Purpose
San Jacinto College is committed to providing a safe, secure, and healthy environment for faculty, staff, students, administration, and visitors.
Policy
The departments and employees of the College directly responsible for maintaining a suitable environment for teaching and learning include the Safety, Health, Environment, and Risk Management (SHERM) office, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the San Jacinto College Police Department, Facilities Services, and faculty. The specific duties of each responsible party shall be established by the College administration.
Specific responsibilities are assigned to each area responsible for safety and security as follows.
The SHERM office is responsible for maintaining programs to identify and respond to safety hazards, as well as for establishing and maintaining staff-development programs focused on job safety. The staff of the SHERM office will provide division and department chairpersons and other leaders with appropriate information regarding safety risks in instructional and office areas and will be responsible for providing follow-up studies of all accident- or safety-incident reports. If the SHERM Director believes that employees in a particular area need additional or specialized staff development training regarding safety, the Director may recommend this training to the appropriate Vice Chancellor, Dean, or Provost who will be responsible for scheduling the training.
The College OEM has responsibilities concerning the teaching and learning environment covered in Policy III.3008.C, Emergency Incidents and encompass the five phases of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
The College-police force is responsible for identifying unsafe areas on the campus and reporting them to the appropriate Vice Chancellor, Dean, or Provost. Police Officers respond to all emergencies and offer appropriate assistance to students, College employees, and campus visitors. Police officers participate in appropriate training experiences to assist them in responding to campus situations, and officers communicate with instructional and area leaders regarding risks in their areas.
The Facilities Services department is responsible for ensuring that all properties and College facilities are clean, in good repair, and aesthetically attractive. Facilities Services leadership are responsible for evaluating the cleanliness and appropriateness of the facilities in their areas; they are responsible for the evaluation and appropriate developmental training of employees they supervise; and they are responsible for preparing the appropriate reports and evaluations as required by departmental leadership as contained in Policy III.3004.C, Facilities Services, and the associated procedure. Further direction is provided with regard to access control and the associated security of spaces in Policy III.3004.D and its associated procedure.
Faculty are responsible for classroom management and have an active role in monitoring and reporting climate, cleanliness, and other conditions of classrooms. Faculty are to work with their Department Chairs, administrative assistants, division operations coordinators, and/or Facilities Services per division practice if they notice classrooms to be in need of repair, climate control, or cleaning, etc.
In addition to staff specifically assigned responsibilities in the area of safety, all College leaders are responsible for identifying potential and real safety hazards, for reporting accidents or police incidents, and for including safety issues in their staff-development programs.
The Authority, Applicability, Sanctions, Exclusions, and Interpretation do not differ from Policy II.2000.A, Policy and Procedures Development, Review, Revision, and Rescission.
Associated Procedures
Procedure V.5001.D.a, Safety in the Teaching/Learning Environment
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Date of Board Approval |
October 4, 2021 |
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Effective Date |
October 5, 2021 |
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Primary Owner |
Deputy Chancellor & President |
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Secondary Owner |
Provosts |