Handling infectious diseases in the workplace

Ontario Chamber of Commerce puts guide together to help organizations based on survey done in wake of SARS

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has put together a brief guide to help organizations prepare for infectious diseases in the workplace.

The guide was put together after the chamber conducted a survey in April 2003 on the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on businesses in Ontario. That survey found almost 80 per cent of the 739 respondents did not have a contingency plan in place to deal with SARS.

Other findings from the survey include:

•31.9 per cent of respondents said their organizations had experienced a negative impact because of SARS; and

•the top five negative impacts were: less business activity, cancelled events, lost customers, reduced attendance at events and delayed spending decisions.

The chamber is in the process of distributing complimentary copies of the brochure, entitled Infectious Diseases: What Businesses in Ontario Need to Know.

Copies of the brochure are also available online at ww.occ.on.ca/members/2committees/health/brochure.pdf

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