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safety and health manual - chapter IC: weather (adverse/ inclement/ severe)

Police and Public Safety Policy  PS 09 00e (Revised 2/18/04)

A. Purpose. To outline the policy and procedures relating to the implementation of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke's Adverse Weather and Emergency Closings Policies.

B. Scope. This applies to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, all University employees and activities.

C. Policy. It is the policy of this University to protect employees, students, and visitors from adverse weather or other conditions of a serious nature. The University will remain open for classes unless there is a clear and present danger to the safety and welfare of students, faculty, or staff.

D. Definitions.

• Adverse Weather: During periods of adverse weather and other conditions of a serious nature, that may prohibit some employee’s from reporting to work but do not necessitate the closing of the University or the curtailing of operations.
• Emergency closing conditions: Conditions that necessitate the closing of the University, the closing of a University building, or the curtailing of operations. Conditions that may be hazardous to life or safety and that may warrant closing of the University include: catastrophic life threatening weather (snow, ice, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood or other natural disaster), fire, equipment failure, disruption of power and/water, contamination by hazardous agents, terrorist acts or forced evacuations from the University or worksite that present a threat to students, faculty, and staff while attending or traveling to or from the University.
• Emergency employees: Employees who are required to work during an emergency because their positions have been designated by the appropriate Vice Chancellor as mandatory/essential to University operations during emergencies.
• Regular workday hours: For this purpose, the regular workday hours apply to schedules starting at approximately 7:00 a.m. and ending at approximately 6:00 p.m.

E. Closing Determination. When the threat or the presence of adverse weather presents a safety hazard to University personnel and students, it is the responsibility of the Chancellor, or in his absence, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, to make the decision to close the campus.

F. Mandatory Operations/Designation of Emergency Employees.
Some University operations require employees to report to or remain at work in order to provide emergency services during periods of adverse weather. The University will provide staff designated as emergency employees with advance written notice of this status. Emergency status is considered a condition of employment for these employees and will be included in the official position description and job announcements, as well as on the employee's work plan.

Emergency employees who are required to remain at work during hazardous times may be relieved of duties for the period of time necessary to assure safety of their families.
Also, if the University determines that a situation requires employees not designated as emergency employees to report to work or remain at work depending on the nature of the emergency the University will notify them individually.

G. Closing Announcements.
On days when the University is to be closed, that decision will be made, if practicable, within 24 hours of the adverse event or by 6:00 a.m. The Vice Chancellor of University and Community Relations or his designee will communicate such a decision to local radio and television. This information will also be available from the University Adverse Weather Schedule/Emergency Hotline (521-6888), University switchboard (521-6000), the University website, or the University Police. Obviously, the chance of over flooding the latter source makes the University website, radio and television a more practicable source of information. The following radio and television stations:

Television
WBTW, Channel 13, Florence
TWEAN, Channel 14, Raleigh
WECT, Channel 6, Wilmington
WRAL, Channel 5, Raleigh
WTVD, Channel 11, Durham

Radio
WFLB – 96.5 fm, Fayetteville
WFNC – 640 am, Fayetteville
WFSS – 91.9 fm, Fayetteville
WIOZ – 102.5 fm, Southern Pines
WJSG – 104.3 fm, Rockingham
WKML – 95.7 fm, Fayetteville
WLNC – 1300 am, Laurinburg
WSTS – 100.9 fm, Fairmont
WZFX – 99.1 fm, Fayetteville

No such report means that classes are to be held as scheduled. In other words, when classes are to be held as usual, no announcements will be made.

Announcements of Emergency University closings may take one of two forms:

a. Classes are suspended, but offices will remain open. Emergency employees must report to work, while other employees are strongly urged to consider campus conditions and the weather conditions in their residential area, as well as law enforcement reports of road conditions, before making a decision whether to come to work.

b. Classes are suspended and all University Offices are closed. Emergency employees must report for work. Employees who have not been designated "emergency" must not attempt to come to their worksites.

The University Police, the Student Health Services and the Cafeteria are to remain open under all circumstances. If necessary, University Police will make every effort to provide transportation for individuals required to remain. Facilities Operations, as necessary, will assign a work crew.

It is recognized that in some individual cases travel may be hazardous even though closing is not warranted. In those cases, everyone is advised to take all reasonable precautions in coming to campus given his/her personal circumstances.

The adverse weather policy also covers time lost by employees due to school closings (K-12) or regular child care that is temporarily unavailable due to adverse weather conditions if this results in employees having to care for their children during their regular work hours.Reports of the closing of local public schools or community colleges must not be interpreted as implying that The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is to be closed; neither should forecasts of major storms. The overriding concern of the University is to provide a quality, uninterrupted program of study for our students without placing them or the staff in an unreasonably hazardous situation.

H. Adverse Weather.

Adverse Weather (Day)
Calls concerning severe weather will be relayed to the Chancellor. In the absence of the Chancellor all calls should be relayed to the Provost. The Chancellor, the Provost or designee will follow the procedures outlined below.

In case of tornado or hurricane, the University Police shall be responsible for contacting employees who have radios.

Adverse Weather (Evening)
In case of a tornado or hurricane in the evening hours, the University Police will receive the calls concerning severe weather. They will also be responsible for contacting the personnel in all buildings. The University Police will be supplied with a voice amplifier (bullhorn) and flashlight.

I. Designated Areas To Report During Adverse Weather.
The Police and Public Safety Department has designated specific areas for students, faculty, and staff to report when the signal is given for adverse weather warnings. These areas are primarily interior building corridors. In an emergency, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to stay away from glass windows.

Designated Areas
Auxiliary & Main Gym
Chavis University Center
DF Lowry
Education Center, ground level corridor
Givens Performing Arts Center (GPAC)
Jacobs Hall, suite hallways
Locklear Hall, suite hallways
Lumbee Hall, ground level corridor
Moore Hall, ground level corridor
North Belk, suite hallways
Old Main
Pine Hall, hallways
Sampson-Livermore Library
University Village Apartments
Wellons Hall, suite hallways
West Hall, suite hallways

The Facilities Operations Department will designate a person to be responsible for each building.

The University Police will also be notified and they will notify the dormitory supervisors. The dormitory supervisors will notify resident students. The University Police are to notify persons when danger is over.

Every effort will be made to keep the switchboard operations/emergency hotline (x 6888) open during normal operation hours of the University when the University is closed due to adverse weather. The switchboard will be able to advise callers of the current status of the closing. In the event that the switchboard cannot be open, a recorded message will be used to advise callers as accurately as possible about the closing and when the University will reopen.

J. Make-Up Time. Employees must account for any work time lost due to adverse weather. This is true if individual offices close, if an employee leaves work early, or if an employee does not report to work due to transportation difficulty as a result of adverse weather.

Employees have 12 months to make-up time lost due to adverse weather. Adverse weather leave cannot be made up during a regular 40-hour workweek based on FLSA, and the requirement for employees to accrue at a rate of 1 ½ for all hours worked over 40 per week. Leave can be made up during weeks that include a holiday or during weeks the employee takes vacation or sick leave. Time lost will be charged to vacation leave, bonus leave, compensatory leave, or leave without pay. However, where operational needs allow, management must make every reasonable effort to arrange schedules so employees will have the opportunity to make-up time not worked rather than charging it to leave.

Exception: If the Chancellor or his representative closes the University (Announcement B) employees will not have to make up the work hours lost due to adverse weather conditions during the period of the closing and will be paid for the hours lost.

If an employee was scheduled for an absence from work during an adverse weather event, s/he cannot code adverse weather leave even if the University was closed due to the event. Employees who are on scheduled vacation leave or sick leave will charge leave to the appropriate account with no provision for make-up time.

K. References. "Emergency Procedures and Safety Plan".

Updated: Friday, January 9, 2009

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