Section 22-B9007. EMERGENCY CONDITIONS

 

9007.1Policy: The PBC shall ensure that essential patient care services are provided and staffing is adequate in the event of an emergency, such as inclement weather, power failure, or other natural disaster.

 

9007.2Employees scheduled to work must make every effort to support the patient care delivery system.

 

9007.3Emergency transportation arrangements, if instituted, may be designed to transport employees essential to support patient care.

 

9007.4Emergency conditions: activation of emergency conditions are as follows:

 

(a)After review of available information regarding a potential emergency, the administrator on-call shall determine whether an emergency condition as defined by this policy exists;

 

(b)If an “emergency condition” is called, the administrator on-call shall advise the nursing administrator on duty, the Security Department, the Communications Department, and each vice president that such condition exists;

 

(c)Each vice president shall notify their managers of the emergency condition. Managers shall notify their employees;

 

(d)A hotline for emergency information shall be established and maintained by the Communications Department. A command center shall be established in the Nursing Department to coordinate essential services and staffing. Human Resources shall assist such effort;

 

(e)The Communications Department shall notify local radio stations to announce that an emergency condition has been activated;

 

(f)Staffing during emergency conditions is as follows:

 

(1)Departments providing essential services shall remain open;

 

(2)Department managers must not release employees until the next shift has arrived. Assessments on staff shall be made regularly by managers to ensure safe patient care;

 

(3)Scheduled employees who are late or prevented from arriving must contact the command center for instructions; and

 

(4)Each department shall maintain an employee list containing names, addresses, and phone numbers to be contacted in an emergency. A copy of such list shall be forwarded to the Communications Department.

 

(g)The following guidelines are applicable for emergency transportation:

 

(1)The command post shall coordinate the transportation effort, which shall include PBC owned vehicles equipped for emergency conditions; and

 

(2)Every effort shall be made to provide transportation to those employees considered essential who cannot arrive at the PBC on his/her own;

 

(h)Pay practices during emergency conditions, which apply, are as follows:

 

(1)Employees unable to leave shall be accommodated with food and lodging;

 

(2)Employees who are assigned to perform duties other than their regular assignments shall be compensated by their regular rate of pay;

 

(3)Overtime and shift differential shall be paid per policy;

 

(4)Employees unable to report to work due to emergency conditions shall normally not be paid. Alternate pay practices for severe conditions shall be reviewed on a case by case basis;

 

(5)Employees who are ill shall be marked absent without pay pending presentation of proof of illness; and

 

(6)Employees who arrive within two (2) hours of the start of their shift shall be paid for the entire shift. Those who arrive more than two hours after the start of their shift may be paid either from the time of arrival or the entire shift at the discretion of their manager. Normally, an employee to be paid for the entire shift must demonstrate effort to arrive on time (i.e., calling the command center or manager while in transit or requiring transportation).

 

9007.5Termination of emergency conditions: The PBC administrator on-call in coordination with the CEO shall terminate the emergency condition after appropriate consultation; and

 

9007.6The Communications Department and the command post must be notified immediately. The hotline shall be updated at that time.

 

source

Final Rulemaking published at 45 DCR 7353, 7417 (October 9, 1998).