Facility Maintenance Policy

Purpose: To define institutional and departmental responsibilities relating to Pittsburg State University maintenance, repair, and alterations.

Applies to: Unit leaders and those responsible for facilities at Pittsburg State University.

Statement:
To ensure adherence to PSU standards and regulatory requirements for health and safety, the university employs professional staff dedicated to the effective planning, construction, and operation of all campus facilities. The construction, maintenance, repair, and alteration of university facilities shall not be performed by non-authorized departments, employees, students, or volunteers. Only Facility Operations and/or Planning, Design, and Construction (PDC) may authorize facilities work on campus properties and all work must adhere to PSU standards.

Policy:

Service Requests and Completion

Requests for departmental or building services should be directed to Facility Operations by submitting an online Work Order request. Requests for new carpet installations must also be submitted using the Work Order request process. The request must fully describe the services desired and funding codes should be included in the work order request if, at all, possible.

Please see “New Carpet Request Procedures” for the complete process for requesting and ordering new carpet.

Emergency requests should be directed to Facility Operations by calling extension 4777 (during normal working hours of 8:00 am to 4:30 pm M-F) or 4779 (outside of normal working hours). The request should be followed by submitting a Work Order request which will be routed to the appropriate person/department.

Please see “Emergency Request Guidelines” to determine if your request meets the "emergency" criteria.

Once a request is received, Facility Operations will determine whether the services will be classified as chargeable or non-chargeable. If chargeable, departments will be billed the actual cost of services when the work is performed. This may include overtime labor rates if work must be performed outside normal business hours. If the requesting department disputes the determination that the services are chargeable, it should contact the Director of Facility Operations.

Facility Operations will provide an estimate for larger service work upon request from a department. The estimates are non-binding and are intended to assist the department in determining whether it wants to authorize Facility Operations to proceed with the requested services.  If the requesting department wishes to have the work order executed, it should reply to the estimating department of Facility Operations in writing. Work will be billed at the actual cost of performing the services. This may include overtime labor rates if work must be performed outside of normal business hours.

All work orders will be prioritized and scheduled by Facility Operations; however, every effort will be made to schedule work orders to meet the requirement of a specified completion date and time whenever possible and will notify the department if the services cannot be performed as requested. 

Inquiries about work orders in process should be made via email to workorders@pittstate.edu or by utilizing the “Work Order Messages” field at the bottom of the work order being inquired about. Additional work orders should not be sent inquiring about previously submitted work orders.

Institutional Responsibilities

Pittsburg State University provides basic facility services, such as custodial services, pest control services, waste disposal, recycling and building maintenance and repair, through Facility Operations. These services may be free of charge or chargeable, depending on the unit and source of funding. The university also has funding for minor repairs and improvements, covering basic building renewal and safety projects.  Alterations work on components and systems of university buildings and grounds must be coordinated or performed by either Facility Operations or PDC, depending on project scope. This includes gifts in place (in-kind donations) and foundation supported contracts and ensures compliance with applicable codes and university requirements.

Departmental Responsibilities

Deans, directors, and department heads are responsible for ensuring that space is used for the purposes assigned and used in ways that promote the health and safety of all who use or visit the department's facilities.

All members of the PSU community have a responsibility to treat campus facilities with care; to avoid any actions that create dangerous, hazardous, unsafe, or unhealthful conditions; and to report any such conditions that they may see. The university relies on department heads and supervisors to inform and educate the students, faculty, staff, and visitors to department facilities about their use.

Department responsibilities include:

• Authorizing access to space in restricted or secured areas and after hours;
• Having unit emergency plans and identifying unit responsibilities for the safe storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous materials; and
• Following all university policies and procedures for facility alterations, maintenance, and repair, including this policy.

Violations

Departments that violate this policy, whether with paid staff or volunteers or using an outside contractor, will be responsible for all costs associated with bringing work into compliance with PSU standards. Any fees, fines, or penalties that are assessed for violations of public codes and requirements are also the responsibility of the department. Individuals violating this policy may be subject to disciplinary action.