University safety, emergency and security policies and procedures are available on the Doane University web site at: www.doane.edu/Students/Campus/Safety
Safety Committee
The University maintains a Safety Committee whose purpose is to review safety standards at the University and make recommendations to the Cabinet of the University when needed. The Safety Committee Chair will schedule meetings to review and coordinate safety activities throughout the University. Employees are urged to bring safety-related issues to the attention of the Safety Committee and/or the Safety Office. All supervisors must report employee accidents to the Human Resources department. For further information regarding the safety policies and procedures, visit the website at http://www.doane.edu/students/campus/safety/tips
Snowstorms and Other Severe Weather
Occasionally inclement weather necessitates cancellation of classes and/or campus activities. The decision to cancel or delay classes on the Crete Campus will be at the discretion of the President in consultation with the Director of Facilities and the Chief Academic Officer. The decision to cancel or delay classes on the other campuses is at the discretion of the Chief Academic Officer in consultation with the Director of Facilities. The decision will be governed by the concern for the safety of students, faculty and staff.
The residential Crete campus may cancel all classes only in rare events since our students are mostly residential. The other campuses may cancel all classes more often due to the commuting nature of those campuses. The University does not completely close even when all classes are cancelled. Essential functions will continue on all campuses, such as food service, residential life, safety, facilities, dining, etc., however, there may be times when the University cancels all classes and closes offices. In this instance, most offices will close, but some essential offices or personnel will still be required to work to continue operation of the campus. Each department will have a plan for operation in the event a cancellation or delay of classes occurs, in which essential personnel are identified. The definition of “essential personnel” may vary depending on time of year or month in which the cancellation occurs.
In cases when there is inclement weather and the University does not cancel all classes, faculty and staff should work with their supervisor and use their own personal judgment and personal circumstance to determine whether or not to travel to/from work during inclement weather conditions. Pay for such incidences is subject to the policy below. We ask that as many faculty/staff that are able to report to work safely do so to maintain the operations of the University.
If you have any questions, consult your supervisor or Human Resources.
There are two types of campus closures:
- Cancellation of Classes - Offices Open: Cancellation of all classes is rare. The Crete campus is a residential setting and most students are able to attend classes. Thus, situations may arise where the Crete campus is open even though another campus has cancelled classes. During a “Cancellation of Classes - Offices Open” employees should plan to work. Employees will be paid only for the actual hours worked. if an individual employee is not able to report to work due to severe weather, the employee may either make up the missed time in the same workweek, use vacation to make up for the missed time, or take the time as unpaid leave (vacation leave must be used first, before unpaid leave will be approved.) Some employees may be able to perform their job duties from home; employees wanting to work from home must have Supervisor approval prior to working remotely. Employees should always use their best judgment for safety.
- Cancellation of Classes - Offices Closed: Even in situations when all classes are cancelled and offices close, some essential personnel are generally required to continue to work. When all classes are cancelled and offices close, employees that are not considered “essential” or that are in danger of traveling should stay home. All employees will receive severe weather pay for the hours they normally work on that day. Employees who are considered to be “essential” will still be required to report to work even when all classes are cancelled and offices close. Hourly employees who are considered “essential personnel” will receive severe weather pay for the hours they normally work on that day, plus pay for the hours they actually work. In case of doubt, contact your supervisor.
Should conditions warrant a campus closure for any campus the University will post the cancellation on the website, send out a campus notification using the campus notification system and will notify local radio and TV stations. The type of closure will be indicated in the message.
Severe Weather
Employees should be aware of signals for severe weather and the location of shelters in case of tornado sightings. Generally, fire and tornado procedures are posted in various work areas.
Workspace Fire Prevention
Many campus offices are decorated for the holiday seasons. Because decorations combine highly combustible materials with additional sources of heat, the potential for fire increases. It is important to ensure that decorations used meet the following guidelines:
- Only artificial trees may be used for decoration.
- Electrical items used in decorations should be in good condition. Use low heat indoor electrical bulbs and make sure they do not come in contact with combustible materials. Use only one grounded electrical plug strip. Do not put multiple plug strips together. Electrical items, including lighting may only be used during normal business hours.
- Extension cords are not allowed above the ceiling.
- Candles and other open flames are not allowed.
- Decorations must not cover fire extinguishers, exit signs and doors.
- Decorations should be taken down after the holidays and properly disposed or stored.
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