NATSO Foundation

Maintaining Operations During a Pandemic

Truckstops and travel plazas are vital to the nation’s transportation infrastructure. It is critical that locations plan ahead to identify key employee roles and ways to continue operations if the workforce is reduced due to illness or if the supply chain is disrupted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests businesses develop a written disaster plan and review it regularly. The NATSO Foundation has compiled the following suggestions from the CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to help operators prepare.

Sustain Crucial Supplies

• List and prioritize critical material and supplies necessary to maintain essential operations and the essential operations of your customers.
• Determine the amounts of key materials needed to sustain the most essential operations for up to 12 weeks and assess the costs to stock or ensure delivery of essential materials.
• Identify supplies that could be substituted temporarily if needed, such as dyed diesel fuel or biodiesel. However, before resorting to substitutions, consult with EPA and IRS to see if they have issued necessary waivers.
• Consider physical or safety limitations in stocking sufficient essential supplies and materials.
• Examine ways to reduce demand for essential supplies and materials in the event it is necessary.
• Assess all internal and external supply-chain support operations and contracts. When renewing and negotiating contracts, ask suppliers about their H1N1 contingency plans and consider making those plans part of the new contract. Operators also may want to establish contracts with multiple vendors of essential supplies.
• Identify a formal chain of command to ensure someone is available to authorize major emergency procurements.

Keep a Strong Workforce

• Identify business-essential positions and the number of people required to sustain necessary functions and operations.
• Prepare and plan for operations with a reduced workforce by cross-training three or more employees that could sustain necessary operations.
• Create a staffing contingency plan
  • Operations with multiple sites may consider closing locations to consolidate staff or critical supplies. As part of their planning, multi-unit operators may want to identify their primary locations where they will focus efforts if needed.
  • Single locations open 24 hours a day could consider reducing their hours if staff isn’t available.
• Review sick leave policies and encourage employees with flu-like symptoms to stay home. Employers may also want to consider that employees with ill family members may need to stay home to care for them or that working parents may need to stay home if local schools and/or daycares close.
• The CDC has asked that employers not require a physician’s note for employees returning to work after an illness.
• Employees are likely to be concerned about pay, leave, safety and health. Keeping employees informed and making them feel safe, will make them less likely to miss work.
• Identify possible exposure and health risks to your employees and work to minimize them.
• Provide employees and customers with easy access to infection control supplies, such as soap, hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment (such as gloves or surgical masks), tissues and office cleaning supplies.

Additional Resources

Workplace FAQs:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/faq/workplace_questions/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Business Toolkit:
http://pandemicflu.gov/professional/business/toolkit.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services General Transportation Industry Guidance:
http://www.flu.gov/professional/transport/#gentrans

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/cikrpandemicinfluenzaguide.pdf

Highway and Motor Carrier Sub-Sector Pandemic Guidelines:
http://www.dot.gov/pandemicflu/pdf/highwaymotorcarrier.pdf

OSHA Guidance Document on Preparing a Workplace for a Pandemic:
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/influenza_pandemic.html#maintain_operations

OSHA Document Outlining What Employers Can Do to Protect Workers from Pandemic Influenza:
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/employers-protect-workers-flu-factsheet.html

OSHA Overall Pandemic Information:
http://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/pandemicflu/index.html

CDC Guidance for Businesses and Employers:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/guidance/

CDC Action Steps to Keep Your Business and Employees Healthy:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/toolkit/actionsteps.htm

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services School Planning Guidance:
http://pandemicflu.gov/professional/school/