POLICIES TO BE IMPLEMENTED DURING A PANDEMIC

EMPLOYEE PANDEMIC POLICY
Purpose  This policy contains procedures and guidelines for employees who have
been exposed to pandemic influenza, are suspected  to be ill, may
become ill, and the leave benefits associated with EBA triggering our
Pandemic Plan.
Corporate
Commitment
EBA is committed to a healthy and safe work environment at all times.
During a pandemic, EBA will seek to work with employees to control
the spread of illness, maintain  a healthy work environment, and
minimize the economic disruption to EBA as an organization and to our
individual employees.
Definitions   Pandemic - is a worldwide outbreak of a communicable disease
that affects a large proportion of the population.  Concerns exist
that a pandemic involving an influenza virus will occur, and will
cause disruption to business operations and the negative health
impacts in the general population.
 Pandemic Influenza - is an infection of the lungs and airways
caused by an influenza virus.  Pandemic influenza occurs when a
new influenza virus, with an ability to spread easily from human to
human, circulates worldwide.  Because most people will have no
immunity to the pandemic influenza virus, infection, illness rates
and number of deaths are expected to be higher than during
seasonal epidemics of normal influenza.
Infection with the pandemic (H1N1 in 2009) influenza virus results
in “Influenza-Like-Illness” (ILI) similar to seasonal influenza.  ILI
is defined as the acute (sudden) onset of respiratory symptoms with
fever and cough and one or more of the following symptoms: sore
throat, muscle aches, joint pain, or weakness.  Gastrointestinal
symptoms may also be present and fever may not be prominent.
 Pandemic Leave - is defined as leave provided by EBA to employees
who may become ill or be absent from work directly related to
caregiving, exposure, or other measures of compliance with Public
Health Notices or once EBA’s Pandemic Plan has been triggered.
 Exposure - is a potential for transmission of the influenza virus
from one person to another.  People are exposed if:
− They are in immediate (less than 2 m) contact with another
individual who has ILI.  This will occur if one is caregiving for
an ill individual within the same household.

− They are in proximity (less than 2 m) to an individual with ILI,
who has sneezed, coughed, talked, or contacted surfaces (shook
hands, touched keyboards, pens, telephones, door handles) that
may be contaminated by a person with ILI.
Policy  Pandemic Leave will be provided as a benefit for salaried employees at
EBA, in conjunction with other benefit programs available to salaried
employees.  The following provisions further define Pandemic Leave:
 The Pandemic Leave benefit may be accessed for employee illness,
caregiving, exposure, or other measures of compliance with Public
Health Notices due to pandemic influenza.
 Pandemic Leave taken for caregiving is recognized as providing care
for those in an employee’s family residing in the same household.
 Pandemic Leave will be provided for up to 64 (working) hours -
the equivalent of eight working days.
 Pandemic Leave will be prorated according to FTE, for part-time,
salaried employees.
 Up to the first 24 (working) hours of Pandemic Leave will be
provided at 100% of salary (paid time off).
 Up to the remaining 40 (working) hours of Pandemic Leave will be
provided at 100% of salary (paid time off), provided an employee
has been vaccinated for either seasonal flu or the pandemic flu
strain.  With the changes made by federal and provincial health
agencies regarding availability of vaccinations this leave provision
will be implemented once either the seasonal flu or H1N1 has been
made to the general public.  At that time EBA will endeavour to
make them available to employees.  Local Pandemic Officers will
liaise with Greg Goth, Corporate Pandemic Officer, to ensure
vaccination records are provided for each office.
 Employees who have not been vaccinated will be paid at 30% of
salary (paid time off) for up to the remaining 40 (working) hours of
Pandemic Leave.  Non-vaccinated employees may choose to use
sick time (from their sick bank,  if available) for leave, up to a
maximum of 64 hours if providing care, or 80 hours if ill (self).
Employees who have a medical exemption for vaccination are
exempted from this reduced salary provision.  This provision will
be effective once EBA has made either the seasonal flu or H1N1
vaccinations available to employees.
 Any employees who have been  absent from work for 14
calendar days due to their own illness will be reviewed for their
eligibility for Short-Term Disability (STD), in accordance with
EBA’s STD Benefit program.