An employee arrives at work feverish, coughing and sneezing, and irritable. Though visibly alone, the employee carries a number of guests -- highly contagious viruses ready to latch onto an unsuspecting host.

Soon, one employee becomes two, and two becomes three, quickly wiping out worker productivity and possibly an entire small-business workforce in a matter of weeks.

Barbara Gathers, manager at Orangeburg's Farmers Furniture on John C. Calhoun Drive, says illnesses like the swine flu can wipe out her nine-person staff pretty quickly. So since August, she has been taking precautions to protect her employees and customers against the virus. Hand sanitizers and Lysol have been placed in the customer service areas.

"We have people coming in from the outside all the time," Gathers said. "With handling money, you definitely have to make sure you do things to keep that away from you."

"We are a team, and several of us wear different hats," she said. "We make sure we get the job done, and somebody else falls in the other slot."

Gathers says the business has provided employees with information about disease prevention.

"I tell them (the employees) that I can't get sick," she said. "If I get sick, I know that I will be in a world of trouble. Everything will go by the wayside with the work I have to do. I can't afford to get sick."

Farmers Furniture is just one Orangeburg small business taking precautions against the spread of the new H1N1 -- or swine flu -- virus.

Orangeburg County Library Director Paula Paul says the library has also taken a number of precautions to protect against H1N1, including posting tips and notices throughout the library for staff and the public.

"We use alcohol wipes to clean the computers daily, and we have hand sanitizer for the staff, as well as sending out e-mails to the staff," she said. "We are just trying to keep the bug away."

Paul says the library currently employs some 19 individuals and has been hit hard by a number of illnesses in the summer. Though not confirming whether they were swine flu, Paul says the library has seen as many as eight employees out at the same time with sore throats, coughs and fevers.

"It does severely impact us," she said. "We have some cross-training, but we don't have enough staff, and if somebody goes to help at circulation ... then work is not getting done in the back."

The library has hand sanitizers and wipes on the book mobile, as well. "I have a Germ-X behind my desk," Paul said. "We got it all."

Pam Coleman, director of the Regional Medical Center's employee relations, has been busy the past few months. She says a number of businesses have offered flu shots to their employees, and she has provided several employers with flyers on swine flu prevention and tips.

"We see a lot more businesses and industries asking for Lunch & Learn and health education information," Coleman said.

With a small workforce, even one or two employees out for a few days has the potential to negatively impact operations and a business' bottom line.

Small business experts say small businesses are especially susceptible to the negative economic impacts of a flu pandemic. An estimated 25 percent of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety.

Planning ahead can help offset business losses, protect a business and employees, help minimize disruption to business activities, protect employees' health and safety, and limit the negative impact to the community, economy and society, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's "Planning for 2009 H1N1 Influenza: A Preparedness Guide for Small Business," available at flu.gov.

Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce President David Coleman says he attended an H1N1 forum held at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in early September that was sponsored by the RMC.

The forum prompted him to take measures at the chamber for its three full-time and part-time employees.

"After that meeting, I passed sanitizer around and wipes," Coleman said. "I filled up a grocery cart."

Coleman says he has informed chamber employees to stay at home if they are sick, and if they do come to work sick, he would "send them home."

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

Protect yourself and your business against swine flu

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of H1N1 (swine flu) virus include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea.

High-risk individuals

Approximately 70 percent of people who have been hospitalized with the H1N1 virus have had one or more medical conditions previously recognized as placing people at "high risk" of serious seasonal flu-related complications. This includes pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease.

Children and adults younger than 60 years old are most at risk.

Prevention and treatment

Employer tips

-- Develop policies that encourage ill workers to stay at home without fear of any reprisals.

-- Develop other flexible policies to allow workers to telework (if possible), and create other leave policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or care for children if schools close.

-- Provide resources and a work environment that promotes personal hygiene. For example, provide tissues, no-touch trash cans, hand soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and disposable towels for workers to clean their work surfaces.

-- Instruct employees who are well but who have an ill family member at home with the flu that they can go to work as usual. These employees should monitor their health every day, and notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill.

-- Encourage workers to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccine, if it is appropriate for them according to CDC recommendations.

-- Encourage employees to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available if they are in a priority group according to CDC recommendations.

-- Consider granting employees time off from work to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available in your community.

-- Provide workers with up-to-date information on influenza risk factors, protective behaviors and instruction on proper behaviors (for example, cough etiquette; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; and hand hygiene).

-- If an employee does become sick while at work, place the employee in a separate room or area until they can go home, away from other workers.

Employee tips

-- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

-- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

-- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

-- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

-- If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)

-- Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Health and Human Services

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