Safeguarding Capital Equipment Assets

Safeguarding the University's capital equipment assets is a priority for each custodial department and those individuals responsible for those assets. Vigilance must be maintained to see that equipment assets are not lost, stolen or vandalized. Departments and their personnel should always try to be cognizant of risk regarding their equipment assets and do whatever possible to minimize that risk. Assumption of security and complacency regarding possible risk are the two most significant factors leading to asset loss. Departments should develop their own clear, consistent procedures for dealing with equipment, including acceptable use, disposal, transfer and recording of property location, inventory counts, and physical security measures in the procedures. Departments may fine-tune policies and procedures to meet their own unique operating guidelines, but this document should provide baseline or minimum requirement in regard to assets. The goal is to motivate compliance among staff, faculty and University community by presenting benefits of strong financial management and control, as per the Board of Regents Policy: Code of Conduct.

Locking doors:

The last person in a room, especially labs, should lock the door behind them if they are leaving, even if only for a brief interval. Lab doors should never be propped open if lab personnel are not in attendance.

Locking down equipment:

Various types of equipment items are more likely to be at risk. At greatest risk are any items that are designed to be portable. Laptop computers, video projectors, and musical instruments head the list of items that are most often reported as lost. Labs and offices where certain items are most frequently used, such as laptop computers, should be outfitted with cables to lock down equipment items that could be easily grabbed and stolen. Extra care should be taken when traveling with equipment items like those mentioned above to lock them in vehicle trunks or cases and to keep them out of sight whenever possible. A laptop computer lying on a seat in a locked car might be inviting theft and vehicle damage.