When Opening and Closing a Security Container, Which Form Do You Complete?

The answer

When you open and close a security container that stores classified information, you complete the SF 702, Security Container Check Sheet. This form is posted on or near the container, and each person who opens it, closes it, or verifies it is secured records their initials and the date and time. The purpose is accountability: if there is ever a question about whether a safe was left open or who last accessed it, the SF 702 provides a documented trail.

The SF 702 has three columns for exactly this reason: Opened by, Closed by, and Checked by. The "checked by" entry is a second-person verification that the container was actually locked, which is why end-of-day security procedures often require someone other than the person who closed it to confirm. This double-check is the control that catches the common human error of spinning the dial but not fully securing the lock.

Why the other forms are wrong

The Standard Forms in this family look similar, so they are easy to confuse:

• SF 700, Security Container Information – records the container's combination, the responsible custodians, and emergency contact information. The combination portion is sealed and stored in another approved container. It is not filled out every time you open the safe; it changes only when the combination or custodians change.
• SF 701, Activity Security Checklist – an end-of-day checklist for an entire area or office, confirming that classified material was secured, safes were locked, shredders emptied, and so on. It covers the whole room's security status, not one specific container's open/close events.
• SF 703, Top Secret Cover Sheet – a cover sheet attached to Top Secret documents to alert handlers to the classification level. It has nothing to do with logging container access.

So the SF 702 is the only form designed to be annotated each time a specific container is opened and closed, which is exactly what the question describes.

The bigger picture

These forms work as a system. The SF 700 tells you the combination and who is responsible for the container. The SF 702 logs every open/close/check of that individual container throughout the day. The SF 701 rolls up the whole area's security at the end of the day, and cover sheets like the SF 703 (Top Secret), SF 704 (Secret), and SF 705 (Confidential) protect the documents themselves.

Retention matters too: SF 702 check sheets are typically retained for a defined period after the last entry (commonly 30 days, though local security policy and agency guidance govern the exact requirement) so that access can be audited. Understanding which form does what prevents the everyday mix-ups that lead to security violations, and it is a common exam item precisely because so many people reach for the wrong SF number under pressure.