[Date changed–posted 5/24/23 (last revised 1/23/19)]
[PDF Version]

 

Operating Policy and Procedure

OP 70.24: Communicable and Transmittable Disease Control in the Employee Workforce

DATE: May 24, 2023

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Operating Policy/Procedure (OP) is to establish policy and procedure for handling employees with a communicable and/or transmittable disease in a manner fair to the affected employee and to provide a safe work environment for all employees.

REVIEW: This OP will be reviewed in March of odd-numbered years by the Associate Vice President for Human Resources and the Office of Equal Opportunity with substantive revisions forwarded to the Chief of Staff to the President.

POLICY/PROCEDURE

1.  Definition of Terms

a.    Communicable Disease – A disease easily spread by casual contact and that poses a threat to other employees and/or students.

b.    Transmittable Disease – A disease not easily spread by casual contact but which may be bloodborne, transmitted sexually or through other bodily fluids, or transmitted in other ways that poses only a limited threat to other employees and/or students.

c.    Non-communicable Disease – A disease not considered transferable from person to person that poses no threat to other employees and/or students.

2.  General Policy

Texas Tech University is committed to providing fair and equal employment opportunities for all individuals, including those who have been exposed to communicable and/or transmittable diseases. The university is also committed to providing a safe workplace for all employees and a safe environment for its students that meets or exceeds federal, state, and local regulations.

The university is legally and ethically required to refrain from releasing any information pertaining to a person diagnosed as having a serious medical illness. Knowledge of any person so affected will be confined to those persons with a direct need to know.

This policy applies to all areas of the university and personnel administration including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, opportunities for training and development, pay, benefits, promotions and demotions, layoffs and terminations, and standards of personal conduct.

3.  Procedure

a.    Communicable/Transmittable Disease

General Information

An employee who has a communicable or transmittable disease, as determined by medical certification, may elect to utilize sick leave, vacation leave, or leave without pay benefits in accordance with normal university policies and/or family and medical leave policies.

In addition, an employee who has a communicable/transmittable disease that poses a threat to other employees and/or students may be required by the applicable administrative officer to utilize additional sick leave, vacation leave, family and medical leave, and/or leave without pay benefits until the threat is removed. The employee may also be required by the university to obtain a medical certification that they do not represent a threat to other employees and/or students prior to being permitted to return to work, at the discretion of the applicable administrative officer.

The employee also may be reassigned to other work or to other work areas in order to reduce or remove the threat posed to other employees and/or students.

Each situation will be evaluated on the basis of that particular case, taking into consideration the desires and rights of the employee, the safety of the workplace, and the needs of the university.

b.    Non-communicable Disease

An employee who has a non-communicable disease, as determined by medical certification, may elect to utilize sick leave, vacation leave, family and medical leave, and/or leave without pay benefits in accordance with normal university policies.

4.  Right to Change Policy

Texas Tech University reserves the right to interpret, change, modify, amend, or rescind this policy, in whole or in part, at any time without the consent of employees.

OP Categories

01 Chancellor
02 Development
04 Audit Services
10 President
30 Academic and Student Affairs – General
32 Academic Policies – Faculty
34 Academic Policies – Students
36 Academic Programs
40 Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
48 Communication Services
52 Information Technology
60 Environmental Health and Safety
61 Facilities Management
62 Financial and Accounting
63 General Services
64 Graduate Programs (Faculty and Students)
65 Research Accounting
66 Libraries
67 Mail Services
68 Communications and Marketing
69 Payroll and Tax Services
70 Human Resources
72 Purchasing, Contracting, and Payables
74 Research
76 Security
77 Student Services and Registrar
78 Traffic and Parking
79 Travel
80 Vehicles