CSU Chico Procedure for Emergency Disruptions

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• I.    Policy
  1. Purpose: To provide guidelines for communication, reassignment of personnel, and pay for employees affected by Departments/Buildings/ Campus experiencing a partial or total disruption or shutdown due to an emergency or unexpected event disrupting the workplace for a portion ofa workday.
• II.   Emergency Events
  1. Precipitating Event
     1. An unplanned event is an event that has occurred, and which affects all or a portion of normal campus operations, without notice.
     2. Types of events include, but are not limited to: power failure, fire,bomb threat, hazardous waste spill, earthquake, etc.
  2. Emergency Levels
     1. Non-Emergency – Disruption of ability to perform usual and customary duties of employee or department or campus (e.g., power failure), but not a threat to health and safety of employees, students, or public.
     2. Campus Emergency (Level 1) –Full Emergency Operations Center Activation. An emergency that requires the University to respond in multiple areas within University property or to support the local community. The emergency can exist for several hours or several days in duration. Examples: Large fire on or off campus, large evacuations in surrounding communities, immediate unforeseen closure of campus, major loss of utilities, significant damage to campus infrastructure or structures, or a railway incident adjacent to or on campus.
     3. Campus Emergency (Level 2) –Partial Emergency Operations Center Activation. An emergency has occurred which requires the University to respond. Coordination between University Departments is required and some external agencies may also be involved. The University has most, if not all, the resources required to respond to the event. Examples: Severe weather not resulting in injuries or significant damage, support of locally declared emergencies, support of a campus Red Cross shelter activation, or small scale events with large communication needs.
     4. Increased Readiness (Level 3) –The Emergency Operations Center is typically not activated, although limited EOC personnel may convene for monitoring the threat. A higher than normal level of readiness is warranted due to increased vulnerability to a specific hazard. A local emergency may or may not be declared by the city or the county. Actions may include developing coordination meetings or conference calls, as well as, increased threat monitoring. Examples: Predicted weather events, wildfires of limited scope, limited flooding, and minor incidents of civil unrest.
• III.   Procedure – Non-Emergencies and Level 3 Emergencies
  1. Initial Response
     1. Management should advise employees to remain at their work station provided emergency lighting is present or daylight via windows provides enough light for employees to safely exit the area if needed. If lighting is inadequate to perform their normal duties, employees should remain in their work area until management provides further instructions.
     2. If the workspace is without emergency lighting or natural light, management should relocate employees to an area with some form of lighting, if possible, until an estimated time of resolution of the problem is available. If needed, management should direct employees to leave the area and congregate in another area or building to await information regarding resolution of the problem. Corridors and other exit routes are not to be utilized for temporary work stations.
     3. Management shall maintain communication with all employees, when possible, and ensure their safety and well-being. If employees express that they do not feel safe, arrange for them to be relocated to an area where they feel safe.
  2. Communication
     1. Management should notify appropriate organization (FMS, UPD, EHS) of the disrupting event. Advise whether the department can remain in the building and continue working. Request anticipated response time.
     2. Management should notify employees of who will be responding and anticipated response time.
     3. Management should remain in pre-designated location with a cell phone to be able to communicate with the organization responding to the event, and to communicate with employees.
  3. Building/Department Closure of Less than 4 Hours
     1. Management should determine appropriate alternatives for employees who cannot perform their regular duties due to circumstances such as power failure, building closure, etc., taking into consideration the classification, job description and goals of the department. Alternatives may include directing the employee to:
        1. Perform duties in another location, e.g., library;
        2. Perform alternative duties; or
        3. Take a paid break.
     2. Management should get employee phone numbers so employees can be contacted with information about when to return to the work area, or to give employees a specific time, contact person, and number to call to check back to find out if they can return to their regular work area and regularly assigned duties.
  4. Building/Department Closure of 4 Hours or More
     1. If management is advised employees will not be able to return to the building or department for 4 hours or more or if event occurs within 4 hours of the end of the regularly scheduled work day, management:
        1. Relocate employees to another work area if possible; if not possible,
        2. Contact Human Resources to determine if employees can be sent home with pay.
     2. Employees are expected to report to work on the following workday at the normal place and time, unless specifically instructed otherwise by an Appropriate Administrator.
  5. Attendance
     1. Management should know which employees are at work that day and returned to the work area at the designated time. Take specific note of those who did not return to work so all employees can be accounted for.
• IV.  Procedure – Level 1 and Level 2 Emergencies
  1. If the department is in a building impacted by the emergency and there is a danger to employees:
     1. All employees should assist in directing others to a safe location at least 100 feet away from the building. If the emergency involves a chemical spill, move all employees and building occupants upwind of the area up to 500 feet from the building.
     2. All employees should follow directions provided by UPD, other First Responders, Environmental Health and Safety, and/or management.
  2. Building/Department Closure of Less than 4 Hours
     1. Management should determine appropriate alternatives for employees who cannot perform their regular duties due to circumstances such as power failure, building closure, etc., taking into consideration the classification, job description and goals of the department. Alternatives may include directing the employee to:
        1. Perform duties in another location, e.g., library;
        2. Perform alternative duties; or
        3. Take a paid break.
     2. Management should get employee phone numbers so employees can be contacted with information about when to return to the work area, or to give employees a specific time, contact person, and number to call to check back to find out if they can return to their regular work area and regularly assigned duties.
  3. Building/Department Closure of 4 Hours or More
     1. If management is advised employees will not be able to return to the building or department for 4 hours or more or if event occurs within 4 hours of the end of the regularly scheduled work day, management:
        1. Relocate employees to another work area if possible; if not possible,
        2. Contact Human Resources to determine if employees can be sent home with pay.
     2. Employees are expected to report to work on the following workday at the normal place and time, unless specifically instructed otherwise by an Appropriate Administrator.
• V.   Compensation

  For all employees compensation will be in line with the following, except when in conflict with the controlling collective bargaining agreement:

  1. Employees not at work on the day of the disruption:
     1. Will continue to use sick leave, vacation, dock, etc., as requested for that day, in accordance with department procedures.
     2. However, if employees who reported to work were allowed to take more than two (2) hours as paid administrative leave, management should contact Human Resources about the continued use of sick leave and vacation by other employees.
  2. Employees at work on the day of the disruption:
     1. Provided the employee reported for work at start of the employee’s work day, stayed at work, and returned at the designated time, the employee shall be paid for time worked and paid with Administrative Leave for the time when allowed to leave the campus. An employee shall not be paid for any regularly scheduled meal period.
     2. If employee reported to work at the start of the employee’s work day, but did not return at the designated time:
        1. If the employee is non-exempt, he/she is to be paid from the time he/she reported to work until the designated time he/she was informed by an Appropriate Administrator to return to work. The employee shall not be paid for the time not worked after a designated return time, if he/she was properly notified of the time to return to work, but did not return. If the employee was not properly notified, he/she shall be paid for time not worked after a designated return time. However, if the employee and manager had an agreement for the employee to use vacation or sick leave for a predesignated medical appointment, that agreement supersedes.
        2. If the employee is exempt, the employee is to be paid for the day.
  3. Emergencies Disrupting Operations for More than a Partial Day
     1. Compensation will be determined by the President based on the circumstances and in consultation with the Chancellor’s Office and the unions.
• VI.  Coordination with Human Resources
  1. As soon as possible management should notify the following employees in the Human Resources Services Center of the event.
     1. Director of Labor Relations and Compliance, or
     2. AVP Staff Human Resources
  2. Include details such as:
     1. Where event occurred;
     2. When it occurred;
     3. How much work time was missed;
     4. Whether any employees were allowed to leave for the day;
     5. Which organization (EHS, FMS, etc.) resolved the situation; and,
     6. Whom to contact for additional information.
• VII. Conflicts with Collective Bargaining Agreements
  1. If anything in this policy and procedure conflicts with a represented bargaining units’ collective bargaining agreement, then the collective bargaining agreement shall be controlling.
• VIII.Resources
  1. Emergency Preparedness Information
  2. Emergency Planning for People with Disabilities, Access and Functional Needs