24
User Facilities
In the research community, the term user facility usually refers to highly sophisticated experimental facilities that are available to researchers from universities, industry, and other government laboratories. In the United States, they are usually funded or managed by the Department of Energy (DOE) or National Science Foundation. Few examples include Advance Photon Source, National High Magnetic Field Lab, linac coherent light source, and Jefferson Lab Free Electron Laser. Their purpose is to advance national research and development, and minimizing unnecessary duplication of effort (usually from an equipment perspective), promoting beneficial scientific interactions, and making the most effective use of costly and, in many cases, unique equipment.
Some institutions have internal user facilities, which by definition are available to in-house staff only. Most commonly as stated, user facilities are government-run and funded facilities. Therefore, access follows the following general policy; access to user facilities is a twofold process. Prospective users submit research proposals directly to the facility of interest. The acceptance of proposals depends on scientific merit, suitability of the facility for the project, selection of a collaborator at the user facility. Concurrently, a contractual agreement implies between the user and the user facility institution. This user facility agreement, which can be either proprietary or nonproprietary, stipulates the terms and conditions (including disposition of intellectual property) for the project. Some facilities are available for nonproprietary research at no cost, whereas some facilities must recoup the actual costs incurred for staff and equipment time.
Obtaining laser safety or any type of safety at such facilities is a challenge that one cannot overlook. Because it is difficult for short-term users (which is the majority of user facility users) to buy into the stricter safety culture found at most user facilities. Especially, when they are open to a worldwide user population.
This challenge is recognized by ANSI Z136.8 and some guidance is included in the standard. Training of users can present a real issue, as most are on-site for only a short time, may be a day or two before their assigned beam time, if not arriving the day of their beam time. These facilities are most commonly open 24/7 that adds to the safety challenge. From the user point of view, they want to spend their time doing science, not taking training, and other administrative tasks. So the successful user facility tries to get as much as possible accomplished online before they arrive; regardless, some duties must be done on-site, such as experimental setup and review.
The Advanced Light Source (ALS) is a synchrotron facility operated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on behalf of the DOE. Requirements to acquire and work there will be used as a typical example of user facility practices.
The Advanced Light Source (or ALS) is located in Berkeley, California. The original building, situated in the East Bay Hills overlooking San Francisco Bay, was completed in 1942. Designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. (designer of the Coit Tower in San Francisco), the domed structure was built to house Berkeley Lab’s namesake E. Orlando Lawrence’s 184-inch cyclotron, an advanced version of his first cyclotron for which he received the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics. Today, the expanded building houses the ALS, a third-generation synchrotron and national user facility that attracts scientists around the world. The ALS has over 35 beamlines, where samples may be illuminated with x-ray, ultraviolet, or infrared light to explore the structure and electronic properties of materials. The ALS operates as a national user facility, and is open to researchers worldwide to submit proposals for research. There is considerable laser use at the ALS.
The basic steps to obtain beam time at the ALS are the following:
Apply for beam time: Submit a new proposal or a beam time request using an existing active proposal.
Establish a user agreement: The user’s institute must have a signed agreement with Berkeley Lab before you may do work. Safety documentation must be completed and reviewed before the beam time. Experiments involving any biological material or radioactive material require more extensive review.
Register with the user office: New and returning users need to register with the user office 2 weeks before arriving at the ALS. Users arriving out of regular office hours must either have a valid Berkeley Lab ID badge or have completed registration to be granted access to the ALS.
Compete online safety training: All users are required to complete their online training before they will be granted unescorted access to the ALS.
Prepare for your visit: Logistics, which includes obtaining a user account or email, and shipping and receiving equipment, samples, gases, and hazardous materials. Information on how to reach the ALS, parking, and accommodations may be found in the sidebar to the left.
While you are here: On arrival, complete on-site registration (photo ID required, foreign nationals will need complete visa and passport documentation). Information about facilities is available to the users at the ALS and Berkeley Lab (cafeteria, machine shops, storage, etc.).
User feedback survey: Please complete a survey after your visit. The results are used to make improvements at the ALS, and are reported to the DOE each year.
Report publications, awards, talks: All publications of work done in whole, or in part, at the ALS need to include the standard ALS acknowledgment and be entered in the ALS Publications database. Awards, invited lectures, theses, patents, books, and book chapters can also be reported here.
Facility Safety Culture
All user facilities should work toward establishing a viable safety culture, in particular when it applies to laser safety. The key to any safety is having documented expectations in the form of principles and procedures.
Guiding principles: The aim of user policy at the ALS is to provide a framework for establishing a challenging yet congenial environment where talented scientists from different backgrounds can work together in pursuit of the new scientific opportunities presented by the availability of this innovative facility. The user policy must address a variety of user needs and sensitivities. On the one hand, the qualified researcher with little financial backing needs the assurance of adequate access to the facility. On the other hand, the qualified groups that make a large commitment of time and resources need some assurance of an equitable return on their investment. A national facility should be accessible to all qualified researchers and at the ALS, there are three modes of access: as a general user, a member of an approved program, or as a member of a participating research team. All proposals for research to be conducted at the ALS are evaluated based on the criteria endorsed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.
Safety: Safety is a critical function for all research performed at the ALS. All users and staff are expected to know and follow applicable safety requirements at all times. For information about user and experiment safety, please see the safety for users Web pages.
How Do We Ensure Laser Safety?
User Safety Overview
The ALS experiment coordinators are available to support you through this process. Please contact them at any stage if you have questions or need more information.
Prior to Your Arrival at the Advanced Light Source
Complete or update an ESS: If you did not submit a General User Proposal, you must submit an ESS one month prior to arrival at the ALS.
Biological, radioactive, hazardous, and electrical materials, and lasers: If your experiment involves the use of any of the above materials—no matter how small the quantities are or how innocuous the sample may be— additional authorization may be required. Please submit your ESS early and clearly identify your materials. Our staff will assess the hazards and contact you about any necessary supplementary documentation.
ALS Chemistry Lab access: If you need access to the ALS Chemistry Lab, you will need to complete training and documentation.
Experiment coordinator will contact you: If using lasers, biological, radioactive, hazardous, or electrical materials, you can expect to be contacted 2–3 weeks prior to your arrival to confirm experiment details, including a list of participants and to establish requirements. For nonhazardous materials, you will be contacted 1 week prior to the experiment start date.
On Arrival at the Advanced Light Source
Locate your ESS: On the outer wall of the ALS at the appropriate beamline sector board, you will find a paper copy of the ESS plus any other required documentation in the plastic ESS holder.
Check the ESS for accuracy and have all participants sign on final page: The ESS also needs to be signed by subject-matter experts, depending on the hazards, and finally by the beamline scientist to authorize the experiment. No work should be done until the ESS is authorized.
Changes to an experiment: At this stage, any changes to the experiment, including sample materials, hardware, or personnel must be documented on a Functional Change Form. Please notify the beamline scientist or experiment setup coordination any time you need to make a change.
User Experiment Form (UEF): The UEF (to be placed in front of the ESS) also needs to be completed and signed by the participants, and initialed by the beamline scientist. This form provides real time experiment information, that is, dates and times when the work is being performed, participant contacts, and possible experiment hazards.
Final experiment approval: Once all documentation is signed, and the ESS and UEF are posted, the experiment may proceed.
During the Experiment
Hazards: All work must be carried out following the hazard controls identified in the ESS and with appropriate personal protective equipment for the type of work and for the area where the work is being performed.
The Safety Officer Challenge
The real challenge is getting short time users to buy into ones safety approach, regardless if anyone is watching.
I say watching, for many times experimental work will be performed off hours when the majority or all the safety staff are home worrying about what may be happening. I have encountered many a user whose home institution’s safety background or culture can be summed up in one word, Duck. As long as no one has been hurt, everything must be running well. Of course, this view is only fooling one self, the home institution, and only surprises everyone when an accident does happen.
The Solution
Is the expectation and living a solid laser safety culture, where users speak out to peers who are not working in a safe manner and more importantly those comments are accepted and welcomed.
For repeat users, it is easier to get their buy in on safety, for they learn it as rules of the road for operating at the facility.
Experimental Safety Sheet And On-Site Inspection
This is a tool the ALS has found useful is the ESS and a kick the tires inspection of all experiments before they go operational. Such an inspection can find items missed or not covered on design reviews, such as reach in problems, compatibility of equipment with electrical systems, the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory approval, mechanical problems.
Experiment Safety Sheet: Procedures And Documentation
An ALS ESS is required for all researches performed on the ALS floor.
The ESS defines the work to be done, including the materials, equipment, and people coming to the ALS, and identifies hazards and appropriate controls. It is authorized for one year.
An ESS is created automatically when a General User Proposal is submitted, or it can be submitted separately.
In either case, an Experiment ID (ALS-xxxx) is generated, which can be used to reference both the proposal and the ESS. A UEF also needs to be completed on arrival for each visit to the ALS.
Structural biology beamlines have an umbrella ESS that covers the materials and equipment for the majority of experiments on these beamlines. Users on these beam-lines should not complete their own ESS; however, on arrival at the ALS, they must sign the umbrella ESS and complete a UEF for each visit.
The ESS input form is very similar to the proposal input form and is intended to be self-explanatory, but the following points might be useful:
Experiment ID: If you already have an active General User Proposal for this experiment, please use the Experiment ID in your beam time allocation letter. Otherwise leave blank.
Technical description: There should be sufficient details about the procedures to be used to allow our reviewers to understand the type of work to be performed and determine the associated hazards.
Principal investigator/Experimental lead: Both these people will receive emails confirming the submission. It is generally expected that the experimental lead will be presented at the ALS during the experiment.
Experimenter’s page: Please include the names of all experimenters you expect to work at the ALS.
Hazard checklist: Select all relevant sample types, equipment types, and procedures. Lasers, biological, nano, and radioactive materials require additional information. Be sure to check these boxes so that you are asked for the additional information. Biological materials include any material of biological origin, hazardous or not.
Sample materials and chemicals: Please enter sample materials and all chemicals.
Biological, nano, and radioactive materials: Should be entered on subsequent pages which will appear only if you checked the boxes on the previous page.
Vacuum chambers and endstation apparatus: This only needs completing if you are bringing your own vacuum chamber or vacuum equipment.
Gas cells and gas systems: Enter details of any gas cells/systems you are bringing to the ALS.
Radiation hazards: Tell us about radiation-producing equipment you are bringing to ALS.
Summing Up
Safety at any user facility is a challenge, but for laser safety it can easily be a greater concern, all because laser users have direct access to the laser and beam path, as well as 24/7 access. Also the user might feel little responsibility to the user facility. Therefore, their actions have little effect to them. This is not always the case; users have been barred from facilities due to reckless safety performance. The author knows of at least three such cases. The information on the ALS is taken from their Web site and the author’s personal experience at the facility. I know their safety staff works very hard to accommodate users and make sure a safe work environment exists for all users, staff, and visitors.
Overlooked Item
Safety procedures at a user facility need to also apply to in-house staff. If one exempts them from required training or paperwork, it first undermines the importance of those procedures. Second, it can lead to a situation where an injury occurs whose cause would have been found it the operation was being performed by an outside user. This author has run across such incidents during his career.