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Regional Safety Committees

Each Region has a Safety Committee made up of at least one (1) Faculty member, one (1) Facilities department member, one (1) Support staff member, and one (1) Administrative member. The Committee carries out a quarterly inspection of each Regional facility. The Committee reports to the College Central Office on a quarterly basis after the inspection. The report identifies any unsafe conditions that were found, and the steps taken to eliminate the unsafe conditions. It includes follow-up procedures to ensure that the unsafe conditions were eliminated. The Human Resources Department is responsible for certain bulletin board postings, OSHA reports and information distribution.

Emergency Response Guide

Each Region has an Emergency Response Guide covering procedures for fire, tornado, severe thunderstorms, earthquakes, suspicious mail, bomb threats, evacuation, biological agents, medical emergencies, chemical spills, and hazardous gases, drugs, and alcohol, and workplace violence. A copy of the guide will be located in each classroom and provided to each benefits-eligible employee. It is each employee's responsibility to read, understand and follow the instructions in the guide. Additional copies of the guide are available from the Human Resources Department.

Condition of Premises

You and all the other employees are responsible for the condition of the College's premises. You are accountable for identifying, correcting or reporting unsafe conditions in your office area, classroom, laboratory or working area.

Reporting of Injuries

All employees are responsible and accountable for accurately reporting all injuries in your work area. This includes injuries to students, visitors or co-workers Report injuries promptly. Late claim reporting can jeopardize the payment of a claim and delay the correction of an unsafe condition.

College Vehicles

The safe use of college vehicles is basic to any safety program. Only properly licensed employees approved by the Vice President, Chancellor or designee are allowed to operate college vehicles.

Report immediately any accident or injury involving a college vehicle. If you are in an accident, there is a booklet in the glove compartment to help you gather the necessary information from the other parties. Be sure to use it.

College vehicles may be used for college business only. Unauthorized trips for personal reasons or transporting unauthorized persons in a college vehicle is a misuse of college property which may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Safety and Violence Prevention Notice

Ivy Tech is concerned with the safety and security of its students, staff, and faculty, as well as guests and visitors on our campuses. In this age of increased threats in schools and the workplace, people have a heightened sense of concern for their own personal safety and the safety of others. It is imperative that if you see or hear a threat that you report it immediately. The intent of this notice is to remind persons of the College's policies regarding safety and violence and provide guidance for persons who perceive that someone has made a threat. The appropriate college administrators will deal with actions or statements (including notifying local law enforcement officials) that a reasonable person could interpret as leading to an act of possible violence. Comments such as statement to "get even" with someone, a threat to kill or injure someone, or to blow up the building are examples of threatening or intimidating language. The comment does not need to be made directly to the potential victim. Individuals who express violent words or behaviors, should be referred to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs or the Human Resources Administrator for suggestions of community mental health organizations.

Summary of College Policies

According to the Student Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual (9.ISAP), "students are entitled to a learning atmosphere free from discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, and intimidation." Also, "possession of firearms and other weapons, dangerous chemicals, or any explosive or explosive device is prohibited on college property or at any college sponsored activity held elsewhere." Employees are prohibited from "reporting to work or representing the College while possessing firearms or other dangerous devices" (Employee Personnel Policies and Procedures). In addition, "employees are prohibited from making statements or taking actions that are potentially offensive and embarrassing to other employees, students or visitors of the College" (Employee Personnel Policies and Procedures). Employees who "threaten ongoing college operations, the health safety of others or themselves," can be accused of gross misconduct (Employee Personnel Policies and Procedures). Violation of these policies can result in a disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the College (if a student) or termination of employment (if an employee).

Reporting Procedure

Students who believe that another student, employee, or visitor has made a threatening statement or has brought a weapon to the College must immediately report the incident to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. Likewise, employees who become aware of a threatening situation or potential for violence must contact the Human Resources Administrator. If the Vice Chancellor or Administrator is unavailable, please report the incident as quickly as possible to any person in a managerial position. Persons making a report will be asked to provide as much detail as possible, including names of other witnesses, the name of the person making the threat or possessing the weapon, location and other pertinent information that would be helpful in conducting a fair and accurate investigation.

Investigation

All reported incidents will be investigated. Information about the allegation will be shared only with those who need to know about it. Complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed since conducting an effective investigation would not be possible without revealing certain information to the alleged violator and potential witnesses. The Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs will participate in the investigation of incidents involving students and the Human Resources Administrator will participate in the investigation of incidents involving employees.

Determination

After all of the evidence is in, interviews are final, and any credibility issues are resolved, a determination as to whether a violation of policy occurred will be made. The parties directly involved will be informed of the determination. If no determination can be made because the evidence is inconclusive, the parties will be informed of this result.

Corrective Action

After the determination is made, the College will undertake prompt and appropriate action, including discipline up to and including dismissal (if a student) from the College or termination (if an employee) whenever it determines that a violation of these policies has occurred. The person(s) reporting the incident as well as the potential victim(s) will be informed of the outcome of the investigation and corrective action (if any).

College Communicable Diseases Policy

The College Communicable Disease Policy promotes responsible behavior concerning health-related issues in the workplace. Prevention of disease transmission at work is the responsibility of both the College and the individual employees. The College will follow the recommendation of the Indiana State Board of Health (ISBH) when an employee contracts a documented communicable disease while working.

The College will move quickly to:

Individuals who have or suspect they have a communicable disease are expected to behave responsibly to prevent disease transmission at work.

Indiana Code 16-1-20-21 prohibits individuals with certain communicable diseases from working in food establishments in any capacity in which medical evidence indicates that the person may spread the disease. An employee working in one of the College's food establishments who is diagnosed by medical authorities as having a communicable disease which may be spread through continuing normal work practices must inform the Human Resources Administrator immediately. Alternative work assignments may be considered.

College AIDS Education and Prevention

Indiana Code 20-8.1-11 requires the College to provide our employees with education about AIDS. As required by the Code, this education includes:

Universal Precautions Information Center for Disease Control (CDC)

As an employee, you may experience a body fluid spill from a co-worker or student while at the College. Because blood and body fluids contaminated with blood are routes of transmission for the AIDS virus called HIV, exposures to these fluids are potential exposures to HIV. In order to prevent the transmission of HIV, the following information will be given to you and all employees:

Consistent with the Indiana State Board of Health guidelines, Universal Precautions are required to be used with all spills of/or accidental exposures to blood or other body fluids. The Indiana Code requires that employees who fail to use required Universal Precautions will be disciplined. In compliance with the Indiana Code, normal College disciplinary procedures will be followed.

AIDS and HIV Prevention Training Health Services Area

Indiana Code 16-10-7 requires specialized training for those groups of employees who are at greater risk of exposure to blood or other body fluids, especially those contaminated with blood, during their work at the College. According to the Indiana Code, this training must occur before an employee performs any tasks that put them at risk of exposure to HIV contaminated blood or body fluids. Most of this group of employees (including part-time employees) work in the health services area and have a background in infectious disease control. Academic Affairs will build on this technical background and provide the appropriate specialized AIDS prevention training for each health services program.

The College will document that employees who are at risk of exposure to blood or body fluids contaminated with blood participate in this AIDS prevention training.

Availability of HIV Testing

Employees who have documented college-related exposure will follow established workers compensation reporting requirements and be referred to appropriate counseling designed to assess the need for HIV testing

Resources

The College will use the Universal Precautions and guidelines that are recommended by the Indiana State Board of Health as the foundation for AIDS education and training.

AIDS and Handicap Law Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Ivy Tech is an Accredited Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity State College and will protect the rights of disabled employees including those with AIDS. The College will make reasonable accommodations for disabled employees. Any college action for reasonable accommodation will take into consideration the well-being of the affected individual, fellow employees, students and the College.

Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace

The College is committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol-free workplace for employees and students. This is an essential part of:

The use of alcohol, certain drugs and controlled substances is known to be detrimental to physical and psychological well-being. Their use is associated with a wide variety of health risks. Among the known risks are severe weight loss, malnutrition, physical and mental dependence, changes in the reproductive system, heart problems and even death. It is the employee's and student's responsibility to know which drugs are illegal. It is not the responsibility of the College to prepare a list of illegal drugs.

Compliance with this policy is a condition of employment for all paid Staff and Faculty of the college.

Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace Policy

Indiana and Federal Laws

In addition to the College sanctions, Indiana and Federal laws provide for fines and/or imprisonment for the unlawful possession, sale, manufacture or distribution of drugs or alcohol. The amount of the fines and the length of the imprisonment vary according to the type and amount of the substance involved, the offender's past record for such offenses, and a variety of other factors. One particularly relevant factor is that the legal sanctions for the unlawful distribution of drugs increase if the substance is distributed to a person under twenty-one (21) years of age or within one thousand (1,000) feet of the property of a post-secondary institution.

Drug and Alcohol Free Awareness Program

Each Regional Administration, as well as the Central Office Administration, is responsible for offering a Drug and Alcohol-Free Awareness Program each year to which all employees under their jurisdiction have access. Topics for this program will include: