SOP for the use of the student machine shop

Mar 15, 2021

The Varian machine shop includes as section “student shop” reserved for users (not only graduate students) that have been properly certified by the shop manager (Mehmet Solyali) to safely operate the machines.  This SOP only applies to already certified users and is intended for the operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.  No shop class is currently offered, so that people needing certification will have to wait for a later stage, when many restrictions will be lifted.

Already certified users will be able to use the shop during working hours, with the following conditions:

  1. Users need to already have access to Varian, be current with Stanford’s COVID surveillance testing appropriate for their status (students, postdoc, staff,…), and complete the health check.
  2. Users need to email or call Mehmet Solyali (Mehmet.solyali [at] stanford.edu (Mehmet[dot]solyali[at]stanford[dot]edu), 725-2327) to schedule a time and be sure to enter the contact information (NAME, EMAIL, PI, DEPT, TIME IN, TIME OUT) on the Physics Machine Shop Sign-in Tracking sheet upon arrival and when depart.
  3. No more than 3 users are admitted to the shop at any given time. It is expected that Shop users behave in a responsible way.  While the surface area of the shop is about 5000 ft^2sqft and, using the 125 ft^sqft per 2/person guideline, 3 users is a very comfortable guideline, it is felt that this is appropriate at the current stage and given the fact that machines are not uniformly distributed over the floor.
  4. Users wear a mask AND A FACE SHIELD in the shop.
  5. Users maintain 6ft distance among themselves and with shop personnel.
  6. Users will use machines as far as possible from other users (that, in general, will result in a spacing that is substantially larger than 6ft)
  7. No advice from the shop personnel can be requested in the current situation (both to maintain distance and because the shop is very busy). Since advice cannot be requested, there are some jobs that you will not be able to do safely since you would benefit from the advice of shop personnel. Do not take additional risks, and do not do the jobs that require shop advice until after these restrictions are lifted.
  8. Users will sanitize machines before and after use with alcohol.

People observing behavior in violation of the above items are strongly encouraged to speak up, either with the person in violation of the rule, or with the chair of the safety committee, Giorgio Gratta.