How well a business operates during a pandemic is directly related to how they are prepared for the event. This is equally true of the building in which they operate. That’s a lesson that BOMA Canada took seriously when it assembled the National Industry Pandemic Planning Task Force, a group of industry professionals, to help develop their Pandemic Planning Program.
Launched last fall, the Pandemic Planning Program and website (www.bomacanada-pandemic.ca) was developed to help the industry locally manage building operations in the case of a pandemic such as the recent H1N1 outbreak. The original idea for the program came right after the SARS outbreak in 2003 where the possible impact of a pandemic was clearly seen.
BOMA announced several important updates to the program. These include refinements to the assumptions for service/supply interruptions with various key service providers, a new supplier questionnaire and a poster for buildings to display when service levels are impacted. The Pandemic Planning website already offers a range of resources such as:
· Pandemic Planning Checklist for Commercial Buildings
· Building Operations Skills Inventory
· Legal Considerations for Property Owners and Managers
· Communication Templates
Ralph Dunham, senior VP of Risk Consulting and Business Continuity Practice at Marsh Canada’s and Randall Rothbart, partner, Solmon Rothbart Goodman, LLP played leading roles as expert advisors, in the development of the Pandemic Planning Program updates.