Community Head Injury Resource Services of Toronto (CHIRS)

PERSONNEL MANUAL / CHAPTER 5: OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY
SECTION5.23 Inclement Weather
Effective:
Revised: December 2005 / Related Legislation/Policies: Employment Standards Act, Reporting Absences
Executive Director’s Signature

POLICY

All employees are expected to make every reasonable effort to work their regularly scheduled shifts if they can safely do so. However, CHIRS recognizes that periods of inclement weather may prevent employees from reporting to work or meeting their scheduled obligations. As such, employees who cannot travel to work safely or question road conditions, must notify their supervisor as soon as possible and may make alternate arrangements which may include absence from work. An employee will not be disciplined for failing to attend work due to inclement weather if they follow procedures outlined in this policy.

24-hour residential sites will be required to maintain a staff complement conducive to client safety to be determined by the Service Coordinator. As such, residential employees may be required to work extended hours beyond their regular shifts if coworkers are unable to cover their shift. Additionally, Community Facilitators may be requested to provide residential support if they can safely do so. Early dismissals or office closures will be determined by the Executive Director or designate. ADS program cancellations will be determined by the ADS Service Coordinator based on the availability of WheelTrans services.

PURPOSE

To reduce exposure to risk and promote the personal safety of employees.

SCOPE

Applies to all employees.

RESPONSIBILITY

Employeesare responsible for making every reasonable effort to arrive at theirscheduled locationin situations of inclement weather. If an employee is unable to attend work due to inclement weather, theyare to contact theirSupervisor or designate immediately.

Service Coordinators/Managers are responsible for following up with staff and to ensure that residences have sufficient staffing to maintain client health and safety. Non-residential Service Coordinators will follow up with staff and clients regarding cancellation or rescheduling of programs and appointments. Service Coordinators may also be required to redeploy staff to attend sites to meet the needs of the agency.

The Executive Director or designate may choose to close all or part of the office or shorten work hours where conditions appear to present significant risk to employees andbusiness operations. The Executive Director or designatewill communicate to Managers/Supervisors any changes to regular business operations.

DEFINITIONS

Inclement weatherrefers to intense adverse weather conditions such as heavy snow, ice, rain or other similar weather conditions that create significant risk to the health and safety of employees and clients.

Essential Servicesare deemed to be those services that are required on a 24 (twenty-four) hour basis to protect the safety, security and health of clients.

601 line refers to the voicemail box number for all Recreation and Leisure staff.

PROCEDURE

ACSS, ADS, Administration

  • Employees are expected to contact and speak directly to a Manager/Supervisor if they are unable to attend to work.
  • Employees who are able to accesspublic transit (e.g. TTC, Go Transit) are expected to do so and their schedules may be adjusted by the Supervisor/Manager to meet their needs.
  • Employees scheduled to drive or support clients will contact the clients directly to cancel or reschedule appointments, where appropriate.
  • Employees will consult with the Supervisor/Manager to discuss their concerns and make appropriate arrangementswhen inclement weather begins during their working day. Supervisors will make every reasonable effort to accommodate individual staff requests for time off.
  • Employees may make arrangements to complete their work from home. Where appropriate, the Supervisors/Managerwill approve such an arrangement, and they will follow up with employees to ensure their work has been completed, on the next business day.
  • Supervisors/Managers, upon direction from theExecutive Director or designate, will communicate early closures to employees. Employees arriving on shift will be paid for a minimum of three (3) hours of work.
  • Employeesproviding client support, in consultation with Supervisors/Manager, may be reassigned to a residential work site to address staffing shortages and accommodate residential needs, where safety permits.

24 Hour Residential Staff

  • Employees are strongly encouraged to make arrangements for accommodations if such arrangements are reasonably accomplished, prior to an expected storm. Any employees able to arrange alternate accommodations should do so.
  • Employees are expected to contact and speak directly to a Supervisor/Senior Facilitator/Team Leader to report their absence from work.
  • Employees able to use public transit (e.g. TTC, Go Transit) are expected to do so and their schedules may be adjusted to meet their needs.
  • Front-line residential staff are deemed to be “essential services” and as such, may not leave the site until the replacement arrives to replace them. Arrangements for extended work shifts will be made with employees and Supervisors. During extended shifts, meal periods and payment will be adjusted in accordance with the Employment Standards Act (ESA).
  • Staff scheduled to drive clients may reschedule appointments.
  • Supervisors may request workers already on site to work extended hours, not to exceed conditions as stated in ESA, if additional staff are required.
  • Other staff may volunteer or be requested to provide essential services in the residential setting when feasible.
  • Alternate accommodation arrangements for employeesmay be provided, at the expense of the agency, if employee services are required should a storm occur during work hours. Such arrangements may include hotel accommodations and meal arrangements.

Time off /Paymentfor Late Arrivals

  • Employeesmay be able to adjust their work schedules in order to accommodate lateness.
  • Remuneration will be provided for employees completing work from home provided evidence of their productivity is submitted to and approved by their Supervisor. Decisions regarding the amount of time remunerated will be made on an individual basis at the discretion of the Supervisor in consultation with the employee.
  • Time not worked due to inclement weather conditions can be accounted for through vacation time, accrued lieu time, unpaid leave, flexible work hours or flexible work schedule arrangements. Employees will not be permitted to access Personal Leave hours during periods of inclement weather.

Adult Day Service (ADS) Program Cancellations

  • ADS will follow WheelTrans recommendations and client availability as determined by the 601 line when deciding on the runningor cancelling of ADS programs.
  • The ADS Service Coordinator/Manager will notify residences and Service Coordinators, who will then contact employees and clients to apprise them of the situation.

RELEVANT FORMS

Time Off Request Form

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