When I first went along to the HRINZ meeting on communicable diseases, I thought we were going to talk about Co-ordinated Incident Management Systems and evil diseases like Ebola. Turns out that although Ebola could happen, managing an ‘outbreak’ is often a lot less dramatic, and yet still taxing on all involved (the patient, their employer and the wider community).
Communicable diseases are especially challenging around Central Otago / Queenstown Lakes because we have:
- An international airport (it’s easy for disease to arrive) and yet we are geographically isolated with hospitals being 2 -3 hours away.
- A large seasonal population
- Sub-standard rental housing (think over-crowding, lack of insulation, black mould etc.)
- A party town reputation (Queenstown has more liquor stores per capita than anywhere else in New Zealand)
What Communicable Diseases Are Out There Now?
There is a surprising amount of notifiable diseases out there, including anything from non-seasonal influenzas and leprosy, through to tuberculosis. The most recent occurrences have centred on Measles, Mumps and Pertussis (Whooping Cough). These can result in the sick person (and people who they came in contact with) being put in isolation.
What Happens?
- A health practitioner notifies the District Health Board medical officer, in our case, it’s Marion Poore of the SDHB.
- If under the Health Act 1956 formal contact tracing is required the MO will:
- identify the infectious disease’s source
- make contacts aware they may also be infected and encourage them to seek testing and treatment if necessary, and
- attempt to limit the transmission risk.
- If required, the MO can issue public health directions requiring people to:
- to refrain from work,
- attend counselling
- restricting their travel or activities, and/or
- take preventive steps to stop the disease spreading
What Does this Mean for Employers?
- You need to check your business continuity insurance to make sure you can manage your payroll if a significant number of people are put in isolation (think 12 days for measles).
- Understand that seasonal workers on limited work visas will have to pay full price for medical services and may be living in shared accommodation.
- If the Medical Officer does turn up, time is of the essence – you need a plan to manage people in isolation, especially if you supply worker accommodation.
How Can You Proactively Prevent the Spread of Communicable Diseases?
- Accommodation:
The Healthy Homes Guarantee Act 2017 has a lot to say about rental properties and you need to be especially aware of this if you provide employee accommodation. Ensure that it:
- Is not overcrowded
- Has appropriate facilities (bathrooms/ kitchen etc)
- Is well insulated and heated
- Has no black mould
- Offer to Provide Vaccinations:
We were told it is worth offering the following vaccinations to your workers and could be offered as part of your pre-employment medicals, or on-going health monitoring.
- Influenza
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella
- Tetanus
- Hepatitis (especially if the job requires possible contact with bodily fluids)
- Whooping cough (it only lasts 10 years)
The challenge here is that due to privacy issues it would not be ok to ask for a worker’s vaccination history, and if they are employed short-term and are unlikely to be around to have the vaccination and any required follow up shots.
- Be Aware of the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol
Especially in Queenstown, there is a high rate of STD’s and abortions among seasonal workers. According to the Medical Officer, many of these incidents are related to drug and alcohol use.
It is worth having a drug and alcohol policy and making sure that your company events are managed according to the Host responsibility: guidelines for licensed premises, even if it’s a private function.
Finally, a box of condoms bought in Queenstown or Wanaka can equate to an hour’s work paid at minimum wage, Therefore, it’s worth providing some prophylactics in employee toilets for those who want to sew their wild oats and hope for crop failure.
Conclusion:
This blog was challenging to write, I believe that employers need to respect their employee’s privacy and right to a life beyond work. I also understand the rigours of the Privacy Act and Health and Safety at Work Act require health monitoring to be directly related to exposure to a known hazard in the workplace. I’m also a fan of treating adults like adults. That said, I think all the rules would be thrown out the window if there was a modern-day pandemic.
Please let me know if you have any tips on how to make dealing with a communicable disease outbreak in the workplace mobile 0272 007 680 or email sarah@employmenowl.co.nz.