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Use and Maintenance of Equipment

(Approved by the Executive Vice President by authority of Executive Order No. 5)

University-owned equipment should be used only in the performance of University duties. Equipment may not be used by individuals, organizations, or faculty and staff members for their personal use (see Administrative Policy Statement 47.2, and University Handbook, Volume 4, Part V, Chapter 6.)

University employees may use equipment at home if items are tagged and the Property Activity Request, or facsimile, on file in the department lists the location, estimated time of use, and departmental approval. Principal Investigators, directors, chairs, and executive heads need no written authorization for valid use of equipment at home. To indicate valid home use of equipment, update Web OASIS online, or send the Equipment Inventory Office a Property Activity Request indicating the person's name and county of residence. For updating Web OASIS, complete the following:

It is recommended that each University department have a written policy addressing the insurance requirements of all items located either at an employee's home or in transit. Departments may require that the employee's own homeowner's insurance cover theft or damage to such equipment. Proof of insurance may be required. The employee would be required to reimburse the University (less a prorated portion of the deductible for any other non-University items appearing as part of the claim) for the homeowner's insurance claims collected on University equipment.

A police report is required for all items involved in a theft.

If it is necessary to remove equipment from the University's premises for more than six months (extended field trip, overseas research, etc.), it is recommended that the asset's location be updated on Web OASIS or via a Property Activity Request sent to the Equipment Inventory Office.

Unless Web OASIS is updated with the new location, each department must have an internal policy and/or procedure documenting the location of the equipment leaving the campus for periods of less than six months. It is recommended that each department maintain an equipment tracking log or shipping manifest indicating the location, departure and expected return date, equipment description, serial and equipment tag number, and name of the individual responsible for the equipment.

The Equipment Inventory Office can assist in the preparation of documents to facilitate customs entry and exit procedures in foreign countries. A "customs letter" is strongly recommended for equipment temporarily leaving the country. This document facilitates reentry to the United States, and can be provided by the Equipment Inventory Office.

Personal use of federal equipment is prohibited. Federal regulations incorporated into grants and contracts state that agency-owned equipment (DHHS, DOD, DOE, NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Agriculture) should be usable, needed, and currently in use to support the appropriate contract or grant. Obsolete, unneeded, or unusable equipment should not sit idle for any extensive period of time.

When equipment is no longer needed or usable due to damage, loss, destruction, or deployment, notify the Equipment Inventory Office's Federal Program Coordinator as soon as possible. The Equipment Inventory Office will provide information on how the department's principal investigator/administrator or designee might request disposition instructions from the agency, or try to relocate the equipment to another department on campus with written agency approval. Written authority from the sponsoring agency must be received prior to the surplusing, movement, or disposition of government property. It is a contractual commitment that federally owned equipment be in active use while in custody of a campus department, and that disposal action be taken in a timely manner.

Scientific equipment should be made available for sharing if it is not fully utilized by the department responsible for the equipment.

The terms of all shared-use arrangements, including utilization schedules, are to be agreed upon in advance by the departments and/or individuals involved. The shared use of equipment should not interfere with the original research project.

When equipment is loaned to or borrowed by the University for official use, all arrangements should be approved in writing by the appropriate authority (department chair, director) in the using department. This document should include the University's responsibility for the equipment. If the owner requires the University to provide insurance for damage to or loss of loaned or borrowed equipment, the Office of Risk Management must be contacted in sufficient time to review the possible insurance needs and to acquire any necessary insurance.

Equipment furnished or loaned to the University from the federal government for periods extending longer than six months and costing $2,000 or more must be tagged and inventoried in Web OASIS upon receipt. Items received costing less than $2,000 must be monitored and accounted for separately by the receiving department. The Equipment Inventory Office can supply each department with "federally owned" labels to be affixed next to the state equipment tag applied by University departments.

Non-federally owned equipment loaned to the University should not be included in Web OASIS. To differentiate these loaned assets from the University's, these items need to be affixed with the inventory/property tags from the lending University/nonfederal agency. Contact the Equipment Inventory Office's Federal Program Coordinator for further details.

Departments must retain file copies of the loan agreements.

Faculty and staff members who keep items of personal equipment at University facilities should label those items to indicate personal ownership. The University does not purchase property insurance to protect employee- or student-owned belongings and will not compensate the owner for loss or damage (see Administrative Policy Statement 14.1.)

Departments are responsible for the care, maintenance, and use of all equipment in their custody. For equipment acquired under grants and contracts the principal investigator shares this responsibility with the department chair or dean. Principal investigators should be aware of any specific equipment care and maintenance requirements defined by grants or contracts. Department management is responsible for its own equipment receipt, storage, preservation, record keeping, physical control, inventory, and disposal documentation.

A maintenance record must be kept for federally funded equipment. It is the equipment custodian's responsibility to care for property entrusted to his or her possession or supervision, and to keep it safe.

Care and maintenance includes periodic inspection, regularly scheduled lubrication, protection from exposure, and proper cleaning prior to storage. The goal is to maintain the efficiency and usefulness of the equipment for as long as possible. Records should be kept of maintenance, major repair, and deficiencies revealed during periodic inspection.

7.   Additional Information

For further information contact the Equipment Inventory Office: