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Safety Review of Scheduled Experiments

If your proposal number has a * as part of its number, it means that either your original SSRL proposal was flagged by the SSRL Safety Office as having a safety concern, or that your beam time request form indicated a safety concern. If you have a * on your proposal number, a SSRL Hazards Form must be completed and sent back with the appropriate safety information, (i.e., Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)) by the deadline specified by the facility. If you believe that there are no safety hazards concerns associated with this particular beam time assignment and that the * should be removed, please contact Matt Padilla (650-926-3861).

The Hazards Form will be used to generate a SSRL Safety Review Summary which will then be sent to the spokesperson for verification. This form must be returned to Jackie Robleto at least 2 weeks before the assigned beam time.

If you find that you are bringing hazardous equipment or substances to SSRL and have not previously indicated this on either your proposal or Beam Time Request Form, contact Jackie Robleto to have a  Hazards Form sent to you or you may access the form via the SSRL Homepage on the web. Once the form is returned, a Safety Review Summary will be generated, and again, must be completed 2 weeks before your beam time assignment.

If you have any questions as to whether or not the substances/equipment you are using will trigger a Safety Review Summary, contact Matt Padilla.

Class 2 biohazards, animal and human subject issues must be coordinated through the appropriate committees at Stanford University. This process takes several months. Please contact either Matt Padilla or Lisa Dunn (Beamlines 1-5, 7-1, 9-1, 9-2 or 11-1) for further information on Class 2 biohazards. For animal and human subjects contact Matt Padilla.

User Support/Beam Time Notification Form

If you have been assigned beamtime on an X-ray or VUV line you will be sent a User Support/Beam Time Notification Form. Review the pre-printed beamline, date and collaborator information carefully. Add any collaborators who will be assisting you with this beam time to the list. Only the collaborators listed on these forms will be allowed through Gates 17 and 30 without an escort to SSRL. The blank portions of this form must be filled out completely and returned to SSRL by the specified deadline.

Check the Experimental Set Up information at the bottom of the form. This indicates the monochromator crystal, mirror position and SSRL equipment reserved for your run. If your needs have changed or if there are any problems, contact the User Research Administration Office immediately. Any necessary corrections should be annotated on the form before returning it to the User Administration Office. Technical support is very limited, and it is difficult to accommodate requests for equipment or other items not indicated in advance on your User Support Form.

Blank X-ray and VUV Support forms are also available on the web.

Please Note: User support requirement information is collected as part of the Beam Time Request submittal for Macromolecular Crystallography users.

Use Agreements

All experiments at SSRL must be run under the terms of a Use Agreement executed by your institution and Stanford University. If a Use Agreement is not already in place with your institution, or for any of your onsite collaborators' institutions, an agreement will be sent to you or your collaborator for execution by the appropriate institutional officer. These signed agreements must be on file at SSRL prior to your experimental run. A supplemental Use Agreement is required for experimenters wishing to perform private sector research at SSRL. A single Use Agreement covers all experimenters from that institution. Collaborators who are not coming to SSRL do not require a Use Agreement.

Use Agreement forms for both standard and private sector research are available for downloading from the Use Agreement Menu Page.

Contact Michelle Steger at 650-926-3011 if you have questions.

User Accounts

Each user group is highly encouraged to establish an account at SSRL. To open or renew an account, complete a User Account Form and submit along with a Purchase Order from your institution to Michelle Steger. An account number will be assigned to you from User Administration after receipt of this information. If you have a current SSRL user account, your account number will be listed on the User Support Form. If you do not have an account, a blank form will be enclosed with your User Support Form. You may also complete the form online. If you believe your account is tax-exempt in California, and you are not an employee of a DOE laboratory, you must provide proof of your tax-exempt status.

SLAC will add 14% General & Administration Indirect Costs to all purchases made through your user account.

Computer Accounts

Each user group must have a computer account and sign a computer usage security agreement. All persons using these accounts are responsible for understanding and complying with the security agreement. SSRL does not charge for use of its computer systems. Forms are available on the web (form for X-ray/VUV lines) and (form for Macromolecular Crystallography lines). Form more information X-ray/VUV users should contact Ellie Fazli by phone or email, macromolecular crystallography users should contact Thomas Eriksson.

Private Sector Research

Private sector research may be conducted on a full-cost recovery basis. For further information please see "SSRL Proposal Submittal and Scheduling Procedures".

Gases and Cryogenics

Gases and cryogenics can be charged to your user account. With the exception of liquid nitrogen, all gases should be ordered in advance of your arrival on site. Please complete order forms at least two weeks before your beam time.
Liquid Nitrogen
SSRL supplies liquid nitrogen at no charge to users. The main filling station is located in the Bldg. 131 Annex. There is also a smaller tank for filling small dewars. When handling Liquid Nitrogen, please follow the instructions carefully and wear the supplied gloves and safety glasses.
Liquid Helium
Liquid Helium is available on a 2-day turnaround in 100 liter dewars. The cost is $619 and will be charged to your user account. Your group will be charged for the full 100 liters even if you do not use it all. Liquid helium orders should be placed electronically using the SSRL Gas Ordering Form.
Standard Gases
Orders for standard which will be charged to your user account, must be placed two weeks prior to arrival. Please use the SSRL Gas Ordering Form
Specialty Gases
Specialty gases must be ordered 3 weeks prior to your arrival. Analyzed gas orders take another two days. There is a charge for these gases which will be applied to your user account. Specialty gases cannot be returned for credit to your account. Please use the SSRL Gas Ordering Form.
Dewars
SSRL has a small supply of portable dewars which can be borrowed from the stockroom. Macromolecular Crystallography users wishing to ship dewars to SSRL should complete the Shipping Dewars to SSRL Form to help ensure that the dewar is delivered to the correct beam line and refilled if necessary.