POLICY – Adverse Weather Conditions
1. Title
Adverse Weather Conditions Policy
2. Purpose
The Policy is to outline the College’s and employees responsibilities during times of adverse weather conditions.
3. Scope
The Policy applies to all employees of West Highland College UHI who attend a College site to carry out their duties.
4. Responsibility
Overall responsibility for decisions made during times of adverse weather rests with a designated person in each learning centre Principal ( or nominated person) of the College or nominated deputy in the absence of the Principal
4.1 College Opening during Adverse Weather Conditions
It is College policy that all College sites will remain open during times of adverse weather conditions wherever practicable. This allows staff and students within a site’s locale to attend their place of work/course.
A decision to close the College will be taken as soon as reasonably practicable and the local radio station and the Groupwise email system will be used to intimate a College site’s closure. Wherever possible the sites will remain open for staff and students who are locally based. The following personnel are authorised to contact the radio station and arrange for a Groupwise email to be sent to indicate closure:
Lead: Principal
Action: Learning Centre Managers/ Customer Services
Lead: Designated Person
Action: Learning Centre Managers/ Customer Services
Where evening classes are cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, the Fort William designated person will inform LBDS and WHC teaching staff the designated responsible person at other sites will endeavour to contact their teaching staff as soon as practicable.
Employee’s Responsibility
It is the responsibility of every employee to do their utmost to attend their normal place of work during adverse weather conditions. Staff local to their normal place of work should always attend. Those members of staff unable to attend their normal place of work, but living locally at another site, should attend that site.
Where weather conditions improve and are not likely to further deteriorate, the member of staff should make every effort to attend their normal place of work.
4.2 Deterioration of Weather Conditions
Where weather conditions deteriorate during the day, the College Management will ensure members of staff and students from outlying areas are informed to either return home or attend a local College site. This will normally be done after receiving advice from bus companies or emergency services.
4.3 Payment For Days Lost Due To Adverse Weather Conditions
Upon the submission of the appropriate form and where the member of staff has made every effort to attend their normal place of work or alternative college site and has telephoned or emailed to say they are unable to attend, the staff member will receive their normal pay for that day. For evening staff whose classes have been cancelled or an alternative lecturer/tutor has been appointed to teach the class that evening, no pay will be given for the evening.
5 Review date
This policy and its accompanying procedure will be reviewed on an annual basis.
Date of issue:
Signed by Principal
PROCEDURE – Adverse Weather Conditions
1 Responsibility
1.1 It is the responsibility of every member of staff to do their utmost to attend their normal place of work, however the College Management recognise that in adverse weather conditions this is not always possible.
1.2 Decisions regarding the closure of any College site will be taken by the Principal or his/her nominated deputy, after taking advice from emergency services, bus companies, and appropriate personnel (listed below) responsible for College sites during adverse weather conditions.
Where students do not have a lecturer/instructor/trainer present in their class, and an alternative member of staff to take the class cannot be identified, the students, on the College main site, will be supervised in an appropriate room by Curriculum Managers and/or the Senior Management Team. Likewise in other sites, unsupervised classes will be amalgamated in one room if possible and a member of staff allocated to that room to supervise students.
Under no circumstances will classes be dismissed unless the college site is closing.
1.3 A decision to close the College will be taken as soon as reasonably practicable and the local radio station, college website and the Groupwise email system will be used to intimate a College site’s closure. Wherever possible the sites will remain open for staff and students who are locally based. The following personnel are authorised to contact the radio station, arrange for the website to be updated and for a Groupwise email to be sent to indicate closure:
Lead: Principal
Action: Learning Centre Managers/ Customer Services
Lead: Designated Person
Action: Learning Centre Managers/ Customer Services
Where evening classes are cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, the Fort William designated person will inform LBDS and WHC teaching staff the designated responsible person at other sites will endeavour to contact their teaching staff as soon as practicable.
2. Procedure for Staff
2.1 When adverse weather conditions occur and a member of staff is unable to attend for work, they should contact their normal place of work to indicate they are unable to report for duty.
2.2 Where the member of staff is unable to attend their normal place of work, but can safely attend another College site they should:
a contact the site to ensure it is open
b travel to the site to undertake duties as required.
3. Procedure for students
3.1 When adverse weather conditions occur and a student is unable to attend college, they should contact their learning centre and give their name and course title before 09.30 am or as soon as practicably possible, stating the reason.
3 Definitions
a. Adverse Weather – includes extremely high winds, extreme snow conditions and severe flooding.