Card Access and Security Procedures - ADPH Central Office

The purpose of this procedure is to provide for a reasonable measure of physical security for our employees within the office space, as well as the security of personal and departmental property and information. Physical measures consist primarily of locked suite entrance doors with card access for employees. The Office of Facilities Management will manage the access control system, which includes electric door locks, card readers, access cards, and the access control computer software.

Employee Access to Each Office Suite

Each employee will be issued an electronic access card with a unique identifying number. This access card will be used to gain entrance through corridor doors of the employee’s office or bureau suite. The card will also grant access, as appropriate for each employee, to the exterior entrances of The RSA Tower and either the Capitol parking deck or the Tower parking deck.

Access Levels, designating which doors, hours, and days of the week that access is granted, will be assigned to each employee by the employee’s office or bureau director. Typical access levels are:

1. Work Week Access (6:25 a.m. – 6:15 p.m., Monday – Friday, no holidays); typical of most employees.

2. 7- Day Access (6:25 a.m. – 6:15 p.m., Sunday – Saturday, including holidays)

3. 24 Hour Access, every day (restricted to a small number of employees, as needed)

4. 10-Hour Work Day Access (6:25 a.m. – 7:15 p.m., Monday – Friday, no holidays)

5. Visitor Access (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday, no holidays)

Each employee will be granted access only to the office or bureau suite where he or she works, and to additional areas housing employees that he or she supervises.

Keys to the locks on doors that have card access will not be issued to employees, including management staff. Keys will be kept by the Office of Facilities Management, to be used only during an emergency if the card access system is not operable.

Visitor Access to Each Office Suite

The main entrance of each office suite shall have a visitor log book, to be signed by nonemployees and by employees who do not have card access to that suite.

Visitors are to be accompanied within the suite by employees who work in that suite.

Visitor access cards, with a design distinctive from employee cards or badges, may be issued to nonemployees and interns who have a short-term work assignment within an office suite. Visitor card access times will be more restrictive than for employee work week access.

Each employee has these responsibilities:

  • Handle the access card in a secure manner, as with any type of building key.
  • Never loan an access card to another person, including a coworker, even for what appears to be a legitimate reason.
  • Report a lost or stolen card as soon as possible to his or her supervisor.
  • Replace a lost or damaged card within two business days. (See the procedure on Employee Parking.) Upon leaving employment in the Central Office, the employee must return his or her card to the Department. Access cards are property of the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA).
  • Never prop open locked doors (unless approved by the office director for special events).
  • Never admit unauthorized persons to the office suite.
  • Direct all visitors and delivery persons to the designated main entrance of the office suite. Visitors are not to be let in at other corridor doors.

Each office or bureau director has these responsibilities:

  • Assign access rights. Work Week Access is the default access to be assigned to most employees. Determine which of his or her employees should have 7-Day Access or 24-Hour Access.
  • Manage the access rights of the employees within the office or bureau, through the access control computer software (except for Administration, General Counsel, Progra.m. Integrity, and Human Resources, which are managed by Facilities Management). Activities include adding and deleting employees, updating their card numbers, granting and revoking access, and changing employees’ access times.
  • Immediately remove door access of any lost or stolen card. Report this to Facilities Management.
  • Issue a temporary access card to an employee who reports a lost or stolen card, if the employee cannot immediately go to the RSA’s main office to pay for a replacement card. This card will not work at the parking decks.
  • Issue a temporary access card to an employee who forgets to bring his or her access card to the office. This card will not work at the parking decks.
  • Ensure that each suite main entrance is monitored at all times by one or more employees who can admit visitors to the suite (when appropriate). When no staff is in the suite during business hours, an alternate arrangement must be made for receiving visitors.
  • Designate the areas of the work place that are to be restricted from visitors.
  • Ensure that each employee within the office or bureau fulfills his or her responsibilities as indicated in the employee responsibilities section above.

Failure to adhere to this procedure may result in a breach of confidentiality and danger to employees. Employees who violate this procedure may be subject to disciplinary measures up to and including termination of employment.





Page last updated: May 13, 2021