Key and Door Policy

Facilities Operations Policy PP 03 93 Revised January 7, 2008

Purpose: To provide for physical security of campus buildings and their occupants and to provide for administration and control of keys.

Scope: Applies to all University departments and activities.

Policy:

l. Hours

1.1      The buildings and facilities of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke are available for general use by University employees and students for educational purposes. Under normal circumstances, the buildings will be open (outside doors unlocked) for business on weekdays from 7 a.m. till 11 p.m. and on weekends as scheduled classes and/or authorized activities require.

1.2      Buildings may be accessed when outside doors are locked on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. by those employees to whom a building entrance key has been issued.

1.3      After 11 p.m. access will be restricted to University employees who have been authorized by a Vice Chancellor and have been issued a building entrance key.

2. Keys

2.1      All employees authorized to control space or access buildings are expected to request and be responsible for their own key(s) and to have on their person their own key(s) in order to unlock doors where and when they are authorized. Maintenance (including custodians) and security personnel are not authorized to unlock doors for individuals at any time except when approved in advance.

2.2      Duplication of keys by anyone other than the Key Control Manager or Director of Facilities Operations is prohibited.

2.3      Keys are issued for entry to University buildings for the purpose of conducting University business only.

3. Definitions

3.1      Campus Keys: Those keys which open buildings, interior doors, and other locks in University facilities.

3.2      Central Key Control File: Records maintained by the Facilities Operations Department identifying keys by number, function, and personnel having possession of campus keys.

3.3      Key Control Methods: Methods used by the Facilities Operations Department to assure access to University facilities by only such personnel as are authorized by the proper authority.

3.4      Keying System: Numerical combinations which can be used to extend or limit the variety of keys in use.

3.5      Key Control Manager: The person in the Facilities Operations Department who will manage the keying system and be responsible for issuing, recording, and recovering keys in accordance with this policy.

4. Key Control Manager - The Key Control Manager will be responsible for:

4.1      Creating a keying system which will insure physical security and reasonable convenience to persons duly authorized to possess keys to University facilities.

4.2      Maintaining the central key control file and up-to-date records of keying systems.

4.3      Issuance and tracking of grand master keys.

4.4      Fabricating and issuing all keys. No other source for keys is authorized.

4.5      Controlling all lock work on campus facilities and property. Only the University's Facilities Operations Department is authorized to install, alter, or remove locks on any University of North Carolina at Pembroke facility or property when approved by the Director of Facilities Operations.

4.6      Coordinating lost-key records with administrators and determining whether rekeying of an area is required because of lost or misused keys.

4.7      Furnishing key information to authorized personnel.

4.8      Recovering all campus keys from personnel who are terminating or transferring within The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

4.9      Prior to the end of each academic semester, each department will be provided with a list of individuals assigned keys to areas under its jurisdiction.

NOTE: These lists will aid the departments in identifying those keys to be returned by students or staff.

5. Vice Chancellors and Department Heads - Vice Chancellors and Department Heads will be responsible for:

5.1      Authorizing the issuance of keys to their staff members or students as necessary and in accordance with this policy.

5.2      Reporting to the Key Control Manager all key holders who are terminating or transferring within The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

5.3      Reporting loss or theft of keys to Key Control Manager.

5.4      Annually, each Department Head must check and certify the accuracy of an inventory list of keys issued to employees within his/her area(s).

6. Key Recipients - Personnel to whom keys have been issued are responsible for:

6.1      Completing and signing a Key Request/Record form.

6.2      Maintaining possession and security of any and all keys issued by the Key Control Manager.

6.3      When entering or leaving a locked building, not allowing any individual to enter who would not normally be permitted to enter the building during the hours it is locked. Key recipients may have guests so long as the guests stay in the proximity of the faculty or staff member having the assigned key, and the key recipient assumes full responsibility for their presence.

6.4      When entering or leaving a locked building, the key recipient shall be responsible for securing the doors.

6.5      Reporting loss or theft of key(s) to their Vice Chancellor or Department Head.

7. Special Security Keying and Changes of Keying

7.1      Special security locks and keys for areas of special consideration may be permitted upon approval of the Director of Facilities Operations, a Vice Chancellor, and the Chancellor.

7.2      No individual may use a personal lock for space control nor may locks be changed or rekeyed without prior approval of a Vice Chancellor, the Key Control Manager, and the Director of Facilities Operations.

7.3      Areas approved for special locks or keys will not receive maintenance nor custodial services except by special arrangement with the Director of Facilities Operations.        

8. Eligibility

8.1      Building entrance keys may be issued to full-time employees if their job responsibilities require such assignments as approved by the appropriate Vice Chancellor.

8.2      When authorized, individual room keys will be issued to an employee controlling access to a space or facility; i.e., office storage room, workroom, etc.

8.3      Temporary assignment of keys may be requested for a specific purpose and date as approved by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or department head. Such requests must comply with all other sections of this policy. Keys requested for a specific purpose and date shall be returned to the Key Control Manager at the beginning of the first work day following the specific date.

8.4      Grand master keys provide unlimited access to various facilities on campus. Because of this fact, grand master keys will be tracked separately by the Facilities Operations Locksmith on an individual basis. Grand master keys can only be issued upon the approval of the Chancellor and the appropriate Vice Chancellor. Great grand master keys require approval of the Chancellor prior to issuance. These keys must be returned directly to the Key Control Manager when no longer needed or when the employee is no longer with the University. Each employee is responsible for the use, security, and return of his/her grand master key.

9. Procedure for Obtaining and Returning Campus Keys

9.1      The requesting employee must execute a Key Request/Record form and have the request approved by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or Department Head. When approved by the Director of Facilities Operations, the appropriate key(s) will be made; and the requesting employee will be notified when the key(s) are available from the Key Control Manager. A separate form must be used for each key requested.

9.2      A key file will be maintained by the Key Control Manager in the Facilities Operations Department for each employee who has been issued one or more keys. The employee must acknowledge receipt of keys by signing for each key on the form as it is issued.

9.3      Keys no longer necessary to an individual will be returned by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or Department Head to the Key Control Manager.

9.4      Receipt of keys returned will be noted by the Key Control Manager.

10. Transferring Keys within a Department

10.1      Persons being transferred within a department or to another department will get keys only from the Key Control Manager when approved by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or Department Head. Keys shall not be exchanged between individuals.        

11. Recovering Keys from University Employees

11.1      To facilitate recovering keys, the appropriate Vice Chancellor or Department Head will send the Key Control Manager a list of individuals in the department who are terminating employment or moving to another jurisdiction.

11.2      When an individual has returned all keys issued by the University, the Key Control Manager will send notice to Human Resources.

12. Loss or Theft of Campus Keys

12.1      Loss or theft of University keys must be reported immediately to appropriate Vice Chancellor or Department Head by the individual to whom they were issued.

12.2      The Key Control Manager will note on the individual's Key Assignment Card the loss of the key(s).

13. Rekeying and Lock Changes

13.1      All requests for rekeying and lock changes must be submitted in writing to the Director of Facilities Operations by the appropriate Vice Chancellor.

13.2      When recommended by the Director of Facilities Operations and approved by the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs, the Director of Facilities Operations may authorize the change of a portion or all of the locks in a building or the entire campus. Unless the change is due to an emergency, individuals affected will be given advance notice. Individuals affected by such change shall return all obsolete keys and request new keys through the Key Request/Record procedure.

14. Special Conditions

14.1      Keys to cabinets, lockers, and drawers within buildings or to dormitory rooms are not covered under provisions of this policy. Facilities Operations will furnish such keys upon request; but the issue, control, and recovery of these keys are the responsibility of the Department Head of the facility.

14.2      Staff members granted a leave of absence without pay for a period of thirty (30) or more calendar days may retain their key(s) if they are authorized to have access to the building and/or office during the leave.

15. Door Pressure

15.1      Facilities Management prescribes compliant door pressure through its Campus Design & Construction Guidelines as well as verification of existing door pressures via annual inspections through our Building Inspection Program. 

15.2      The Campus Design & Construction Guidelines are located on the Facilities Planning & Construction website in Section 2.4 Building Envelope, subsection 2.4.5 Doors and reads as follows: 

“Design Criteria- To satisfy accessibility requirements, the preferred width of doors shall be 36” minimum, with an opening force not greater than 5 lbs. for interior and 8 lbs. for exterior, or the least pressure allowed by governing enforcement agencies.”

15.3      Once facilities are constructed and occupied by the University, the BIP department under Facilities Operations schedules annual inspections which include monitoring door pressure to all doors.  The Operations staff is equipped and trained to use door pressure monitoring devices.