The following policies and procedures are to be reviewed and adhered to by all employees as part of the Facilities Operations internal control efforts. Documentation regarding past practices and history of earlier memos will be attached for reference purposes. All employees are encouraged to speak to your supervisor if you have any questions related to any FOC policies. Failure to comply to the procedures and policies could result in disciplinary action.
Access to Facilities Shops During Non-Working Hours -
Access to the facilities shops during non-working hours is prohibited. If you forgot a personal item and must return for it while the shop is closed, please go to the University Police in order to be escorted into the workspace.
Access to the Facilities Operations Center (FOC) Main Office -
It is the responsibility of the shop supervisors to pick up departmental mail, pick up office supplies, speak to staff regarding work orders, and hand in purchase requisitions and receipts. Employees may be asked to perform these tasks by their supervisor. When FOC staff requests an employee to assist with a work-related issue they are welcome to address the matter in person. Please bear in mind that regular visits to the FOC main office by staff during their break time may cause disruption to other staff that do not have the same break periods.
Assigned Work Areas -
It is expected that employees will remain in their assigned work area during work hours. Employees shall not congregate in work areas that are not in their assigned spaces or are not specified or tied to a work order. Work related questions should be directed to your assigned supervisor, not other workers or supervisors.
Athletic Equipment Use -
Use of athletic equipment in the Residence Halls is strictly prohibited. Use of the Athletic Wellness Center is permitted during your lunch break and after work hours only if you are a member and have a valid membership card. Use of the weight room in the Elting Gym is permitted during your lunch break and after work hours.
Attendance and Leave -
All attendance and leave shall be subject to CSEA Article 10 agreements. All employees are required to fill out their own timesheets. Supervisors are responsible for reviewing and approving all timesheets. Any errors or changes are to be addressed with the employee and corrected by the Payroll department.
Blanket Purchase Orders -
Only supervisors are permitted to use the blanket orders when items are not in stock or cannot be ordered. They are to obtain an ordering slip from FOC and authorize the purchase. Once the item is brought back to the facility it is the supervisor’s responsibility to confirm that the item has been received and submit the receipt back to the FOC main office.
Calling Out for Sick Leave -
Title: Section 84.17 of the New York Code, Rules and Regulations state that “An employee absent on sick leave shall notify his supervisor of such absence and the reason therefor on the first day of such absence and within two hours after the beginning of the employee's workday; provided, however, that where the work is such that a substitute may be required, the department may require earlier notification, but not more than two hours prior to the beginning of the employee's workday. An employee who fails to so notify his supervisor may be deemed to be on leave without pay for that day. Sick leave credits shall not be used in units of less than one-half hour.” You must contact your direct supervisor; calling into the Central Heating Plant is prohibited.
Cell Phone Use -
Use of a personal cell phone during work hours shall be occasional or for emergencies. Use for communication between staff or a supervisor is allowable via texts, verbal or to send job-related photos. By Executive Order, the Governor of New York State has issued a directive that all NYS employees are prohibited from utilizing a handheld cellular phone while operating a motor vehicle. Accordingly, all SUNY New Paltz employees are to comply with this directive.
Computer Use on Campus -
Personal use of student computer labs located in Residence Halls and Academic spaces is prohibited. Personal use of computers in public access areas is permitted during breaks and lunch within the Computer Services acceptable uses and privacy policy.
Delivery and Pick Up of Materials -
Off-site delivery and pick-up of materials will be done by one employee unless safety issues arise, i.e., lifting heavy equipment. The supervisor will assign an employee who has prior approval to operate a state vehicle and who has been cleared through the University LENS program.
Disposal of Personal Items and Refuse -
Personal use of campus roll-offs, dumpsters and garbage cans to throw out personal belongings, refuse, furniture, etc. is prohibited.
Electric Car and Gem Car Use -
All operators must have a valid driver’s license verified through the University LENS program and must always wear their seatbelts. The campus GEM cars are limited use and when traveling on campus, speed should not exceed 10 mph. GEM cars will be signed in and out of the AutoShop. All arrangements for usage and availability will be scheduled through the Auto Shop Supervisor.
Fleet Vehicle Fuel Usage -
All employees with utilize the authorized fuel software system to fuel their assigned work vehicle. A unique key will be assigned to each vehicle and is the only one that should be used to fuel that vehicle. Providing false information or lending out a key to fuel any other vehicle or container is prohibited. Contact the Auto Shop supervisor if your key is missing, lost or not operating and he will assist you. Use of the University fuel pumps for personal vehicles or containers is prohibited.
Grounds Yard Access -
No Facilities Operations employee shall have access to the Grounds yard unless they are directed there by a work order, are directed by a supervisor, are working during snow removal or are disposing of campus items to the recycling and general construction roll-offs. All employees must check in via the radio with the Grounds supervisor prior to entering the area. Departments other than Facilities Operations will need authorization from the Grounds supervisor prior to entering.
Knock and Announce -
All Facilities Operations employees should adhere to our “knock and announce” protocol before entering any Residence Hall spaces such as restrooms and living quarters. This will also extend to any academic spaces when entering single locking restrooms or areas where privacy is expected. Simply knock in advance of entering a space and announce that you are from Facilities Operations and Maintenance and wait for a response. If you do not get a response, try to knock again (3x total) in case you were not heard, then proceed to address your work order or your assigned work assignments. This practice will promote a courtesy of our staff to the campus community that we are making them aware of our presence prior to entering assigned spaces.
Laundry Facilities Usage -
Use of any University laundry services for personal reasons is prohibited. If a circumstance arises that is work related and staff feels they need to use a washer or dryer, then please speak with your supervisor in advance.
Logbook Usage (Custodial Staff Only) -
All supervising janitors and janitors are required to utilize a daily logbook to account for each day’s events. Supervising Janitors are to sign into the janitor's logbook to record the date and time of a visit to a particular building.
Supervising Janitors will keep their own logbooks. They are confidential
and should not be shared with other staff.
Please do not use the logbooks to detail any disciplinary actions. If errors
are made, please make the correction by striking out the text with a single
line and make the correction next to it. Do not erase or white out errors.
Meal Break -
New York State Labor Law requires that every employee must take at least thirty minutes for the noon day meal. Employees are not permitted to work through their lunch break. The accumulation of overtime during the noon day meal is not permitted.
Overtime Approval -
All overtime except for a dire emergency (as identified by the Director or Assistant Directors of Facilities Operations) must have prior approval by the appropriate supervisors before 2pm of the scheduled overtime. All overtime is subject to CSEA agreement Article 27. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to follow all requirements of the agreement. No employee can work more than 16 hours without an 8-hour break unless a dire emergency arises.
Any employee that works scheduled or emergency overtime is required to sign in and out at the Central Heating Plant (CHP). A supervisor can sign out their staff, but they will be held accountable for all employees’ accurate timesheets. This practice allows management to limit unnecessary call backs and to know who is always on the campus. This serves as a safety net also in case someone does not return from the field and does not sign back out. The CHP logbook will be used to manage the
overtime list.
Any employee that works over six hours on overtime is mandated to take a lunch break. This directive can be found in New York State Labor Law Section 162.
Recall Overtime (Call Backs) -
All call backs are subject to the CSEA agreement Article 7.8 and OSC Budget Bulletin 560.
The following steps must be followed:
- The emergency call will come to the Central Heating Plant.
- The Plant Utilities Assistant (PUA) is tasked to investigate the problem and make repairs.
- If there is no resolution, the PUA will notify the CHP engineer to call in the appropriate personnel.
- The employee on call back will sign into the CHP logbook, make the repairs and then sign out in the logbook to complete their callback.
- There will be no call backs for routine or non-emergency issues.
Personal Use of Shop Tools -
Personal use of any shop tools and/or equipment is prohibited. State property including tools and equipment cannot be borrowed, loaned or removed from campus. At no time can personal items and/or materials be brought to campus and repaired/created with state tools and/or equipment.
Repairs to Personal Vehicles and/or Equipment -
Use of the Auto Shop for repair to a personal vehicle and/or equipment is prohibited. In the event of an emergency which might impact the health and safety of an employee, prior approval by the Director/Assistant Directors of Facilities Operations will be needed for an auto shop mechanic to assess a potential hazard.
Recycling Area/Roll-Offs -
Items that have been disposed of by the University in the campus roll-offs and recycling containers cannot be removed from the campus by any employee for any purpose.
Removal of Grounds Materials -
Removal of any grounds materials for personal use is prohibited. This includes all items and could include but not be limited to pavers, stone, wood, cut trees, dirt and soil, etc. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
SUNY New Paltz Fleet Vehicles -
Use of all work/fleet vehicles are to be used only during working hours. All drivers must have a valid drivers license and all employees who drive a state-owned vehicle must sign up for the License Event Notification System (LENS) through the VP for Administration and Finance office. Access on campus walkways will need the approval of the Director of Facilities Operations. All vehicles are to be secured and locked when parked. Keys are to be left at the campus facility and locked in the employee’s individual mailbox. Smoking is prohibited in all vehicles per NYS law. Use of work/fleet vehicles for personal reasons is prohibited.
Two Way Radio Usage -
Radios should be used to respond to calls from FOC or for emergencies only. Employees should keep the lines clear and try to avoid using the radios for routine chat or to reach someone for a non-emergency. Abuse of the radios, i.e., “keying” or “stepping” over someone or inappropriate noises are prohibited and may violate campus compliance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations.
Training Requirements -
All Facilities Operations employees will be required to complete annual Human Resource Diversity and Inclusion (HRDI)training, annual Information Technology (IT) training and annual Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) training.
Work Order System -
All employees are to utilize the department’s work order system at various levels as it relates to your job descriptions. Completed work orders are to be handed to your supervisor on a daily basis. The employee’s code, hours, materials used and any notes for other trades that assisted with the work order are to be recorded. Supervisors will review the work orders, sign off on the order that it is completed, revise any target dates and hand in to FOC on a daily basis. Call in requests for generating work orders should be made for emergencies only.
