Tis the season to get the sniffles—or worse.

Like it or not, the flu is in full force this time of year. And the H1N1 epidemic (also referred to as “swine flu”) is making matters worse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that flu activity remains high in the United States, and most cases of influenza reported this year have been identified as the H1N1 virus.

While vaccines are making their way to the general public, new cases of influenza (the common flu) and influenza-A (H1N1) continue to pop up throughout the country.

Now more than ever, it’s important to protect your staff and clientele by enforcing a strict health policy. “You may not be affected, but do what major corporations are doing. Plan for the worst and hope for the best,” says Hannelore Levy, executive director of the Day Spa Association (DSA).

The DSA has released some guidelines and common-sense principles to help you keep your spa in good health:

• Underscore that the No. 1 way to prevent the spread of flu is good hygiene practices. The need to wash hands and disinfect surfaces with something such as antibacterial wipes should be stressed.
• If staff members have children and that child’s school is closed, do they have any child-care options available? Discuss this with your staff so they can prepare.
• If an employee has any flu-like symptoms, she should not come in—no matter how full her schedule is. If you don’t have someone to cover the slot, don’t worry. Your clients will appreciate your protecting them and will become even more loyal to you.
• Staff members who become ill need to be checked out by a doctor. If they do have the H1N1 virus, require them to get a release from their doctor confirming that they are no longer infectious before returning to work.
• You might discuss with your local health department what steps to take if a staff member is diagnosed with H1N1. They may have information they can fax to you. If the health department offers any seminars, we recommend that you or your spa manager attend. Your Chamber of Commerce may also offer information sessions. (If not, you might suggest it to them).
• It’s a delicate subject, but for the safety of your staff and others, ask new and regular clients to notify you if they or their family members are diagnosed with H1N1. And establish a system to notify them if their therapist comes down with the virus within 48 hours of treatment.
• If there were an outbreak in your spa, how would it affect your revenue? What would you do if the health department recommends (or orders) you to shut down? Scary as they may seem, you should consider these questions. Keep a list of important contacts—your bank, landlord and all creditors—to notify in the case of temporary closure or lost revenue.
• Create and set aside an emergency cash fund.

“We don’t want to seem alarmist, but we urge every spa owner to take this seriously,” Levy says. “Better safe than sorry as they say.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Editors' Blog, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.