HAMILTON, ON (April 29, 2009) – The recent outbreak of the human swine influenza has prompted the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) to remind Canadians of the resources that are available to help them plan for an influenza pandemic.
"Now is the time to take action to plan for a potential pandemic," says Len Hong, President and CEO at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. "By using these free tools and resources from CCOHS, Canadians will be able to create long-term plans to anticipate and respond to pandemics."
CCOHS offers Pandemic Awareness, a free, 20-minute introductory e-course that describes what a pandemic is, how an influenza virus spreads, and the impact a pandemic may have on workplaces, families and communities. This e-course also outlines the importance of preparing for a pandemic. Most importantly, the course describes how people and companies can proactively try to avert a crisis by staying as influenza-free as possible.
The Pandemic Planning web portal provides a single source of free practical pandemic information as well as planning tools and resources specifically for use in the community, at home, and at work. These resources are designed to be helpful and easy to use in developing both personal and business pandemic plans. The web portal also provides a Pandemic Toolkit, specific to businesses and organizations with checklists, tips and information about continuity planning.
The goal is to provide information that can help keep workplaces and people healthy, working and thriving during an influenza pandemic.
More information about the Pandemic Awareness E-course and the Pandemic Planning web portal is available on the CCOHS website.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Eleanor Westwood, Manager of Communications
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
(905) 572-2981, Ext. 4408, E-mail: eleanorw@ccohs.ca
Jennifer Miconi-Howse, Communications Officer
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
(905) 572-2981, Ext. 4241, E-mail: jenmh@ccohs.ca
Please visit www.ccohs-cchst.ca
About CCOHS
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a Canadian federal government agency based in Hamilton, Ontario is Canada's national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. CCOHS promotes the total well-being - physical, psychosocial and mental health - of working Canadians by providing information, training, education, management systems and solutions that support health and safety programs and the prevention of injury and illness. CCOHS partners and collaborates with agencies and organizations from Canada and around the world to improve the quality and quantity of resources and programs, as well as expand the breadth of usage of occupational health information to many different segments of society.
