BT Issues Flu Packs To All External Staff

BT have issued "Flu Packs" to staff consisting of a few waste bags, a box of face masks, a small box of tissues and a box of antiseptic wipes together with an advice pamphlet, reports NW BTU H&S Co-ord member John Southwell.

BT’s chief medical officer Paul Litchfield had warned earlier this month that the swine flu virus could be declared a global pandemic.

Quoted in BT Today, Paul LKitchfield said, “These cases are being spread between people so it’s nothing to do with pigs anymore. This is a new influenza virus and nobody has any resistance to it.”

He said current estimates suggest between 30 to 50 per cent of all those who come into contact with it will get infected. Urging for us all to take the issue seriously, he said, " Don’t listen to those in the media who are saying this is all a scare story because it isn’t. Influenza is a nasty disease and has a nasty impact on the people who catch it albeit it isn't usually lethal. We need to make sure we have enough people who aren’t sick to keep the central services running.”

Hygiene packs

Ahead of BT issueing hygeine packs to all external staff, he said, “The key thing as we’ve said all along is personal hygiene. When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth, use a tissue, dispose of that tissue responsibly and then wash your hands. Those are the key elements in preventing the transmission of this virus to other people and from catching it yourself."

He added that engineers who work out in the community have not got easy access to soap and water so are being issued with hygiene packs for use if the situation worsens in the UK. These packs contain alcohol-based hand wipes, masks, tissues and disposal bags to dispose of used materials in a safe and hygienic way.

Source: BT Today

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