WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY READY FOR FLU EMERGENCY

With swine flu infection rates already reaching epidemic levels throughout the UK, Hampshire-based waste management company Cleansing Service Group has drawn up contingency plans to ensure its emergency response service is maintained in the event of a “worst case scenario.”

The company says that while widespread staff sickness would mean prioritising services, it is confident its contingency planning will enable it to maintain its 24-hour hotline service available every day of the year to deal with emergencies such as chemical spills.

CSG, the UK’s second largest independent waste management operator, is headquartered at Fareham. It operates from 19 sites stretching from Cornwall to Kent and up to Manchester.

Its customers come from many sectors including Government departments and agencies, large local authorities, utility companies such as EDF Energy, leading supermarket groups and multi-national forecourt chains. Most of them are on the company’s Emergency Hotline Register which provides 24-hour back-up in the case of an event such as a spill.

Divisional Manager (Spills) Hugh Neatherway said: “We attend hundreds of spill incidents every year, many minor but others potentially very damaging such as
heating oil or chemical leaks which need immediate attention.

“The Police, Fire Service and Environment Agency also call upon our hotline services for assistance with road accidents and environmental incidents.

“Our contingency planning in the face of a flu pandemic aims at ensuring that even in a worse case scenario, when half our workforce is sick, we can always deal with any major spill or emergency.

“We will need to quickly assess priorities, especially when it comes to containment of spills, and operate a flexible approach between our depots to maximise resources across the group including staff redeployment. Our planning also allows for the rapid recruitment of temporary staff to maintain manning levels.”

“Of course, we hope that none of this will be necessary. But our belief is that, like the rest of the country, we should hope for the best but plan for the worst. We’re confident the plans we have in place will ensure we can maintain all essential services on behalf of our customers.”

Meanwhile, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has urged all employers to draw up contingency plans based on heavily reduced staffing levels during a flu epidemic, and business continuity experts are reporting that many employers have not prepared for widespread absenteeism.

It is estimated that a third of Britain’s businesses have no response plans for dealing with a flu emergency which could see several million people succumbing to seasonal flu or swine flu by the end of the year.