Step 1: Plan

Having an emergency preparedness programme in place before a crisis occurs can go a long way toward minimising the disruptive impact of such an event.

Pandemic Preparedness: Getting started with a plan.

An effective action plan begins with a thorough needs assessment to determine your vulnerabilities and help you understand your priorities. Consider your organisation and ask yourself a few simple but vital questions:

• Are you prepared for a large-scale public health event?
• Are you prepared for a natural disaster or an act of terrorism that affects thousands of your people?
• Do you know how to keep your business or service running during and after a large-scale public health event?
• Do you have the right equipment and the right amount of supplies in place to handle these types of events?
• Do your healthcare workers have confidence in your emergency/pandemic preparedness programme?

Step 2: Prepare

When the worst happens, demand on critical services and supplies intensifies dramatically, often creating shortages. Advance preparation is essential to maintain continuity of service and operations in any crisis situation.

Pandemic Preparedness: Preparing to act on your plan.

Build your stockpile with the right supplies. Your organisation’s needs assessment should identify specific supplies and quantities needed to deal with an emergency or outbreak. The next step in building a plan that works is to make sure you have those critical supplies on hand. Steps to take in preparation include:

• Meeting demand - When the worst happens, demand on critical services and supplies intensifies dramatically, often creating shortages.
• Relieving pressure - Even with global manufacturing capabilities, demand can outstrip production capacity. Advance preparation means having a well-organised and communicated plan within your organisation.
• Protecting your people - Having ample and readily accessible quantities of key protective and other priority items available can help ease workers’ concerns, can help minimise absenteeism, and maximise care and service levels.
• Maintaining your service - Continuity of service and operations is critical in any crisis situation.

Step 3: Reinforce

Education, such as respiratory training for the user and fit testing requirements, is essential to develop awareness and an understanding of how to respond and react in a crisis.

Pandemic Preparedness: Reinforcing your knowledge

It is important that your people know that a preparedness plan exists for your organisation and it is designed to work. Putting it into practice:

• Do they know how to access and use stockpiled supplies?
• Is there a chain of command and communication in place?
• Who is responsible for which procedures?
• If respirators are part of your preparedness plan, have all relevant personnel been fit-tested and is there a plan to ensure continuous updating of testing (as per AS/NZS 1715:2009)?

Step 4 Stay Updated

For specific guidance on personal protective equipment use during exposure to a contagious biohazard, check with your local authorities and/or public health agencies.

Pandemic Preparedness: Staying updated

In the event of an outbreak, 3M seeks to work with global and national authorities to assist in providing products and technical information to outbreak areas.

Don’t Know Where To Start? 3M Can Help.

It is critical to minimise the spread of airborne or surface pathogens such as viruses. 3M personal protective equipment solutions are at the foundation of a comprehensive pandemic or emergency preparedness plan.

Our experience and competence in supporting authorities and healthcare workers can help you safeguard your future. Through the Science of Safety, 3M can help you support your plan with the right supplies and services to make it effective. From respirators and hand sanitisers to surface cleaners and protective eyewear, along with a wide variety of training and service solutions, including:

• Continuity Demand Planning Tool
• Respiratory protection: Qualitative & Quantitative fit testing
• User training
• Fit testing workshops

For specific guidance on personal protective equipment use during exposure to contagious biohazards, download 3M’s White Paper: Protecting Australia & New Zealand and Saving Lives. Pandemic preparedness for our citizens and our economy.