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Some of the most important items, other than explosives, that ordnance
people work with are keys to magazines, ready-service lockers, and
small-arms lockers. During the safety surveys I did while serving at the
Naval Safety Center, I found that some of the basic guidelines concerning
keys have been ignored, forgotten or circumvented.
OPNAVINST 5530.13B, Department of the Navy Physical Security
Instruction for Conventional Arms, Ammunition and Explosives (AA&E),
Chapter 0307, spells out specific guidelines for keys.
Here are some of the highlights from that chapter that Ive seen as
problems. Appoint a custodian of keys and locks in writing. Dont leave
keys unsecured or unattended. Make sure only authorized personnel have
them or that the keys are in a container that is as secure as the
materials the keys give access to. Keep keys to AA&E and systems that
detect intrusion separate from other keys. Keep a roster of people who
have those keys out of public view.
Do not make a master key to locks for AA&E spaces. When keys are
lost, misplaced or stolen, replace the affected locks or lock cores. Keep
replacement locks and cores in a secure area. Inventory locks and keys
semi-annually, and keep records for a year.
Maintain a key-control register to ensure continuous accountability of
keys. Keep the register for at least 18 months after the last entry. The
only time you can remove keys to armories, racks, containers, or magazines
from an installation or ship is to keep them in protected storage
elsewhere. For afloat commands, you must keep keys to ammunition and
explosives spaces on welded or brazed rings separate from rings with keys
to weapons-storage spaces. The purpose is to prevent theft or loss of one
key ring that could give access to both weapons and ammunition.
Ready-for-issue, AA&E lockers for response forces are exempt from this
requirement.
When people, such as duty officers, are responsible for safeguarding or
otherwise having keys immediately available, they may sign for a sealed
container of keys when the unbroken seal is evidence that the keys have
not been disturbed. In afloat commands, they may sign for key rings as
long as the weld has not been broken. However, they must verify the number
of keys on the ring.
GMC(SW) Fisher retired from active duty last summer. |
