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| Employees access the key control system by scanning their employee ID badge / access card |
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati uses a KeyWatcher® key control and management system by Morse Watchmans to safeguard the keys to the District's vans, bulldozers, cranes, service trucks and cars, and make the keys available to authorised employees whenever they are needed. Six 48-key KeyWatcher cabinets store about 180 keys used by the district's 150 employees to serve wastewater collection needs.
Some keys are restricted to individual employees or to small groups, and the keys are stored in the various KeyWatcher cabinets according to the department that uses them. Employees access the key control system by scanning their employee ID badge/access card, which has an embedded RFID chip.
“Before the key control system was adopted, keys were stored on a pegboard in the Sewer District with spare keys kept in a box, which was not a good system,” said Rahn A. Wuest, Wastewater Collections (WWC) Supervisor of Cincinnati's Metropolitan Sewer District. “KeyWatcher now makes it easy to access and control keys, providing more convenience for employees and keeping our vehicles and equipment safe and secure.”
Each key is attached by a stainless steel locking ring to a SmartKey with an identification chip. SmartKeys fit into key slots in KeyWatcher key control cabinets, which keep track of who removed any key, when it was taken and when it was returned. KeyPro III software tracks the keys and sends emails automatically when a key has not been returned. The software can also limit access to certain keys only to authorised employees.
The system can help identify who was driving a vehicle at a certain time, for example, if there is a report of a District vehicle speeding or running a traffic light. With fewer lost keys, there is less need to put spare keys into service.
“The installation at Cincinnati's Sewer District demonstrates the value of the KeyWatcher system to improve management and accountability of employees accessing a fleet of vehicles and equipment,” said Fernando Pires, VP Sales and Marketing, Morse Watchmans. “Keeping keys safe and knowing who accesses keys boosts overall efficiency and security at an affordable cost.”
