Responding to H1N1

Additional Information

Surface Cleaning

Antimicrobial Products Registered for Use Against the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and Other Influenza A Viruses on Hard Surfaces

As already stressed, your first line of defense is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based cleaner. Registered disinfectant products are for use on hard, non-porous surfaces, such as door knobs, handles, tables, floors, etc. EPA emphasizes that these products are not to be used on the skin or to be taken orally.

Choose a product whose label states that it is effective against "Influenza A virus" and lists your specific site of concern, such as: farm premises, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, schools, offices or homes.

N95 Respirators

To comply with federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) respiratory protection standard 29CFR 1910.134: If an N95 Respirator is issued to you as an employee of CSB/SJU for responding to on-campus cases, you must be fit-tested. Follow the procedures below if you need to be fit-tested, or contact EHS with any questions.

Self-registration:
If you are authorized to use a respirator for your job duties, please self register to obtain your login ID HERE

Employee fit testing login:
Using your ID provided, log in to complete the required medical evaluation HERE

Please refer to CSB/SJU Respiratory Safety for more information.

General Procedure for Disposable Respirators - or click on the image below

Resources:

Social Density

One measure for decreasing transmission of an influenza virus is by increasing the distances among people in work, School and community settings. The goals are to reduce transmission within the learning or workplace and thus into the community at large, to ensure a safe working/learning environment, promote confidence and to maintain business continuity, especially for critical infrastructure. Measures such as encouragement of telework and other alternatives to in-person meetings may be important in reducing social contacts and the accompanying increased risk of transmission. Similarly, modifications to schedules, such as staggered shifts, may also reduce transmission risk. However, Colleges and universities present unique challenges in terms of pre-pandemic planning because many aspects of student life and activity encompass factors that are common to both the child school environment (e.g., classroom/dormitory density) and the adult sphere (e.g., commuting longer distances for college/university attendance and participating in activities and behaviors associated with an older student population). Challenges remain with regard to the optimal strategy for managing campus population during the early stages of an influenza pandemic.

Schools and pre-schools represent the most socially dense of these environments. Social density is greatest in pre-school classrooms, with guidelines for occupancy density specifying 35-50 square feet per child. Published criteria for classroom size based upon the number of students and one teacher recommend an elementary school and high school classroom density of 49 and 64 square feet per person, respectively. There is more space per person in work and healthcare settings, with high variability from one setting to another; for example, occupancy density in hospitals is about 190 square feet per person. Office buildings and large retail buildings have an average occupational density of 390-470 square feet per person. Homes represent the least socially dense environment (median occupancy density of 734 square feet per person in single-family homes).