Workforce Management

The Safety Hazards of Flu Season

Chelsea Bikner
The Safety Hazards of Flu Season
Reading time 4 Mins
Published on Nov 2
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There’s no denying it – the flu season is upon us. More than just an illness that includes fevers and achiness, the flu is considered a hazardous contagious viral respiratory disease by OSHA, which requires employers to provide a workplace that is free from recognized hazards. By taking some basic precautions and educating employees, you can help protect the health of your employees and prevent flu-related accidents.

Medication and the workplace

Employees may see taking cold or flu medication before heading to work as harmless enough, but the potential side effects could lead to accidents or injury. The most common side effect of over the counter flu medicines is drowsiness and sleepiness, even in daytime varieties. Operating large machinery, sharp tools, forklifts, or other dangerous equipment while experiencing medication-induced drowsiness can put both the operator and other employees at serious risk of injury.

Illness-related distractions

The coughing, sneezing, and runny nose that often accompanies the flu can present dangers of their own. If an employee experiences a coughing or sneezing fit while operating heavy equipment, the results could be disastrous. Other more minor hazards associated with these symptoms include falling or tripping.

Get vaccinated

You can help prevent the flu before it starts by encouraging workers to get the seasonal flu vaccine. Insurance may cover the cost of the vaccine and many pharmacies and health clinics offer free vaccine days. Alternately, you could host your own flu vaccination clinic in your workplace.

Stay home

Once the flu hits your employees, the best way to combat the spread of the flu is to encourage sick workers to stay home until 24 hours after their fever ends without the use of medication. Since not everyone experiences fevers in conjunction with the flu, you should take into account the employee’s overall feeling of well-being and fitness to return to work.

Developing a flexible sick leave policy that encourages employees to stay home without penalty when they are sick will make employees more confident in their decision to stay home.

Use proper etiquette

You should also encourage employees, visitors, and clients to use proper hygiene etiquette to prevent the spread of illness.

Hand hygiene is very important since germs on the hands have the potential to spread to every surface that a sick employee touches. Hand hygiene includes:

  • Washing hands after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • Washing hands with soap and water, rubbing soapy hands together for at least 20 seconds before rinsing and drying completely.
  • Alcohol-based hand rubs can be a helpful stop-gap when soap and water are unavailable.

Coughing is a fact of life when an employee has the flu. Proper cough etiquette includes:

  • Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or coughing and sneezing into the upper sleeve.
  • Disposing of used tissues in hands-free wastebaskets.

Promote cleanliness

Preventing the spread of germs can help reduce the spread of the flu in your workplace. Frequently clean all common work areas and equipment, including phones, doorknobs, lunch counters, and copiers. Commonly used antibacterial cleaning agents are all that are needed to kill germs on these surfaces. Be sure to leave disinfectants and disposable paper towels for employees to clean work spaces and other areas.

Flu safety and Sheakley

By taking precautions to stop the spread of the flu in your workplace, you can reduce the risk of injury and accidents in your workplace while also decreasing the number of lost work days for your employees. Our experts are here to keep your employees and your business safe. Sheakley’s Workforce Management Services experts provide complete safety resources for your company.

Get your free safety consultation today with an expert from Sheakley. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.


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