Operating Policy and Procedure
HSC OP: 70.42, Break Time for Nursing Mothers
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Operating Policy and Procedure (HSC OP) is to establish standards and protocols for nursing or lactation accommodation in the workplace that demonstrate our Values-Based Culture and support the designation as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite.
REVIEW: This HSC OP will be reviewed on June 1st of every even-numbered year (ENY) by the Vice President for Human Resources, with recommendations for revisions forwarded to the Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations.
POLICY/PROCEDURE:
1. General Information
TTUHSC supports and encourages the practice of breastfeeding and the expression of breast milk by team members who are breastfeeding when they return to work. For this reason, TTUHSC will make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location in close proximity to work areas where a team member can nurse her baby or express milk in privacy.
2. Applicability
This policy applies to all team members, including student workers.
a. A team member shall be eligible for this break time up to, but not beyond, one year after the child’s birth.
b. This break time is available to team members during shifts and hours worked.
3. Team Member Responsibilities
a. Upon return to work after the birth of a child, a breastfeeding team member will be allowed flexibility in their schedule to provide reasonable time to nurse or express milk during working hours.
b. A team member wishing to use nursing mother break times shall provide notice of the request to her supervisor by submitting the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Request form found on the HR Employee Resources forms webpage. Such notice shall be provided to the supervisor to allow adequate time to schedule break times and identify the closest designated location.
If a designated location is not available at your worksite, please contact Human Resources to identify an appropriate location.
c. A team member’s scheduled breaks should ensure a minimal disruption to the operation of the team member’s department.
d. A team member is required to notify her supervisor with reasonable notice when the time for nursing or expressing breast milk is no longer required.
e. This policy does not permit a baby to remain in the workplace as a substitute for regular off-site child care beyond the established nursing purposes.
4. Reasonable Break Time
a. Although a team member is not required to, it is encouraged that normal break times and/or meal periods be used for this purpose.
b. Two breaks per day of up to 20 minutes, one in the first four hours of the work and one in the last four hours of the workday, will be compensated. Any time in excess of 20 minutes per break shall either be made up by extending time worked, taking vacation leave, or leave without pay for the purpose of milk expression or feeding. This shall be coordinated with the immediate supervisor.
c. A team member may be required to postpone scheduled break time for up to 30 minutes if appropriate coverage of her workstation is unavailable.
d. If a team member is nursing, additional time for travel to a different location for the purposes of nursing will not be provided. The team member may coordinate for the baby to be brought to the designated nursing location at the agreed-upon break milk expression or feeding.
5. Minimum Standards for Designated Nursing or Milk Expression Space
6. TTUHSC will make reasonable efforts to provide a private room or another suitable location free from the intrusion of co-workers and the public for nursing or expressing breast milk. When feasible, the location will be reasonably close to the work area of the team member. Lactation support provisions and designated space are available to all team members, including student workers. Below are the minimum standards for TTUHSC-provided lactation rooms:
a. The designated location shall not be accessible to the public or other team members while it is in use for nursing or expression purposes.
b. The designated location should contain, at minimum, a chair and a flat surface such as a desk, table, or counter, an electrical outlet, and a door with a lock.
c. If an employee has a private office, it may be used for this purpose.
d. The designated location shall not be a restroom or toilet stall.
e. The location should provide access to a clean, safe water source and a sink.
f. The location should provide access to a hygienic place to store expressed breast milk.
g. The location should provide a lock-secure area with reasonable privacy.
7. Storage of Breast Milk
Lactation rooms will provide access to a hygienic place to store expressed breast milk. However, TTUHSC is not responsible for ensuring the safekeeping of expressed milk stored in any refrigerator on its premises.
a. Safekeeping of the expressed milk is the responsibility of the team member. All expressed milk must be stored in closed containers, regardless of the method of storage.
b. If the expressed milk is stored in a common refrigerated space, the team member must provide an insulated container to avoid contamination from other items stored therein. The container should be labeled with the team member’s name and the date.
c. If a refrigerator is not available, the team member may bring a small ice chest or other insulated container to store their expressed milk.
8. Authoritative References
29 USC. Section 207–Fair Labor Standards Act
Texas Health and Safety Code Title 2, Subtitle H, Chapter 165, Sections 165.001–165.003
9. Right to Change Policy
TTUHSC reserves the right to interpret, change, modify, amend, or rescind this policy in whole or in part at any time without prior notice or consent of the team members.