Can Your Cooking Business Survive the Avian Flu?

The avian flu, also known as the bird flu, has been a concern for a few years now, and although to date there has only been one human-to-human transferring of the potentially fatal virus, many people are still on guard and concerned about their safety when it comes to the avian flu and the risk of being contaminated.

Generally, the most common way to contract the avian flu is to come into contact with an infected bird, and this is a major concern for restaurants that are handling, cooking, and serving poultry. If a restaurant handles, cooks, and serves poultry that is infected with the avian flu virus, not only are the employees of the restaurant at risk for contracting the virus, but the restaurant’s customers are at risk for contracting the virus, as well. This means, as a restaurant owner, you should make sure you are well-prepared with both workers compensation and liability insurance.

If your employees contract the avian flu virus while at work, doing their job, on company time, workers compensation may be responsible for covering their medical costs and the lost wages they suffer while out of work. Workers compensation is usually a requirement for all employers; however, there are some businesses and business owners, such as farms and farmers, which are not always required to have workers compensation. If your business is farming and you are not required to have workers compensation, you should seriously consider purchasing it.

If a restaurant customer contracts the avian flu virus from eating poultry handled, cooked, and served to them in your restaurant, you and your business may be held liable for their medical costs, and the costs of any other losses and damaged incurred due to the virus contraction. This means you and your restaurant are at risk for being sued for compensation, and having liability insurance is a safety net you want should such a situation arise.