@Risk

A recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT) shows that in 2009, 68% of major logistics and supply chain operations have specific plans in place for dealing with the possibility of a flu pandemic as part of their overall disaster recovery strategy—that’s up from  43% in last year’s survey.

Of those companies with specific flu plans, almost two-thirds (63%) include counter measures, such as face masks, gloves and anti-viral medications, in addition to the use of schedule changes, overtime, agency staff, and other arrangements.

After all, as Steve Agg, Chief Executive of CILT said, when it comes to the flu, “Crossing fingers and hoping for the best is not a viable operational strategy.”

Now, though, some companies that took extraordinary precautions are coming under fire from critics. (more…)

Most businesses in the U.S. are unprepared for widespread employee absenteeism in the event of a swine flu outbreak, according to a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study released yesterday.

The Harvard Opinion Research Program at HSPH polled more than 1,000 companies from July 16 through August 12, 2009. The researchers found that only one-third of respondents believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1.

(more…)