What if someone with Ebola walks into my business? What if one of my employees travels to West Africa? How do I deal with the threat of an infectious disease like Ebola to protect my business, my employees, and my customers? 

While the threat of Ebola is real, it's been over-dramatized in the news, causing many to overreact. Reading about the myths of Ebola and the truth, as described by Megan Coffee, Infectious Disease Expert, can help calm you down.


 

Even though it's unlikely at present that your business will have to deal with Ebola or another infectious disease, you as a business owner have an obligation to protect yourself, your employees, your customers, and others from the possibility of an infectious disease like Ebola. 

Consider this threat like any other to your business and take some time to prepare a plan that is (a) tailored to your specific type of business and the likelihood of having to deal with these diseases, and (b)  considers both preparedness and exposure. Your plan should include exposure to other infectious diseases as well as Ebola. 

1. Consider the probability of exposure. How many employees do you have? Do you serve the public directly? What is the possibility that either an employee or customer could have traveled to or through West Africa? Our world is increasingly more mobile, and it is not impossible that someone related to your business has traveled recently. 

The more customers you have coming to your business, the greater the risk of exposure.

And don't forget those delivery people, vendors, sales reps and others who may be on your company's territory. 

Evaluating the probabilities, can help you better estimate your risks and plan. 

2. Look at business insurance coverage. If you already have business insurance coverage with liability protection, you are most likely covered if someone related to your business is exposed to Ebola as a result of contact with your business. But if your business is more likely to be affected (see item 1 above), you may want to review your liability coverage. 

Some insurance carriers may be incorporating Ebola exclusions into their policies. Check with your business insurance carrier to see what's new. 

In addition to liability coverage, take a look at your business interruption insurance to see if you would be covered if your business were shut down while de-contaminating from an Ebola exposure. Consider the case of several recent establishments (a bowling alley, a dress store) that had to be shut down after customers were discovered to have been exposed to Ebola. 

Marianne Bonner, Business Insurance Expert, says: 

Most businesses purchase basic liability coverage under a commercial general liability policy. The policy covers claims or suits alleging bodily injury or property damage caused by an occurrence (accident). The definition of "bodily injury" includes sickness or disease. Most businesses would likely be covered if they were sued by someone who contracted Ebola on their premises. For example, a business unknowingly serves a customer infected with Ebola. A second customer is infected and sues the business. Of course, the facts of the case would determine whether the business owner was negligent and thus liable for the plaintiff's illness. It could be difficult to prove that the business owner was responsible, especially if he or she had no knowledge that the first customer posed a danger. Even if the business owner was ultimately proved not liable, his or her liability policy would likelyess insurance carrier to see what's new. 

3. Consider OSHA. Every business with one employee or more must comply with OSHA regulations for worker safety. Those regulations include providing information and training to employees on exposure to diseases and disease-causing agents (pathogens), including Ebola and other infectious diseases. If your business has a high risk of exposure to infectious diseases, you may want to look at implementing the pathogen prevention and containment practices in the OSHA guidelines. 

4. Prepare a plan that includes prevention and containment. Prevent incidents by minimizing exposure to infectious diseases, through OSHA procedures. General personal hygiene measures may help in some instances. 

Role play with employees what to do in the event of an incident (an employee becomes ill while at work, for example). Designate responsible employees to manage any situations and prepare a list of resources (public health officials, hospitals, security companies) and emergency numbers. 

5. Don't forget privacy. Don't allow employees to discuss cases and don't discuss with press or outsiders. Contacting public officials or your attorney if you have questions about maintaining privacy for employees or customers. 

6. Communicate with employees and customers. Make sure all employees know what to do in case of an emergency, and notify customers of your policies if appropriate. While you don't want to scare customers, it may be better for them to know you are on top of the situation. 

7. Review and update employee policies. How will you handle time off for employees who may have been exposed? Will the employee receive paid time off? Sick leave? While it's unlikely that an individual is contagious without symptoms (see the Myths article above), you may want a potentially infectious person at home to minimize anxiety. Be sure to discuss any policy changes with your employment attorney and update your employee handbook for these new policies. 

Remember, after you, your employees, or your customers have been exposed to an infectious disease like Ebola it may be too late to take protective measures and plan for containment. Spending some time now on a plan will help you sleep at night and protect your business from disaster.