Fayette County employees will no longer have access to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace through their work computers, joining their colleagues in neighboring counties who are blocked from such sites.

Fayette Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink said the county’s information technology department has started blocking county-owned computers from accessing Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.

A number of offices were blocked last week, with others to follow. Zimmerlink said the blocks will take longer to implement in some offices because they must be coordinated with providers of third-party, Internet-based programs.

Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky said the blocks were put in place as the result of an investigation into employee use of the Internet during work hours.

“There’s a time and a place for this type of activity, and it’s not at work,” Zapotosky said Tuesday. “I don’t think there was any malicious intent by any employees, but the taxpayers deserve an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”

The issue was addressed after someone printed out an employee’s online activities through Facebook and forwarded the printout to commissioners. A resident questioned commissioners during a public meeting about whether they intended to take any disciplinary measures.

Zapotosky declined specific comment on disciplinary action because it is a personnel matter. He said employees identified from the printouts were given “progressive discipline,” which typically includes verbal or written warnings.

Zimmerlink said the investigation is ongoing, at her request, and Dominick Carnicella, director of human resources, is looking into her concerns. Carnicella was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Zapotosky said the initial investigation revealed employees accessed the Web using cell phones while on breaks. Regardless, he said the Internet blocks are appropriate.

Commissioner Vincent Vicites said the county’s information technology department is installing the blocks using existing software applications, meaning there is no cost for a new software program.

Zimmerlink said a number of Fayette departments located outside the courthouse had Internet blocks in place. Children and Youth Services began implementing blocks in January, she said. Employees who must access sites for work-related purposes must obtain permission from a supervisor, she said.

The emergency management agency has blocked at least 15 different Internet sites “for quite some time,” Zimmerlink said.

Fayette’s blocks mirror those in place in at least three neighboring counties.

Kevin Evanto, spokesman for Allegheny County, said employees there are blocked from social networking sites.

Indiana and Westmoreland counties block nearly all of their employees from accessing social networking sites, but there are some exceptions.

Probation officers in Indiana County can access sites such as Facebook because it helps them to monitor their clients, said John Luko, director of information services. Facebook recently helped an officer identify a client who was using the site to offer his services as a prostitute, he said.

In addition, Luko said employees cannot access sites that stream music because such sites hog bandwidth.

“That’s what radios are for,” Luko said.

David Ridilla, director of information technology in Westmoreland, said nearly all employees are blocked from accessing social networking sites, save for those who need to browse them for their jobs. He said departments that can access the sites include the children’s bureau and juvenile probation.

“They can go on Facebook and track these kids, to see what they’re doing, to track them,” Ridilla said, describing how juvenile probation officers use the sites. “They can see what the kids are posting.”

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