General rules for working in the cleanroom

New users must complete the Cleanroom safety course before gaining access to the Cleanroom.

Send a cleanroom@nbi.ku.dk to join a course. Please provide information on which group or PI you are affiliated with.

The safety of you and coworkers in the lab is of utmost importance. Although we encourage constructive feedback on safety procedures, and how to improve them, you must accept that safety is not a democratic process. The rules must be followed.

In case of an accident, you must also accept that your coworkers or cleanroom staff takes over and instructs you in order to help in the best possible way. You may not think rationally in such a situation!

How to behave

• Always think of safety first!
• Always wear the required cleanroom attire
• Respect a comfort safety zone around people working in the cleanroom
• The maximum number of people in each of the two cleanrooms is 8, providing that people are distibuted at different fumehoods and tools
• When you work at the fume hoods:
  • Use slow movements (to avoid turbulence)
  • Reduce the amount of equipment and bottles in the bench
  • Operate with sash as low as possible (always below arrow marking max sash height)
  • Keep the worksurface tidy
  • Clean up after use
  • If you must leave a process unattended, please limit the time and attach a note with name, contact info, and return time
• Wash labware after use with Milli-Q water and hang to dry on rack
• No food or drinks allowed in the cleanroom
• Broken glass must be cleaned and disposed of in the glass bins
• No earphones! You must be able to hear and see to act safely

How to dress

When working in the cleanroom, you must always wear cleanroom attire, and when working with acids or dangerous chemicals, you must also wear personal protective equipment (PPE). Cleanroom attire and PPE have different purposes. Clean room attire is not PPE. You wear cleanroom attire to protect samples from dust generated by you, and you wear PPE to protect you from chemicals.

To minimize particle generation your personal clothes and hair must be totally covered from the lower edge of the clean room coat and up. Long hair must be tucked under the hood and neither headscarves nor hair must stick out or block your vision.

Oversized trousers or floor long dresses pose a safety risk as you may trip while handling chemicals and is thus not allowed. Clothing that contains excessive fringe or even overly loose-fitting clothing may be ruled to be unsafe. Open toed shoes are accepted.

The use of contact lenses is not recommended in the lab. Contact lenses make it difficult to wash the eyes in case of splashes. If you choose to wear them you should alert other cleanroom users. Other users need to know that lenses will need to be removed if you do get something in your eye.

Please note that you are required to strip your clothes when using the safety shower. Not removing contaminated clothes will make the situation worse. If you are not comfortable with this, you should not enter the lab.

Cleanroom attire

The required cleanroom attire is:

• Hair cover
• Safety glasses, even over normal glasses. They may only be removed when using the microscopes.
• Beard cover if you have a beard or stubble over 3 mm long
• Cleanroom gown
• Gloves
• Cleanroom colgs

Personal protective equipment

Further required PPE when working with dangerous chemicals:

• Apron
• General chemical work: Nitrile gloves
• Strong acids/chemicals: Nitrile + sleeve covers + tri-polymer protective sleeves
• Fumehood sash kept low

Practical information

• All staff members are covered by the insurance provisions of the Occupational Injuries Act. In this relation a staff member is someone receiving a salary for the work done
• Students are not usually covered by the insurance provisions of the Occupational Injuries Act. We recommend that you have an accident policy, and that you make sure it also applies when you are studying and when you are working in the lab.
• Please familiarize yourself with the Emergency plan
• Please familiarize yourself with the general evacuation concept of KU
• Information about the NBI Occupational Health and Safety Committee can be found here. This webpage also has links to other relevant Occupational Health and Safety sites at KU.
• A very thorough general lab safety manual for physics students at NBI.
• KU provides First Aid courses. Keep an eye out for courses given in English (Generally offered a couple of times a year).