About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

B-180160-O.M. 1 (1985-10-15)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadtgg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ,ED STATES GOVERNMENT GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE emorandum October 15, 1985 * Director, OIRM- Roger J. Wheeler, Jr. General Counsel - Hal. Van Cleve Guidance on Employee Liability for Loss of Computer Equipment B- 180160-O.M. This is in response to your memorandum, requesting advice from this Office regarding the responsibility GAO employees must bear for the care and safeguarding of GAO-owned computers assigned to their custody. Initially, we note that there is no reason to distinguish computers from any other government property for purposes of determining employee responsibility and potential liability. Accordingly, the general rules set forth below are fully applicable in the instant case. GAO Order 0621.3/March 24, 1982, prescribes policies and responsibilities for the control of property owned by the General Accounting Office. Chapter 2, section 5 of that order, entitled Employee Responsibility, provides as follows: 5. EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY. An employee is personally and financially responsible for loss, theft, damage, or destruction of Govern- ment property caused by his/her negligence in the care and use thereof. Failure to store 'high-loss' equipment out of sight at all times when it is not being used will constitute neg- ligence; placing it out of sight in an unlocked place will meet the test of 'reasonable care' during office hours. This directive constitutes authority for GAO to require a GAO employee to reimburse the agency for damage to or loss of GAO property caused by the employee's negli ence in the care or use of the property. See B-180160-O.MV, March 18, 1974. Negligence is generally defined as the omission to do something which a reasonable man, guided by those considera- tions which ordinarily regulate human affairs, would do, or 222

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most