fast facts 

Pandemic Flu October 2008 

Office of Compliance 

advancing safety, health, and workplace rights in the legislative branch 

www.compliance.gov 

 A pandemic is a global disease outbreak marked by serious illness that spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. 

An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus 

emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population. The 1918 influenza pandemic is regarded as 

the most deadly single human disease outbreak in history. 

An estimated 25 to 30 percent of the 1.8 billion people in the 

world became ill. At least 25-50 million of those infected 

died in less than a year, including over 500,000 Americans. 

 There is a potential pandemic threat from the H5N1 

Avian influenza, known as the “bird flu.” More than half of 

those infected with this virus have died. At present the H5N1 

virus has only been transmitted from birds to humans. 

Health experts anticipate that if the H5N1 virus mutates and 

becomes easily transmitted from human to human, there 

could be over 2 billion infected and as many as 180-360 million deaths worldwide. 

 A pandemic outbreak of H5N1 or any 

other virus would immediately affect employees and workplace operations in a 

negative way. Planning for this type of 

non-traditional emergency is important in 

order to protect the health and safety of 

legislative branch employees and minimize the impact on society and the economy. Currently, there is no central Pandemic Flu Plan for congressional offices. Each office should 

develop its own plan — with reference to the resources listed 

below — that should account for visitors and assign roles 

and responsibilities. 

 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) website provides pandemic plan preparation guidance. These guides can help congressional offices identify 

exposure and health risk levels in workplace settings. Appropriate control measures that include good hygiene, cough 

etiquette, social distancing, the use of personal protective 

equipment, and staying home from work when ill are also 

included. 

Avian Flu Virus 

Consider the following when planning for a 

pandemic outbreak in the workplace:

• Identify essential operations functions 

• Determine essential and non-essential personnel 

• Prepare succession strategy to account for 

absenteeism 

• Assess equipment requirements 

• Consider telecommuting possibilities 

• Evaluate computer/server requirements and 

upkeep 

• Ensure the safety and health of employees while at 

work 

• Communicate with employees away from the job 

• Plan for payroll, benefit and other human resource 

functions 

• Verify pandemic information on and off campus 

• Prepare for change in patterns of commerce including interrupted supply delivery 

Sustaining the workplace during a pandemic 

outbreak: 

• Prepare and implement an effective pandemic plan 

• Communicate with appropriate agencies regarding 

the status of the pandemic 

• Train employees and conduct table top exercises 

at all levels of the organization 

• Coordinate with appropriate local authorities 

• Protect employees who are required to report 

to work 

• Offer medical evaluations of employees who report 

to work and become ill 

• Ensure that ill employees receive care and arrive 

at their destinations safely 

• Plan for and provide Personal Protective Equipment 

• Stockpile and maintain equipment and supplies 

Visit the following CDC websites for additional 

information: 

• Cover Your Cough 

 www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/cover cough.htm 

• Hand Hygiene Guidelines Fact Sheet 

www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/fs021025.html
 fast stats 

 

This information does not constitute advice or an official ruling of the Office of Compliance or the Board of 

Directors and is intended for educational purposes only. For further information or comments concerning this 

Fast Facts, please refer to the Congressional Accountability Act (2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) and the regulations 

issued by the Board, or you may contact the Office of Compliance, 202-724-9249.

The Office of Compliance advances safety, 

health, and workplace rights in the U.S. 

Congress and the Legislative Branch. Established as an independent agency by the 

Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, 

the Office educates employees and employing offices about their rights and responsibilities under the Act, provides an impartial 

dispute resolution process, and investigates 

and remedies violations of the Act. 

If you have any questions, please do not 

hesitate to contact the Office of Compliance: 

Room LA 200, John Adams Building 

110 Second Street, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20540 

t/ 202-724-9250 

tdd/ 202-426-1912 

f/ 202-426-1913 

Peter Ames Eveleth 

General Counsel 

Mary-Margaret Smith 

Editor 

Download the entire Fast Facts suite at http://www.compliance.gov 

Infection control precautions employees can take:

All employees should follow basic hygiene practices to prevent illness. Many infectious diseases can be spread by 

human hands. Soiled hands are an effective means of delivering infectious material (e.g., saliva or other body fluids 

that may contain viruses) to the nose or eyes, where they can enter the body. Hand washing is an important way to 

reduce exposure to common infectious diseases. Cleaning hands with soap and water removes potentially infectious 

material from the skin. Clean hands before preparing food, eating, or touching one's face, and after handling soiled 

material (e.g., used tissues, lavatory surfaces), coughing or sneezing, and using the toilet. Waterless alcohol-based 

hand gels may be used when soap is not available. 

The following steps should be taken if employees are ill: 

• Employees should not come to work, or, if they arrive ill, they should be sent home 

• If they become ill on the job, they should do the following: 

 * Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or hands when coughing or 

 sneezing 

 * Put used tissue in a wastebasket 

 * Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand gel immediately 

 after coughing or sneezing 

 * Avoid close contact with coworkers (social distancing) 

 

Cover sneeze 

OSHA Standards to Reference: 

There are no specific OSHA regulations for pandemic influenza, 

however the following citations could apply: 

• Section 215 of the Congressional Accountability Act, 

 2 U.S.C. §1341 

• OSHA Act, General Duty 5(a) (1) 

OSHA publications: 

http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3327pandemic.pdf

• Pandemic Preparedness and Response Guidance For Healthcare 

Workers and Healthcare Employers 

• Proposed Guidance On Workplace Stockpiling of Respirators 

and Facemasks for Pandemic Influenza 

• Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic 

Agencies to Reference for information and updates: 

Office of Attending Physician (OAP) is an on-site source for reliable medical information. The OAP website http://attendingphysician.house.gov on 

the U.S. House of Representatives intranet provides Pandemic Flu updates 

and recommendations on basic hygiene and social distancing procedures. 

Note: This website may not be accessible to all employing offices. 

U.S. Government access to avian and pandemic flu information 

www.pandemicflu.gov

The World Health Organization (WHO) 

www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

www.cdc.gov/flu/avian

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

www.fema.gov/emergency/reports/index.shtm