POLICY: It is the policy of Spoon River College’s to comply with all applicable laws and regulations with regard to personal and environmental safety. Beyond complying with the law, Spoon River College will strive to implement a safety and health program that will reduce or eliminate injuries and illnesses at all college sites.
SCOPE:
This policy applies to all Spoon River College employees and students.
DETAILS:
Spoon River College safety and health program includes the following elements:
Conducting safety and health inspections to find and eliminate unsafe conditions or practices;
Control of health hazards;
Compliance with all applicable safety and health standards;
Employee training in good safety and health practices;
Encourage employees to get involved in improving workplace safety;
Provide any necessary personal protective equipment and instructions for its use and care;
Develop and enforce safety and health rules and require compliance with these rules;
Investigate every incident to determine its cause and correct the problem.
Responsibilities: Although all Spoon River College employees, students, contractors and visitors are expected to actively support, participate in, comply with and enforce all elements of this safety and health program individuals within the college community have specific responsibilities:
Administration: Administration accepts the responsibility for leadership of the safety and health program, for the program’s effectiveness and improvement, and for providing the safeguards required to ensure safe conditions.
Employees:
Employees are to complete all tasks in a safe and efficient manner complying with all legal regulations and Spoon River College policies and procedures;
Employees are required to identify and familiarize themselves with the appropriate Emergency Plan;
Employees are required to report all injuries and/or illnesses that occur in the workplace to the Human Resources Office within forty-eight (48) hours of the incident;
Employees should be alert to unsafe conditions and report them immediately;
Employees are required to read, acknowledge and comply with all safety related policies and procedures.
Supervisors: Supervisors are responsible for developing the proper attitudes toward safety and health in them and in the employees they supervise. Supervisors must also ensure that all operations are performed with the highest regard for safety and health of all persons involved.
Discipline: Violation of safety policies and procedures may result in discipline up to and including termination of employment. Refer to the disciplinary policy for details. Failure to report such an infraction may result in employee disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Injuries / Illnesses: Employees are required to report ALL injuries and/or illnesses, no matter how minor, to the Human Resources Office immediately, but no later than forty-eight (48) hours after the incident. When possible, employees should contact the Human Resources Office before seeking medical assistance. See the procedures in the Incident Reporting & Investigation Policy for reporting an injury or illness.
Safety Committee: A safety committee consisting of the Human Resources Director, and a representative from the administrator, classified, faculty, and professional support job classifications will meet quarterly (and more often, as needed). Membership of the safety committee is voluntary for a two year period. The Human Resources Director reserves the right to remove any member of the safety committee due to lack of participation. Responsibilities of the safety committee are:
Review the minutes of the previous meeting;
Review any incident reports that occurred during the previous month together with the cause of the incident(s) and recommendations for corrective action using engineered controls or other methods that may prevent reoccurrence;
Discuss the results of facility safety inspections and the corrective action to be taken;
Discuss or review other safety subjects or safety problems that the Committee may wish to add to the agenda for the quarterly meeting.
Members of the Safety Committee may bring problems of a safety nature to the attention of the Human Resources Director at any time.
Safety Inspection: A quarterly facility safety inspection will be conducted by the Vice President or his/her designee. A written report shall be made outlining discrepancies of a safety nature found during this inspection.
Safety Policies: Spoon River College safety policies are located in Section 11 of the Policies and Procedures Manual and are available to all employees and reviewed at time of hire and periodically thereafter. Additional safety practices that are not located in the Policies and Procedures Manual include, but are not limited to:
Emergency Procedures: Each facility has posted Emergency Procedures in dealing with emergencies including, but not limited to:
Fire
Weather
Medical emergency, etc.
First Aid Training: Employees and volunteers may be required to receive first aid training and/or CPR training. Trained employees receive copies of certification on file in the Human Resources Office.
Suspicion of Substance Abuse: Upon reasonable suspicion of alcohol and/or substance use, employees may be required to submit to a post accident drug test.
Workers Compensation: The College provides workers' compensation insurance covering injuries or illnesses occurring in the workplace. Workers' compensation law requires the employer to report to its insurance carrier all work-related illnesses of, or injuries to, its employees. Generally, it does not, of course, include injuries received traveling to or from work or during non-work related activities. No premium is charged to the employee for this coverage, and no individual enrollment is required. College policies relating to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), group insurance, light duty, medical examinations, drug testing, and the like apply to workers' compensation claims. Failure to report injuries or illnesses may result in a delay or denial of workers' compensation benefits.
Return to Work (RTW) Program: It is the intent of the College to return employees to work as quickly as possible without risk to the employee’s health. The return to work program has the following elements:
RTW team: Consists of the affected employee and their supervisor, the healthcare provider, and the Human Resources Director. In addition, consultants (such as claim representatives, case manager, safety committee, etc.) may participate on an “as needed” basis.
Medical providers: Illinois Work Injury Resource Center is the preferred medial provider for work related claims. The medical provider may be required to complete a physical capabilities evaluation, when necessary.
Task assessment: Tasks for each job have been assessed through the job description process. Please see the specific job description for the position in question.
Transitional duty opportunities: The College makes every effort to provide transitional duty opportunities for individuals that are on physician required light or modified (restricted) duty.
Exceptions: The College may not have the ability to accommodate all prescribed light or modified (restricted) duty without undue hardship.