Safety Matters
Operations & Experimenter Resources
Before Leaving SSRL
See resources below for Industry, Respectful Work Environment, Inclusion & Diversity, and Lactation Support.
Safety Matters
Training & Preparations for Visit
To enter and work at SLAC, users must have required identification and safety training must be current. Review "To-Do" preparations and access/check-in information. Plan to arrive at SSRL between 8:00 am - 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except Holidays. A knowledgeable person from your group should be available for consultation by the SSRL staff readying the beam line for your group the morning you are scheduled to begin. Potential safety hazards must be disclosed in advance, and an Experiment Safety Checklist (SCL) must be completed by the Safety/Operations staff before user experiments can begin.
User Badges/Safety Guidelines/Safety Orientation
All onsite users must complete web-based SLAC safety training in order to obtain a SLAC ID and proximity access from Security. There must be a user agreement with the users' home institution, and users must annually complete an Acknowledgement. Safety talks for new users are given 2 pm (except weekends, holidays and AP/PAMM days). Users are encouraged to annually review the Access Guidelines.
Dosimeters
SSRL users are generally not issued dosimeters unless they may work in a Radiologically Controlled Area or handle radiactive sample materials while at SLAC/SSRL. Discuss and disclose these issues with the SSRL Safety Officer and, if needed, obtain a dosimeter from SLAC Security at the SUSB. Return dosimeters to Security before departing from SLAC.
Hutch Operation
Search reset (SR) keys must remain on the premises at all times. Contact the SSRL Duty Operator (DO)/Floor Coordinator for questions or assistance with SR keys, beam line or hutch operation.
Other ES&H Concerns
All equipment that is brought to SSRL must meet accepted standards for good laboratory and electrical practices.
Any hazardous waste, including solvent wipes, must be disposed of properly, i.e., not mixed or tossed in the regular trash receptacles. There are disposal containers available on the experimental floor. For procedures for disposing of hazardous waste through SSRL see the section on Leaving SSRL.
Please list your local telephone numbers on the white board at your beamline so you can be contacted if questions arise or in case of an emergency.
Operations & Experimenter Resources
Check the SPEAR operating and beam line schedules for information on beam time as well as dates when SSRL will be DOWN for Maintenance, Accelerator Physics or Holidays so you can plan your visits accordingly:
SPEAR Status
Updates on the status of SPEAR and beam lines are available on line. A recorded SPEAR status message is also availble at 650-926-BEAM(2326).
Changeover Shifts
X-ray &VUV Beam Lines: Although beam time officially turns over to the next user at 3 pm, a knowledgeable user should arrive by 8 am to assist staff if questions arise about the user's experiment configuration preferences. Beam lines are usually available much earlier in the day so the experiment team is advised to arrive early (~10 am-1:30 pm) on their first day of beam time. Contact the designated beam line engineer/scientist at least one week prior to your experiment to discuss your beam line configuration needs and confirm your start time. First time users should arrive a day early to complete safety training and SSRL safety orientation. Unless other arrangements have been made with your beam line contact, plan to complete experiments, clean up and clear the beam line by 7 am on your last day -- this is when set up for the next user group will begin (beam time ends at 6 am on designated AP/MA/PAMM days).
Macromolecular Crystallography Beam Lines: Experiments on Beam Lines 7-1, 9-2, 12-2, and 14-1 users generally begin at 3 pm and end at 11 am PACIFIC (many of these experiments are conducted remotely).
Changes to the Experimental Schedule
Contact the User Research Administration Office as early as possible if changes to the experiment schedule are needed (C. Knotts/T. Nakai for X-ray and VUV and L. Dunn for Macromolecular Crystallography).
The Experiment Safety Checklist (SCL) will be extended after the User Administration staff have updated the beam line schedule and informed the Operations group of the schedule change.
Program Manager Rounds
On weekdays, at approximately 3:00 PM, the Beam Line Program Manager and the Duty Operator tour the floor, stopping at beam lines to interact with users, provide updates and assistance, answer questions, and obtain user feedback.
Accelerator Physics (AP)
48 hours of accelerator physics or maintenance are scheduled every other Monday-Wednesday (6:00 AM through 6:00 AM). Occassionally there may be parasitic beam available during AP/PAMM activiteis. Contact the Beam Line Program Manager for more information. Decisions about use of usable beam needs to be coordinated with AP, URA, beam line staff, scheduled changeovers, equipment availability, etc.
Industry Partnerships & Technology Transfer
SLAC is dedicated to carrying out research and developing technologies in support of national priorities. It is part of our mission to develop relationships with industry and other government agencies to better bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and their practical applications. Contact SSRL or SLAC staff for more information.
Respectful Work Environment
SSRL is a RESPECTFUL place to do great science - - free of sexual harassment, intimidation or exploitation. Please contact us if you have suggestions, questions, want to talk, or if you encounter any issues while you are here.
Inclusion & Diversity at SLAC
SLAC supports the transformative power of diversity. Since it began in 1962, inclusion of diverse thought has enabled SLAC to uncover new perspectives that generate innovative ideas, suggestions and methods. Learn more about how we strive to actively cultivate an environment where everyone can feel respected and encouraged to be their best self.
Mothering Room/Lactation Support
For women who wish to carry out their breastfeeding goals, we seek to provide an accommodating and supportive environment for lactation while at SSRL and SLAC.
There are several dedicated Mothers' Rooms at SLAC located in:
Building 131 (Mamava pod located next to the SSRL BL9 user lounge/kitchen)
Building 53 (Room 3074 - SUSB)
Building 901 (Room 204 - LCLS)
Building 28 (Occupational Medicine)
Building 41 (Room 1272)
If use of a different space is desired, contact your supervisor, URA or SSRL point of contact to discuss possible alternative arrangements for meeting lactation space needs, which might include scheduling conference rooms or using an unoccupied office (with permission).
Additional information and other resources can also be found on the Stanford site https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards/worklife/children-family/lactation-support
Before Leaving SSRL
Return Borrowed Equipment
All equipment borrowed from SSRL must be returned before you depart (equipment which is not returned will be billed to you).
Dispose of Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste which needs to be removed from the site is handled by SLAC. SLAC personnel must be contacted through SSRL staff. If you have waste to be removed from one of the SMB Sample Preparation Laboratories, please fill out the appropriate form in the lab and contact Cynthia Patty. If you have hazardous waste to be removed from other parts of the lab contact Grace Tang (ext. 3467) or Matt Padilla (ext. 3861) to get the appropriate forms. It is important that Cynthia or Matt speak with you in person regarding the waste before you leave the site.
Ship Equipment
See instructions related to shipping equipment back to your home institution. If you plan to ship samples, equipment or other scientific items from SLAC back to your international institution or to another location outside of the U.S., review foreign shipping/export instructions and complete a Power of Attorney form for the Individual or Group that is responsible for and who will receive the shipment. .
Submit End-of-Run Survey
Feedback from your experience is extremely important to us and helps us continue to improve user support as well as to meet our mission requirements for assessment and reporting. After completing each scheduled experiment, submit an End of Run Survey. Note: Your feedback is shared with SSRL management and relevant staff (not anonymous).
Acknowledge SSRL and Inform us of Publications Based on Work at SSRL
Please contact us before exciting results are about to be published so that we can work with you, your institution and the SLAC Office of Communication to track publications related to the user facility, to develop science highlights and to communicate the latests research findings to a broader audience. User science highlights as well as other news and announcements are featured on our website and in our electronic newsletter.
Publications are an important metric of productivity, and we need your help to keep up-to-date publication listings for all peer-reviewed journal papers, book chapters, conference proceedings and theses based on work conducted here - -this allows us to demonstrate the scientific achievements and productivity of this user facility. After data have been collected, analyzed and prepared for publication, inform us and acknowledge us and our funding agencies in each publication using the following formats.
Referencing SSRL and Funding Sources
All publications related to work fully or partially undertaken at SSRL must include an acknowledgement statement. Please use the following acknowledgements as appropriate.
- Macromolecular crystallography, x-ray absorption spectroscopy (biochemistry, bioinorganic, biomedical, and biology) and biological small-angle x-ray scattering users should use:
Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. The SSRL Structural Molecular Biology Program is supported by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research, and by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (including P41GM103393) . The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIGMS or NIH.
- All other users should use:
Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515.
