Major Customer requires a contingency response plan to a possible Avian Flu Pandemic

S

S. Thompson

#11
hjilling said:
It doesn't seem like much so far...but half of the 100 people died from it. That ratio is sobering.
Particularly if it is one of your relations! 100 probably does not sound like a lot in relation to the population of the world - but to an individual it is devastating.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Elsmar Forum Sponsor

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#12
hjilling said:
It doesn't seem like much so far...but half of the 100 people died from it. That ratio is sobering.
Have a look at the article I linked to in my earlier post. Among other things, it points out the fact that at this stage, the mortality results are very probably misleading, one reason being that the people who die are also the ones most likely to have been the sickest and sought medical treatment, and medical providers are the prime source of the data. There could be tens of thousands (or more) untreated, unreported cases that are non-fatal.

For a little perspective, the CDC compiles weekly data on deaths from pneumonia and flu from 121 US cities. The data for one recent week may be seen here. The data indicate that for all deaths reported, flu and pneumonia accounted for about 7% of the total. That's 870 deaths in one week, with only 121 cities reporting.

There is good reason for concern about avian flu, but there is no reason for panic, and no good reason for companies to be asking their suppliers for contingency plans specific to avian flu at this point.
 
J
#13
Jim Wynne said:
......There is good reason for concern about avian flu, but there is no reason for panic, and no good reason for companies to be asking their suppliers for contingency plans specific to avian flu at this point.
Jim,
I suspect that in our case it is the fact that our customer is a multi-national firm with plants that are in or near effected areas now and they ship product all over the world. It may be that they are required by some other governments to have plans in place.
In any event they have supplied us with their plan which makes it much easier to create a plan of our own.

I have thinned it down some and made it more generic to make it more applicable to our company. I gave a draft to the owner for his perusal and I'm sure it will be pared some more.

If nothing else it has been an interesting and educational excersize.:read:

James
 

harry

Super Moderator
#15
Over in this region, the American Chamber of Commerce works very closely with the various government regarding the potential threat of avian flu. The Singapore chapter had been particularly active and the Singapore government agencies had co-operated very well.

Still, there are strategic issues to look into. After the SARs episode, a number of MNCs made major strategic changes. Gone are the days when 100% of their products are manufactured in low-cost China. One organization I know of has this 70/30 rule. 30% of their goods are now manufactured outside China whereas previously, it was 100%. They are just not putting the eggs into one basket!

Depending on your business, this may be one of the factors that you need to look at to ensure minimal disruption.
 
J
#17
Glad to Hear from Asia....

Thanks to cheahga and kei_ko for the excellent presentations. I, for one am, going to save them to my HD.

Glad to hear from some folks in East Asia. Here in North America we can be rather overly confident (I might say cocky) about our ability to resist a pandemic. Many people just don't realize how thin our lines of defense really are. The more I read about these kinds of health issues the more I realize the real need for us all to become educated in the basic methods of fighting a flu pandemic. Things like hygene and face masks and quarantine etc.

We have gotten so use to popping a magic pill to fix things that we've forgotten the basics, or maybe just think of them as old fashioned. This has happened even in hospitals where staph infections crop up because of poor sanitary practices by the staff. Well folks it's time to remember what Momma use to say, - "Button up your overcoat", "Stay Warm", "Don't go out without your goloshes", "Wear your Hat", "Cover your mouth when you cough".........etc.

A pandemic, by nature, is going to severely stress our institutions abilities to deal with the numbers of sick people. We already hear of antibiotic resistance, and lack of production capability for vaccines. The biggest and best thing we can do is to not get sick ourselves and do all we can to prevent others from getting sick.

Ben Franklin said, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

When our customer first asked about this I thought, "Here is another worthless, make work project." Now that I have looked into it some I realize how critical it is for private industry to be prepared and to get ahead of the game. Not only to protect our business and our customers, but to protect our children, families and communities.

OH my - There I go with my :soap: again.

Basically I wanted to thank cheahga and kei_ko for their input and hope they and others from effected areas will share their insights with us.

James
 
#18
JRKH said:
Thanks to cheahga and kei_ko for the excellent presentations. I, for one am, going to save them to my HD.
Likewise. As it happens, we currently have cases popping up all over our east and south coasts: Dead and sick birds have been found to be infected with the virus, and restrictions are in place around the hot spots. At the moment, the risk for humans is still considered very slim, and thus far no action is being taken to protect the population. As we all know however, that can change and people are worried. A couple of months ago this was considered a very remote problem, and now we have it in our backyard.

Still, this is but one of many risks we face. One day we will have another pandemic, but who knows when and what? Time will tell.

/Claes
 
C

cheahga

#19
You're Welcome

JRKH,

Thanks for sharing your thought.

Kei Ko,

Thanks for your presentation as well.
 
B

barbt

#20
contingency planning

I have been reading this thread with interest, particularly as my son has just applied for a co-op position to develop an avian flu contingency plan for a utility services provider.

If there is one thing that the quality profession has taught me, it is to plan for all contingencies, and to respect Murphy's law. No sense in evaluating and measuring risks associated with our processes but ignoring or downplaying potential risks to the workforce itself.

In my role as the Quality Manager, I am going to encourage the development of plan now in the hopes that it will never be needed. From what I have read, by the time the threat is real, there will be no time for planning.

Barb
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
T Red Metric on a Customer Scorecard is a Major Nonconformance AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 13
QMMike Tolerance block on customer drawing - Major interpretation problem with customer Inspection, Prints (Drawings), Testing, Sampling and Related Topics 25
D Hostile Assumptions #2 - Quality is not a major factor in customer decisions Preventive Action and Continuous Improvement 12
A Define timeline for Major and Miner Audit finding General Auditing Discussions 4
M Supplier requirements - Major supplier is a Non-Profit registered with ICCBBA (FDA UDI) Supply Chain Security Management Systems 12
M ISO 9001 Major Nonconformance Internal Audit Schedule/COVID-19 ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 18
Scanton Double Major for the same infraction? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 11
M Major vs. Minor for Internal Audits? Internal Auditing 10
W Major NCRs within AS9100 - What is the most frequent reason for Major NCRs? AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 5
R What's the major difference between Green Belt and Black Belt in term of training and project Six Sigma 3
Stefan Mundt AS9100D Major nonconformity due to recurrence of a NC during a subsequent CB audit. AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 1
B AIAG/VDA’s FMEA Manual Is a Major Advance (my take on this subject) FMEA and Control Plans 2
E Received a Major finding during IATF Surveillance audit for loss of BIQS Level 3 (more than 6 SPPS in 6 months)...how should we address SYSTEMIC CA? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 11
S Formula for Calculating NoGo Major Diameter for UN gages Inspection, Prints (Drawings), Testing, Sampling and Related Topics 4
C Fact or fiction - Repeat minor becomes a major IATF non-conformance IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 7
N Validation procedure, Major NC CAP - Equipment Validation process is not effective ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 5
I Is this a Major AS9100 QMS change - Quality Concerns AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 2
K FAA Audit - Major nonconformity for lack of timely calibration of two devices EASA and JAA Aviation Standards and Requirements 5
Sidney Vianna Interesting Discussion Legal compliance as part of ISO 45001 accredited certification. Major OSHA penalties in the USA. Occupational Health & Safety Management Standards 15
Sidney Vianna Interesting Discussion How major corporations in the West keep failing to uphold their pledges of abolishing child labor in their cocoa supply chains Sustainability, Green Initiatives and Ecology 3
R Major nonformance finding was given during a closing meeting of a ISO9001 certification audit General Auditing Discussions 76
Y Informational Change control process - Major vs Minor change - Active class III medical devices ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 12
A Where are the rules for when a repeat minor nonconformance becomes a major? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 36
P Major Finding Elevation - Do I elevate this minor finding to a major one? AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 14
J IATF 16949 registration - Major Nonconformance Finding IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 9
Sidney Vianna Top 10 Major and minor NC's during IATF 16949:2016 Audits IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 8
G AIAG FMEA - Major customers of the FMEA process FMEA and Control Plans 3
M New Medical Device Accessory with New Function - Is this a major change? Other Medical Device Regulations World-Wide 3
C IATF 16949 : 2016 - How put in place a Containment for this kind of Major NC IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 14
A ISO 14001:2015 transition audit - Major NC due to the procedure and audit plan ISO 14001:2015 Specific Discussions 10
C How does a major NC for a support site affect our certificate? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 2
AlienraverX How to appeal a major audit finding ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 26
W IATF 16949 Clause 6.1.1 - My first Major NCR (Management Review) IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 57
K Outsourced Major Processes - Working for Two Sister Companies AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 1
T Non-addressed Minor Finding elevated to Major Finding Internal Auditing 37
B IATF 16949: Definition Major/Minor Non-conformity IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 6
M Increase in Major TS16949 Audit Findings IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 14
S Could I issue major finding for Inadequate Procedures Supplier Quality Assurance and other Supplier Issues 17
T Defining Major vs. Minor Changes to Procedures ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 11
D Is Failure to achieve a Goal a Major Non-Conformance? ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 13
C Notification to Customers regarding Major Audit Finding IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 25
J Follow up on Major Audit Finding General Auditing Discussions 15
C ISO 9001:2008 Audit Major Finding - Dial Calipers not set to zero ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 16
N Formula that will calculate the NoGo Major Diameter of an M20 x 1.5 6H Thread gage Inspection, Prints (Drawings), Testing, Sampling and Related Topics 3
6 Print Callout for a Special Thread - 1.173-18 UNS-3A Major Dia. Inspection, Prints (Drawings), Testing, Sampling and Related Topics 4
D When to complete FAA Form 337 (Major Repair and Alteration) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Standards and Requirements 4
C Measurements of Major Diameters of plug thread gages General Measurement Device and Calibration Topics 12
S What are the implications of a major NC during a TS 16949 surveillance audit? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 3
U Major Nonconformance - We had a control in place that was not on the control plan IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 14
H Internal Audit Major Nonconformity or Not? Quality Manager and Management Related Issues 24

Similar threads

Top Bottom