Dear all,

For the safety of our users and staff, as well as for the smooth operation of our cleanroom and labs, we will increase enforcement of solvent/hood protocols effective immediately. Users have all been trained on how to correctly use the hoods, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and labeling their beakers/chemicals, but if you have any questions or concerns, please ask any of the staff.

PPE instructions are on each hood.
Labels are available at every hood, and from now on, labeling your beakers with name, chemical, and time initiated will be strictly enforced. Please do so when first setting up your glassware before pouring any chemicals.
Violations will be elevated to the Disciplinary Committee and may result in restrictions on cleanroom/lab use. Signs have been posted on the hoods to remind users of some of the more critical protocols, including:

• All samples and solutions must be labeled with user name, contents and date in the standard label. Unlabeled items will be discarded.
• Do not block the perforated plate with your sample or wipes. They will block the air flow to protect you from fumes.
• No heads in the hood. (If you need something you can’t reach, get assistance from the staff).
• No cell phones in the hood. Do not touch cell phones with solvent or acid gloves.
• Do not use the N2 gun to dry samples outside of the hood.

There will be a grace period until Monday morning on beakers/samples currently in the hoods. If you have something unlabeled, please go fix that immediately. It will be discarded (and your glassware forfeited) on Monday. 

Please feel free to address any questions or concerns on this escalation in policy enforcement to me.

Thank you,
Dana

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Dana Weinstein
Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Associate Director of Operations, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Discovery Park
Purdue University
https://engineering.purdue.edu/hybridmems