Folksonomics

The swine flu pandemic has taken all businesses by surprise, and the smaller businesses have been worst hit due to their lack the requisite workforce that can act as back up in case of scarcity of staff, as well as their dearth of enough resources to counter the effect of the absences.

According to the Forum of Private Businesses (FPB), the Civil Contingencies Act of 2004 states that the councils are under an obligation to support the businesses, especially the smaller ones which lack enough human resource to counter such contingencies and thus face the risk of shutdown.

However, it has been found that none of the members of the FPB has received any type of assistance or guidance from local councils on this issue. In wake of the fact that it is the smaller businesses that pay higher taxes to local authorities for the services as well as infrastructure availed by them, it becomes the duty of the councils to cater to their needs and safeguard them against an imminent closure due to swine flu. Organisations need to be aware of their health and safety obligations and have a clear understanding their statutory duties. The NEBOSH National General Certificate course (NEBOSH distance) offers a unique web-based training platform specifically designed to help those with health and safety responsibilities to carry out their duties at work more effectively and to protect the organisations for which they work.

According to FPB Policy Representative Matt Goodman, this finding of the FPB is not to say that none of the councils are working according to the provisions of the Act, but that the majority of councils are yet to fulfil their obligations, especially with respect to smaller organizations that need them the most. It is also to be noted that the problem is quite critical for organizations that have no membership in any forum and are entirely dependant on the local authorities for help.