College Policy Number/Title:

When an employee is behaving in a way that could endanger himself/herself or other people or when the normal functioning of a classroom or department could be disrupted, he/she will not be allowed to continue working or remain in the workplace.  It is possible that there could be unexplained or inappropriate behavior resulting from illness, disability or other causes.  The kind of behavior that might cause this level of concern could include any of the following although this is not a comprehensive list:

  • Staggering
  • Appear to be hearing and seeing things that are not there
  • Slurring words
  • Acting violently
  • Threatening violence or in any way violating the college's weapons policy (50.07)
  • Speaking inappropriately, for example:  threatening or harassing speech
  • Throwing things
  • Speaking in a way that indicates unawareness of time and place
  • Appearing to be confused   
  • Unable to perform job duties as outlined in job description, which may be due to physical or mental impairment

If there is an emergency, call 911 first; then notify security.

If there is no immediate reason to call 911, but it is unsafe for the employee or other people for the employee to stay on campus, the college may require that the employee leave the campus.  In either event, inform the security office as soon as possible.

If it appears that an employee will need to be asked to leave the campus, the supervisor will contact the office of human resources.  If warranted, the associate vice president of human resources or designee, college president, or area vice president will ask the employee to leave the workplace and return only when a “Fitness to Work” certification is completed by a physician designated by the college as referred by the Howard County Risk Management Program; such certification must include reports on substance abuse testing if applicable. The expense of the physician’s services, and related services, will be borne by the college.  If the employee does not appear to be competent to get himself or herself home safely, the college will call an emergency contact to come and pick up the employee or will arrange for transportation to the employee's home or hospital, as appropriate.

Subsequently, a letter will be mailed to the employee, at their home address, which will serve as written documentation explaining the requirement that the employee may not return to the workplace until the “Fitness to Work” certification has been completed; the letter will also provide information about the college-designated physician the employee should see before returning to work.

The employee may use any available leave balances, including sick, personal or annual leave while absent from the workplace. The employee will also be referred immediately to the employee assistance program - see Procedure 63.07.18.

Effective Date:  2/13/2009