Employee Safety Information

This is for faculty and staff at Northwestern Michigan College. The Campus Safety Department has assembled a few suggestions, based on frequently asked questions, or problems. Please read them carefully. They may save you time, property, energy, and save lives in the event of a disaster.

Disaster Preparedness:

• Read and know all the suggestions in the "Student Safety Information" handout.
• You may need to help students safely leave the buildings.
• Tell your students your pre-determined assembly point. Take roll before you evacuate.
• After your students are safely dismissed from your personal assembly point, you must report to the Emergency Assembly Area
• Be aware of safety hazards and requirements of the subject you instruct.

Emergency Communications:

NMC uses a variety of methods to communicate with students, faculty, staff and guests in the event of emergency, including:

• E-mails to student and staff accounts
• Announcements on campus monitors
• Broadcast messages to all computers
• Text-messages. Students and employees can opt in to receive emergency text messages, as well as text messages about campus closures, through NMC Self Service.

Campus Security and Safety:

• Report suspicious people or something that seems out of place when you see it! Get the emergency contact numbers and put them in your cell phone now before you need them.
• Question a person who seems out of place. They may be lost, or need help, or they may be waiting for the right moment to steal a purse or wallet from a desk or locker.
• If you are the last instructor to use a room for the evening, please turn off the lights and any equipment. Close the door and lock it if you have a key.
• Campus Safety secures the exterior doors to the buildings. Make sure the exterior doors close securely behind you when you leave. Our "automatic" closers may need your help.
• A staff person in the Campus Services Department will unlock the exterior doors to the buildings at Great Lakes and Aero Park campuses. Faculty/Staff typically open their own classrooms and offices.
• Access to campus buildings is limited during "off hours". You must contact Campus Safety if you plan to be in a building during other than regular scheduled hours.
• If you need a key issued to you for a room, contact your supervisor immediately to have one ordered. If you lose your key, contact the campus locksmith at Facilities to get a replacement. The Campus Safety department can assist you in getting into your office or classroom, but it may not be feasible for them to respond if they are dealing with urgent activities. Do not give keys to students.
• Do not leave students unattended in class, or arrange for them to be in buildings without supervision.
• If you have an office with public access, do not leave your door open or unlocked when you step out. Valuable items have been stolen from office desks.
• If you see a potential safety hazard, report it to Campus Services at 995-1111.
• Report maintenance problems to the Campus Services at 995-1111.

Injuries:

• If you are injured at work, notify your supervisor immediately, and file a report with HR. If a student is injured during class, the instructor is required to complete an injury report. Injury report forms are available at the Health Center.

Power Outages:

In addition to the items in the "Student Safety Information" handout, remember:

• Wait at least 15 minutes for power to restore.
• Take roll before dismissing class. Confirm students were okay when they left class.
• Close and lock up the classroom if possible.
• Assign groups to help each other get to their cars. Assist those that need help in evacuating the buildings.
• Contact Campus Safety for escort services if needed.

Parking:

• If you are an instructor, tell students about the parking situation and give the "Student Safety Information" handout at your first class.
• If you invite a guest to campus, be sure to explain the parking regulations to them in advance. The guest will need to have a permit. Contact your supervisor if you need a temporary permit for an official business guest.
• When parking, make sure your car is completely within a marked parking stall, and do not leave valuables in plain view in your car.
• Do not drive onto the campus walkways. If you need to deliver something to a building or class, contact Campus Safety to receive authorization and traffic control prior to driving onto campus.
• Remember your staff permit expires at the end of every academic year. It is your responsibility to request a renewal. Forms are available at the Cashier's Office and the Welcome Center. Send your renewal request at least a month in advance, in order to receive your permit, and not receive a citation. Put on the new permit as soon as you get it.
• If you receive a parking citation, you may contest any citation through the Campus Security Manager. The forms are located at the Facilities Building. This form will be available on the Facilities website soon for your convenience..

Computer and Records Information:

• Set up a password protected screen saver. The screen will automatically "time-out" if you step away from your desk. This will guard from others accessing your computer in the event you forget to log off.
• DO NOT write your password down for others to see. Change your password occasionally.
• Don't open attachments that you didn't ask for, or expect to receive, even if it "appears" to come from a colleague. A virus can find legitimate email addresses, and then send from those addresses.
• Protect all documents that have personal data of others. Past practice was to have Social Security (a.k.a. Student ID) numbers on many documents used by the college. If you use or mail out an old form that contains someone's SS number, notify your supervisor to see if the form can be changed. In the meantime, perhaps the number could be made illegible in case the document is intercepted or misplaced.
• Protect your own privacy. Don't respond to email requests to "verify your personal data for our records" ('phishing'). The web sites for this look very convincing, but the data is used for ID Theft.
• Spam, an attempt to get your info, seems never ending. Just delete the bogus email and move on.

Please contact the Campus Safety Department if you have questions or comments on this handout