COVID-19 Policy

NMR Facility Protocol

Our main goal in the NMR facility is to limit exposure to the virus as best we can. As the most likely source in the facility will come from the physical contact with the keyboards and mice, the sample spinner, and the sample gauge when queuing experiments. From now on the following safety precautions will be followed when using the NMR facility.

 

Maintaining Social Distancing

  • Do no visit the basement NMR lab or the NMR labs on the 3rd and 4th floors if you are not running an experiment
  • No more gatherings in the NMR
    • All NMR training sessions are suspended till further notice. All requests to run an NMR experiment will be done by those in labs that have already passed the NMR training course or Jun and Chad.
  • You will maintain an appropriate social distance (6ft), and to avoid crossing paths while at the basement NMR lab users will enter as usual through the main entrance, however, once you have finished at the instrument you will exit through the mechanical room.
  • Minimize the time you spend inside the NMR room
    • No data analysis at instrument terminals. Collect your data from PennBox and analyze on your personal or laboratory computer
    • You will strictly adhere to your reservation times (no going over your time)
    • Automated systems will now require that you reserve time to queue your experiments to avoid forming lines
    • When using the automated systems, you do not wait in the NMR lab for your experiment to finish. You will queue your experiment and leave. Collect your sample at later time when you are notified that is finished (Label your NMR tube in case it will be removed from the SampleCase and left on the sample rack)
  • One person per instrument in the room at a time.
    • In the case of the NMR labs that contain a single instrument. One person in the room at a time.

Cleanliness

  • Everyone will wear appropriate PPE (i.e. goggles, face mask, etc.)
  • Wash your hands before entering the room and after leaving the room
    • We will do our best to sanitize the equipment and doorknobs as regularly as possible
  • You will be allowed to wear new disposable gloves in the NMR Lab
    • These will be a fresh pair of gloves that have not been used prior to entering the NMR lab and you will dispose of said gloves after you have left the NMR lab to avoid cross contamination

Sample Handling

  • Insert your sample into the spinner while the spinner is still in the box.
    • DO NOT TOUCH THE SPINNER
    • Holder spinner with a Kim-wipe if need
  • Use a Kim-Wipe to hold sample gauge and adjust sample while only touching the sample tube. Dispose of Kim-Wipe in the trash
  • For low temperature experiment only at Monday daytime 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., after getting an approval from Jun and Chad, students need to wear proper PPE (mask and gloves) to work inside NMR lab.

Stay safe everyone and practice social distancing