Large numbers of staff absences is certainly an unwelcome interruption for employers in times of a recession.

Should a swine flu pandemic escalate it is predicted that the absence of a quarter of the British workforce could cost the economy about £1.5billion per day.

Under Health and Safety legislation Employers have a duty to their employees to carry out regular risk assessments to assess the risk to their employee's health and safety.

Should the threat of a pandemic materialise, employers should conduct these risk assessments and consider how to minimise the frequency and duration of their employees' contact with members of the public wherever possible.

Be it by facilitating online communications and transactions, video-links, teleconferencing or permitting employees to work from home.

Employers should ensure that offices have good personal hygiene measures in place providing hand sanitizer and clean tissue, ensuring the effective and prompt disposal of waste. They could even consider requiring their employees to wear face masks.

Finally employers should circulate advice to employees over what symptoms to look out for, advise them to stay at home if they present with symptoms and encourage them to seek medical advice at the earliest opportunity.

Employers will no doubt be faced with the predicament of balancing the need to have a full workforce in operation due to economic pressures with the need to ensure that potentially infected staff members take the necessary time off work so as to not pass it on to other employees, causing further absences.

By Charlotte Taylor Civil Litigation Department
Rowlands Solicitors