3. Conduct whilst using labs and equipment

Dave Strong - Research Technician has provided below, clear and concise instructions regarding expected standards of behaviour regarding labs and equipment usage.

If you have any problems with a machine please report your concerns and/or you require assistance or guidance on any related matter please contact Dave Strong via:

Office location: B016 Morton Lab

Email: david.strong@manchester.ac.uk

Telephone: 0161 306 3597

Machine Operation

Switch off machines after use.

Polishing machines and furnaces should be switched off, the large cutting wheel left open to dry.

Polishing machines should not be left running if you leave the room.

Grinding and grinding papers

When grinding, try to re-use any grinding papers that are available.

Remember that you can clean them easily to remove any contamination.

If you are putting used grinding paper back in the tray – clean it first as failure to do so can contaminate other materials

Polishing - do’s and don’ts

When polishing, if your sample is covered in a large foam of diamond spray or swimming in OPS then you are using too much.

The diamond cloths are impregnated with the appropriate diamond paste when they are changed, the spray is simply used to ‘top-up’ the paste held within the cloth. It is the substance that is held within the fibres of the cloth that does the polishing, any that is floating around on the surface is not contributing to your polishing.

This is again a matter of patience; it won’t polish any quicker if it’s swimming in polishing medium. The same goes for lubricant, it’s just to stop the sample sticking, so you don’t need loads.

Liquid consumables – replacing/topping up/disposing

If you finish anything – methanol, acetone, OPS, etc. – replace it, or if it is low then top it up.

There should never be less than half a bottle of any liquid consumables at any time. Leaving 1cm of liquid in a bottle is not an excuse to think it isn’t empty, especially when the second bottle has been opened. (Remember that OPS should be diluted with 3 to 4 parts water for every part solution.)

New bottles of chemicals, tape, tissue paper etc can be obtained from stores (collect tissue paper in packs of 6 only to save trips) People working out of hours should replace anything at the earliest possible opportunity when stores are open.

If you finish a bottle or box, dispose of it either in the bin or in the skip at the end of the building. Don’t leave it on/under the desk, or in the bottle carriers.

Basic housekeeping and good practice

Clean up after yourself. Everyone has to use the lab, not just you. So when you’ve finished, clean any surfaces, sinks or machines that you’ve used that aren’t clean.

A dirty lab affects everybody’s work. There are now sample storage cupboards available – no samples should be left out on any work surface.

Return communal equipment. Using a piece of equipment does not make it yours. Everything in the group is for everybody’s use, even if you ordered it, so share it about.

Take something, use it, return it and don’t lock it in your desk. Everybody needs access to the same equipment, so communicate with each other.

Do not remove beakers, bottles from the lab. I made sure there was a bottle of methanol, acetone, water, detergent and two of OPS, all labelled. These seem to have been used, removed and rotated so much that we have 5 or 6 random empty bottles most of the time.

Booking Equipment / lab space / Cancelling lab space and equipment bookings

If you have booked equipment or lab space, please arrive on time for your booked session.

If you are unable to attend or no longer require your booked session, please cancel, where possible providing 24hrs notice. Please contact Dave Strong to cancel: <david.strong@manchester.ac.uk >