Safety Reports & Policies

Purpose

The purpose of this Key Control Policy is to help protect the life, property, and security of Drury University and all its occupants. This policy will outline the process for management of the keying system and assignment of keys on campus. This policy does not apply to students residing in university residential units (dorms, apartments, houses). A separate policy exists for residential students. It can be found in the Community Standards Handbook.

General

The Key Control Policy is essential for the security of Drury University and the protection of its personnel, property, and equipment. As the Key Control Authority, the Director of Safety and Security is authorized to: develop all policies and procedures related to the facility’s key management system; and to appoint the Associate Director of Safety and Security as the Key Control Manager to execute and enforce Key Control Policy and related procedures. The Facilities Department is responsible for making keys and cores, as well as installing and maintaining locks, cylinders, and related opening hardware

Policy Details

Issuing of Keys

• All keys shall remain the property of Drury University
• Keys shall be issued only to designated individuals who have a legitimate need for said keys. Legitimate need is defined as having to access a door/room more than twice a week. Drury University has full-time security officers available 24/7 to open doors/rooms for individuals who only need occasional access (two times or fewer per week)
• The immediate supervisor shall request assignment of keys to new and existing employees using the Key Request Form.
• The Director of Safety and Security shall determine if the request for key is approved.
• Both the immediate supervisor and the employee must sign the Drury University Key Agreement Form (attached) before the key will be issued to the employee.

Returning of Keys

• Upon completion of employment, each employee shall return all assigned keys to the Human Resources Department.
• Assigned keys shall be returned to the Security office at such time as the employee’s need for access changes due to a position/department transfer or relocation.
• All lost or stolen keys shall be reported immediately to the Associate Director of Safety and Security.
• All found keys shall be returned to the Associate Director of Safety and Security.

Employee Responsibilities

• Employees shall only use their assigned keys to access their assigned work areas and should lock doors when leaving any secured area.
• Employees shall ensure that keys assigned to them are safeguarded and properly used.
• At no time should keys be handed off from one employee to another when an employee leaves employment or transfers to another position/department.
• Any unauthorized possession, use, or reproduction of a key may constitute theft or misappropriation.   Any employee who violates this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action.
• Persons entering locked buildings or spaces are responsible for re-securing all doors and shall not prop open any doors.
• Individuals shall not store keys in desk drawers or other unsecured areas.

Cost of Replacement

• In the event assigned keys are lost, stolen or not returned, the Director of Safety and Security shall determine the extent of re-keying necessary to ensure the security of campus buildings is not compromised. Depending on the accessibility of the missing key(s), re-keying may be a single door/office or may extend to an entire building or buildings. The responsible department shall be financially responsible for the entire cost of the re-keying.

Annual Key Audit

• In June of each year the Key Control Manager will provide supervisors (chairs, directors and vice-presidents) with a list of keys assigned to them so that an annual audit may be conducted.
• The supervisor will be responsible for checking with their employees to make sure all of the keys are still in their possession. Any discrepancies will be reported to the Key Control Manager by August 15th of each year.
• The supervisor will work with the Key Control Manager in an attempt to retrieve keys that are in the possession of former employees or students.
• When keys go missing or are not returned the Key Control Authority will inform the supervisor of the total costs to his/her department to have the affected areas re-keyed.
• Re-keying will occur as soon as replacement parts can be ordered taking into account other work demands.
• For highly secure or sensitive areas re-keying will occur as soon as possible. Examples of highly secure or sensitive areas would include but not be limited to Human Resources records keeping rooms, the Business Office or potentially to any other area where confidential information or money is kept.

Procedures

• A Drury University Key Request Form shall be filled out by the immediate supervisor of the employee requesting a key.  The Key Request Form must be signed by the Chair, Director or Vice-president of the requesting department. This form shall be sent to the Associate Director of Safety and Security.
• The Associate Director of Safety and Security, in consultation with the Director of Safety and Security, shall determine approval of the request
• If the key requested is already in existence, the Associate Director of Safety and Security shall have the authority to assign.
• If the key requested is not in existence, the Associate Director of Safety and Security shall contact the Facilities Department to request a new key be created.
• If approved, both the employee and their supervisor shall sign the Drury University Key Agreement Form prior to issuance of the requested key.