIANT PRE-PANDEMIC EMPLOYEE SURVEY
Directions: Answer “yes” to the whole question without specifying the factor that applies to you. Simply check “yes” or “no” at the bottom of the page.
In the event of a pandemic, would you be unable to come to work because of any one of the following reasons:
- If schools or day-care centers were closed, you would need to care for a child;
- If other services were unavailable, you would need to care for other dependents;
- If public transport were sporadic or unavailable, you would be unable to travel to work; and/or;
- If you or a member of your household fall into one of the categories identified by the CDC as being at high risk for serious complications from the pandemic influenza virus, you would be advised by public health authorities not to come to work (e.g., pregnant women; persons with compromised immune systems due to cancer, HIV, history of organ transplant or other medical conditions; persons less than 65 years of age with underlying chronic conditions; or persons over 65).
Answer: YES______ , NO_______
To summarize, to prepare your business for such an event as the coronavirus, first create a clear and concise contingency plan, stock up on emergency food and medicine kits, train your managers and supervisors on how to effectively implement your contingency plan while also making sure your business is compliant the OSHA and ADA.
At Solid Health Insurance Services, we strive to keep our group and individual clients up-to-date on the insurance market which is constantly changing. To get more information or a quote for your small business, contact us at info@solidhealthinsurance.com, call us at 310-909-6135 or click on this link to get a group quote.
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