In 2006, the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) awarded four avian and pandemic influenza preparedness training supplemental grants to augment WTP training programs with modules and outreach information to protect potential high-risk populations involved in pandemic and avian influenza preparedness and response. The WTP and its award recipients continue to monitor information on pandemic and avian influenza, and remain focused on delivering quality training to health care sector employees, emergency responders, and poultry workers who will be on the front line if a pandemic flu develops in the United States.

Training Resources

The National Clearinghouse creates training tools to aid in the development of awareness-level courses or other awareness-level materials. These tools provide health and safety guidance to those involved in disaster response and cleanup activities. Companion booklets are pocket guides that can be distributed with the training and used as a resource when workers are on a disaster site. To order hard copies of these booklets, please complete the Booklet Order Form.

Avian Influenza Training Tool

In English:

• Protecting Yourself from Avian Influenza(28.3MB) Updated January 2025
• Protecting Yourself from Avian Influenza(3.5MB) Updated January 2025

En Español:

• Cómo protegerse de la influenza aviar (Al)(28.9MB) Actualizado junio de 2022
• Cómo protegerse de la influenza aviar (Al)(4.6MB) Actualizado junio de 2022

H1N1 (Swine Flu) Training Tool

• Protecting Yourself From H1N1 in the Workplace: Safety and Health Awareness for Responders to Swine Flu(2.1MB)
• Protecting Yourself From H1N1 in the Workplace: Safety and Health Awareness for Responders to Swine Flu(1.4MB)

WTP Award Recipient Resources

• International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
  • Influenza Pandemic Checklist(562KB)
  • Influenza
• Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (P2R) Consortium
• H5N1 Virus Guidance for Farm Workers(600KB)

Other NIEHS Resources

• Avian Flu/Hurricane Worker Safety and Health Podcasts

WTP Technical Workshops

• 2007 APHIS/NIEHS Avian Influenza Conference: Protecting Avian Influenza Responders

Federal Links and Documents

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Influenza (Flu) Page

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

• Avian Influenza – USDA Has Taken Important Steps to Prepare for Outbreaks, but Better Planning Could Improve Response(3.2MB)
• Influenza Pandemic – Applying Lessons Learned from the 2004-2005 Influenza Vaccine Shortage(303KB)
• Influenza Pandemic – Challenges Remain in Preparedness(320KB)

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

• Resources on Infectious Diseases and Injuries in the Workplace

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

• Avian Flu Page
• Pandemic Influenza Page

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): Foreign Animal Diseases Preparedness and Response Materials and References
• APHIS: Links to Animal Disease Information

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Disposal of Domestic Birds Infected by Avian Influenza – An Overview of Considerations and Options

U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM)

• Medline Plus: Resources on Infections

U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

• Pandemic Information for Federal Employees

State/Local Links and Documents

• California Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standard

Please refer to your local and state Department of Health for additional state-specific guidance on swine, pandemic, and avian influenza.

Other Links and Documents

Avian Influenza (includes H5N1)

• American Council on Science and Health: Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu: What You Need to Know(200KB)
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency: National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standard
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: Avian Influenza in Humans
• The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Avian Influenza Page
• United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive Guidance Note: Avoiding the Risk of Infection When Working With Poultry That Is Suspected of Having H5 or H7 Notifiable Avian Influenza
• United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive: Information on Worker Protection from Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza
• National Council for Occupational Safety and Health: Bird Flu (H5N1) Resources
• National Council for Occupational Safety and Health: Gripe Aviar (H5N1) Recursos (Spanish)
• Avian Flu and Your Safety: Guidance for Dairy Workers
• Infectious Disease Hub

Pandemic Influenza

• AFL-CIO Fact Sheet: Basic Facts about Pandemic Flu and the H1N1 (Swine) Flu
• AFL-CIO Fact Sheet: Protecting Workers During Pandemic Flu
• Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO): Influenza and Other Respiratory Illnesses
• PLOS ONE Research Article: The Waiting Time for Inter-Country Spread of Pandemic Influenza
• World Health Organization (WHO) Global Influenza Programme Page
• United Steelworkers Fact Sheet: Respirators – One Way to Protect Workers Against Pandemic Flu
• World Bank Pandemics Page