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Policy 4106 – Keys for Offices and Buildings

Revision Date: 10/21/2019

Last Review: 10/21/2019

Responsible Office: Operations and Maintenance (Administration and Facilities)

References:

Policy:

The Key Policy is established to ensure accessibility to University facilities while maintaining a safe and secure campus. Individuals assigned keys are responsible for securing assigned keys and for their use. Should a key become lost it is the responsibility of the employee to immediately notify the University.

Residential Life develops policies and administers key control and maintains a key inventory for all Residential Facilities. The Physical Plant administers key control and maintains a key inventory for all other buildings on the Louisiana Tech University campus. 

The Physical Plant will establish forms for key requests and approvals. Employees assigned keys must pick-up keys at the Physical Plant and will sign the key request form as a receipt, signifying acceptance of responsibility for the key and its use. Employees will be charged an appropriate fee if the key is lost or if it is not returned upon termination of their employment with the University. If at anytime a key is no longer needed before separation from the University, the employee must return the key to the Physical Plant. Employees must identify themselves to Physical Plant personnel by presenting their university identification card. A copy will be made and kept on file with the key request form and will be charged an appropriate fee if the key is lost or if it is not returned upon termination of their employment with the University. No keys will be distributed without being assigned to an individual employee.

Issuance of Master Keys must be approved by the Associate Vice President for Administration and Facilities. Only one master key will be assigned to any individual.

The Physical Plant will notify the employee when the keys are ready to be picked up.

It is against University Policy and poor practice to loan a key to another individual.

Keys must not be transferred directly from one employee to another employee.

Employees will be charged for key replacement or for keys not returned at time of separation from service. 

For security of sensitive areas, it may be necessary to change the locks when a key is lost. If deemed necessary, the employee or Department will be charged an appropriate fee for this service. The decision to replace the key with a copy or change locks will be determined by Physical Plant. If this is necessary, all employees who have been issued this key will be issued a new key matching the new lock. These employees will have to come to the Physical Plant facility to receive their new keys.

Random key audits may be performed by a representative from the Physical Plant or from the Office of Internal Audit. During a key audit, any person or department that has been issued a University key will be required to account for all issued keys.

Electronic access to buildings is available through radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled Campus ID cards or key chain fobs issued by individual facility administrators. ID cards are issued through the Tech Express office and are tied to the Campus Wide ID number. Through Active Directory maintained by the Computing Center, ID cards are activated and deactivated by either employment status or enrollment status. Rules for which areas are granted electronic access are determined by administrators controlling the facility. Each area controlling the facility shall maintain a policy for their area of responsibility. The electronic control system will maintain who authorized access, the date authorization was granted and specific areas granted access.

Definitions:

Sub-Master Key – a key fitting a group of related doors within a building. The Sub-Master Key will open all doors commonly grouped, but not every door in a facility.

Building Master Key – a key fitting one building and most doors within a building. A Building Master Key will open all doors in a building.

Fob or ID Card with RFID – University ID Card or key chain fob that unlocks doors programmed to provide access instead of a key.

Procedures:

Key request form

Policy 4106 – Keys for Offices and Buildings

Revision Date: 10/21/2019

Last Review: 10/21/2019

Responsible Office: Operations and Maintenance (Administration and Facilities)

References:

Policy:

The Key Policy is established to ensure accessibility to University facilities while maintaining a safe and secure campus. Individuals assigned keys are responsible for securing assigned keys and for their use. Should a key become lost it is the responsibility of the employee to immediately notify the University.

Residential Life develops policies and administers key control and maintains a key inventory for all Residential Facilities. The Physical Plant administers key control and maintains a key inventory for all other buildings on the Louisiana Tech University campus. 

The Physical Plant will establish forms for key requests and approvals. Employees assigned keys must pick-up keys at the Physical Plant and will sign the key request form as a receipt, signifying acceptance of responsibility for the key and its use. Employees will be charged an appropriate fee if the key is lost or if it is not returned upon termination of their employment with the University. If at anytime a key is no longer needed before separation from the University, the employee must return the key to the Physical Plant. Employees must identify themselves to Physical Plant personnel by presenting their university identification card. A copy will be made and kept on file with the key request form and will be charged an appropriate fee if the key is lost or if it is not returned upon termination of their employment with the University. No keys will be distributed without being assigned to an individual employee.

Issuance of Master Keys must be approved by the Associate Vice President for Administration and Facilities. Only one master key will be assigned to any individual.

The Physical Plant will notify the employee when the keys are ready to be picked up.

It is against University Policy and poor practice to loan a key to another individual.

Keys must not be transferred directly from one employee to another employee.

Employees will be charged for key replacement or for keys not returned at time of separation from service. 

For security of sensitive areas, it may be necessary to change the locks when a key is lost. If deemed necessary, the employee or Department will be charged an appropriate fee for this service. The decision to replace the key with a copy or change locks will be determined by Physical Plant. If this is necessary, all employees who have been issued this key will be issued a new key matching the new lock. These employees will have to come to the Physical Plant facility to receive their new keys.

Random key audits may be performed by a representative from the Physical Plant or from the Office of Internal Audit. During a key audit, any person or department that has been issued a University key will be required to account for all issued keys.

Electronic access to buildings is available through radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled Campus ID cards or key chain fobs issued by individual facility administrators. ID cards are issued through the Tech Express office and are tied to the Campus Wide ID number. Through Active Directory maintained by the Computing Center, ID cards are activated and deactivated by either employment status or enrollment status. Rules for which areas are granted electronic access are determined by administrators controlling the facility. Each area controlling the facility shall maintain a policy for their area of responsibility. The electronic control system will maintain who authorized access, the date authorization was granted and specific areas granted access.

Definitions:

Sub-Master Key – a key fitting a group of related doors within a building. The Sub-Master Key will open all doors commonly grouped, but not every door in a facility.

Building Master Key – a key fitting one building and most doors within a building. A Building Master Key will open all doors in a building.

Fob or ID Card with RFID – University ID Card or key chain fob that unlocks doors programmed to provide access instead of a key.

Procedures:

Key request form