Additional Building Access Enhancements Begin This Week

To keep campus safety at the forefront, Pittsburgh campus building access will continue to be restricted to authorized Pitt ID card holders during the spring term, and established safety protocols will continue to be used at designated entrances.

Beginning at the end of January, building access systems will include an audible alert system designed to activate when an employee in non-conformance with Authority to Operate (ATO) system access protocols attempts to enter a University building, or when a student or employee attempts to enter a building while in quarantine or isolation. The alert system will be initiated and tested at the end of January and fully rolled out at building safety concierge stations in designated buildings across all campuses in early February.

Faculty and staff can request building access through the ATO system, with approval granted by Responsibility Center (RC) administrators or assigned departmental approvers. 

After swiping or tapping their Pitt ID, the alert system will activate in non-conformance instances, including if a resident student reports to campus without submitting a negative COVID-19 test result, if a student or employee is in quarantine or isolation, or an employee enters a building without prior building access authorization through the ATO system.

Resolving alerts

If an alert sounds, Pitt community members will need to take action and resolve the issue in order to re-enter.

Employees can resolve non-conformance alerts by working with their supervisor or their unit’s director of administration to ensure that they are authorized in the ATO system. Individuals with questions related to quarantine and isolation should contact Environmental Health and Safety via email at bldgacc [at] pitt.edu.

Once active, the ATO system will track non-conformance. Progressive escalation email notifications will be sent to employees, supervisors, RC heads, directors of administration and Environmental Health and Safety.

Information on building access, including how to request, approve and monitor access, as well as training materials and FAQs on the new alert system are posted on the Facilities Management Building Status webpage. Contact Laura Zullo, director of administration for Business and Operations, at lwzfm1 [at] pitt.edu with any questions or requests for additional information regarding access protocols.

Read more about the streamlined features rolled out in ATO 2.0 earlier this month.