NYSE - health and safety in the workplace

At NYSE, the safety of everyone who works in or visits our facilities is a paramount priority.  As the flu season approaches and in view of the global concern about a potential outbreak of the H1N1 virus, we are taking numerous steps to minimize the possibility of NYSE Euronext employees, vendors and others contracting any type of flu.  

Communicating about these various measures is itself a preventative step, and today we are reminding everyone of the basic guidelines that we expect everyone who uses our facilities to follow.  Please note, these guidelines apply to everyone, including employees, the member-firm community, vendors, consultants and anyone else working in or visiting our facilities.  NYSE Euronext reserves the right to prohibit access to our facilities to any individual not adhering to these guidelines:

• If any personnel suspect that they have been exposed to a sick person with H1N1 influenza, they may continue to go to work, but should closely monitor their health every day and should notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill.  
• If any personnel test positive for any type of flu (or is told by a health-care professional that they might have the flu) they are expected to stay home for 7 days after symptoms begin or until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours. 
• Currently there are no locations for which NYSE Euronext is restricting business travel.  However, we follow CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines and may amend our travel policy to reflect CDC recommendations.  Those individuals traveling to locations CDC recommends against will be asked to stay out of the office for 7 days upon their return.  
• Everyone is expected to keep these guidelines in mind when scheduling and admitting guests and other visitors who might not have received this memo; each of us is responsible for helping to safeguard our collective health and safety.

We emphasize that there is no cause for alarm at this time, but as always it is prudent to exercise appropriate caution in our approach to this issue.   Based on input from our medical advisors and in adherence with best practices, here are some facts about the flu:

Fact:  Without going to a hospital, H1N1 cannot be confirmed.  However, a doctor can identify a probable case of a type of Influenza A (but cannot confirm H1N1) with a quick flu test.

Fact:  The flu can be transmitted from person-to-person through the coughing or sneezing of people infected with the flu virus. People may become infected by touching something with a flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, eyes or nose.

To help prevent the spread of the flu please practice these everyday steps:   

• Wash your hands often with soap and water.  This removes germs from your skin and helps prevent diseases from spreading.
• Use waterless alcohol-based hand gels (containing at least 60% alcohol) when soap is not available and hands are not visibly dirty. 
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and put your used tissue in a wastebasket.   If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. 
• Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand gel.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.  

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and we will continue to keep you apprised as the flu season gets underway.