DUO (127 Basic Science Building):

Schedule – Two people will be allowed in the instrument room at a time, but strict social distancing measures must be followed at all times (e.g. One person using the DUO/microscope, another may briefly enter to access the printer on the opposite side of the lab). Only fully trained, independent users may run experiments. There will be no training by me or other users until restrictions are relaxed.

We will continue with the normal schedule where each group has assigned days of the week. Only one user is allowed in the instrument room at a time. It is the responsibility of the research group to determine which group member will use the instrument.

As always, communication between users is key to having a schedule that runs smoothly and avoids user overlap. One challenge that still needs to be addressed is data processing after the collection has finished. I’m looking into options for remote computer access or at least automatic upload of the raw data which could then be processed remotely, I’ll test out some options upon restarting.

PPE – 1. Mask required at all times when inside the instrument room to minimize potential contamination of the shared space.

2. Gloves required at all times when inside the instrument room. For handling of chemicals users should wear ‘lab gloves’ (nitrile, latex, etc.; typical PPE for a chemistry lab). For everything else, fresh ‘non-lab gloves’ (polyethylene, nitrile, latex, etc.; could be cheaper non-chemistry gloves) must be worn to minimize contamination of the shared space.

***Please note, ‘lab gloves’ should never be worn when touching common items (computer, pen, etc.) to avoid chemical contamination of common surfaces per typical chemical hygiene protocol.***

Cleaning – 1. Frequently touched surfaces (computer mouse, keyboard, pens, door handles, etc.) will be wiped down daily (M-F) by Jeff with an appropriate disinfectant solution.

2. Disinfectant solution will be provided near the shared instruments so users can wipe down surfaces before/after use. All users must wipe down the frequently touched surfaces in the lab (please see the SOP for more details).

3. Everyone must remove all samples/vials/waste of any kind from the X-ray lab after each use. This includes cleaning the sample holders that were used. This will reduce the potential for contamination from user to user and make is easier to disinfect the surfaces. Clutter will be kept to an absolute minimum.

Ramp-Down Plan – The instruments can all be safely shut down in a matter of hours if conditions necessitate a research shut down again.

Other – – A sign-in sheet will be posted at the door to each lab in order to keep a record of who enters each lab and when. This is completely separate from any instrument log books or project sheets typically filled out by the users. This would provide documentation that only one user is in each instrument room at a time as well as provide an easily accessible and traceable ‘contact list’ in the event that at some point a user test positive for COVID-19. Example: