GENERAL LABORATORY REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES
Accelerator Operators:
We are required by State Authorities to have "on premises" a list of persons who are
qualified to operate our accelerators. This list is maintained by the TUNL RSM. It is
updated only when a staff member qualifies a new person and requests that their name be
added to the list. New personnel are required to have familiarized themselves with the
contents of the TUNL emergency procedures and operations manual, to have read and
understood the radiation safety procedures, the University Chemical Hygiene guidelines, and
have learned the correct operating procedures for the FN tandem accelerator. In addition, new
personnel who will be working in the laboratory are required to take and pass a radiation
safety examination. ONLY approved operators are permitted to operate the accelerators
without supervision. Persons with provisional approval may operate the running accelerator
unaccompanied as long as they are in direct telephone contact with a qualified operator at all
times. The accelerators must never be left operating unless a qualified operator is in the
laboratory - and on the laboratory (100) level. This also applies to the Laboratory for Low
Energy Nuclear Astrophysics (LENA).
In addition to the above training requirements, new (1998) University Regulations require
annual training updates for all University employees and others working in radiation areas.
This requirement can be satisfied by attending the TUNL Summer Safety Seminars, one of
the update training sessions held by the OESO, or via an online update training module
(www.safety.duke.edu/OnlineTraining/Default.asp). With the exception of Fire Safety,
updates for most subjects are only required once every three years. TUNL researchers are
required to complete the following training suite: TUNL Radiation Safety, Laboratory Safety,
Fire Safety, Lock Out/Tag Out, Ergonomics, and optionally – Laser Safety.
4.1 Building Security:
The State of North Carolina requires that access to all radiological areas be restricted
to those trained and authorized to handle radioactive materials. For this reason, all
radiological areas are secured from public access. The TUNL laboratory has electronic
access controls installed in the elevator, and at the stairwell entrance to the control room and
also at the rear entrance door at the engineering lot. Access is restricted by a PIN number
which will be issued by the TUNL RSM. Because of the potentially dangerous equipment
used in the laboratory, it is the policy of the laboratory not to allow visitors into the
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accelerator bay or the target areas without an escort by laboratory personnel (see section
5.10). For this reason and for the safety of the operators, the outside doors to the laboratory
are locked each day at 5 PM and on weekends. This prevents unauthorized persons from
entering the laboratory when there may only be one or two people in the building. Any
visitor found unaccompanied on the experimental level should be immediately escorted out
of that area. Visitors in the office structure should be offered assistance in locating the
person that they are looking for. Unfamiliar persons discovered alone in private offices
should be confronted to determine whether or not they should be there. Duke University
Police Department should be called (911) if it is suspected that the building has been broken
into or that there is a burglary in progress.
The exterior doors are electronically monitored and if not closed after hours, Duke
Police will be dispatched to investigate and secure the building. If a door is found not to be
locked or is propped open, they will enter the building and determine whether any
unauthorized people are present. To avoid the embarrassment of having to produce
identification and explain why the door was not locked - never unlock or prop the doors open
after working hours or on weekends. If you are expecting a visitor or delivery - use the
intercom at the tandem console to listen for arrivals at the front door. There is also a buzzer
which people arriving at the front door can use to signal people in the control room that they
wish to be let in. Video cameras monitor the front door, the loading dock and the rear
entrance to the laboratory. These cameras may be viewed at the monitor located on top of the
tandem control console. The front door can be unlocked remotely from the tandem console
intercom by pushing the unlock button.
The padlocks on the gate on the loading dock are keyed with secure keys. This gate
is normally open for deliveries weekdays between 8 & 5 and padlocked after hours and on
weekends. A key for the padlock is kept in the tandem lock box.
Occasionally an experiment will be concluded after normal working hours. If the
experimenters should decide to shut down the machine and go home - there are a number of
things that must be done:
1. The accelerator must be shut down as detailed in chapter 6. This includes the securing of
the control power and charging system keys.
2. The ion source must be shut down as detailed in Chapter 3, sections VIII and IX, or the
instructions appropriate to the source being used.
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3. The analyzing magnet current and associated lens currents should be run down to zero
either individually or by using the master reference control - if is being used. Turn off the
analyzing magnet controls in the control room (DC OFF, POWER OFF), and the various
other magnet power supplies in the power supply racks out in the bay.
4. Close the low energy, high energy, input 90˚-90˚, and input 70˚-70˚ beam line gate valves.
The first two must be closed from the low energy and high energy pumping stations
respectively. The latter two are closed from the control room Giesler panel - below the main
vacuum metering station in the extreme right hand console cabinet. This isolates the
accelerator and other vacuum sections - reducing the potential for damage should there be a
vacuum system failure during the night.
5. Turn off most of the accelerator bay lighting but leave enough lights on for people to
move about safely - i.e. leave every fourth light on. This is accomplished by flipping the
circuit breakers in the panel just outside the control room to accelerator bay door.
6. Make sure that the back door (in the mechanical room) is closed and locked.
7. Shut off the control room lights - except for the row nearest the stairway. The circuit
breakers are located in the service closet near the stairway.
8. Make sure that the front door is locked and latched on your way out.
4.2 Keys
Keys to the TUNL building and the Nuclear Physics rooms in the Physics building
are available to TUNL PERSONNEL ONLY through the TUNL secretary - Mrs. West - in
room 414 TUNL. She will authorize the keys and they will be issued through the Physics key
control officer in room 139A Physics. All keys must be surrendered at the time a person
terminates employment at TUNL. Loss of any keys is a very serious matter as it makes us
vulnerable to vandalism or theft - ALL of the TUNL property as well as personal property in
both the TUNL building and the Nuclear Physics rooms of the Physics building. Loss of any
keys should be immediately reported to both the TUNL secretary and the Physics secretary.
They may notify the Duke University Police Department to place an increased watch on the
building and rooms affected
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4.3 Maintenance
Maintenance for the TUNL building is divided into three categories: Building,
Accelerator, and Electronics. The University provides maintenance for the basic services:
heating and cooling, lighting, plumbing, doors and locks. Burned out lights, leaky faucets,
and other problems in these categories should be reported to Mrs. West in room 414 TUNL,
Richard O’Quinn or Chris Westerfeldt. These people are able to submit online work requests
for either the TUNL or Physics buildings. After hours, call the University Maintenance
mechanic on duty at 684-2122. If after hours and an emergency – call the Duke Police at
911 or 684-2444 and they will page the appropriate people to respond.
Repairs needed for accelerator related equipment should be brought to the attention
of Mr. Richard O'Quinn or Mr. John Dunham. A notice should also be put on the chalkboard
adjacent to the elevator on the lab level of TUNL. PLEASE DATE AND INITIAL ALL
ENTRIES. Alternatively, electronic mail can be sent (two copies) to "Dunham" and
"Oquinn".
Electronics problems associated with the computer, data acquisition electronics and
electronics constructed by the electronics shop should be brought to the attention electronics
shop. A notice should also be put on the chalkboard near the elevator. A shelf in the control
room has been designated for defective electronics. All small electronics modules requiring
repairs should be placed on this shelf with a tag indicating the problem, the date, and the
name of the person requesting repairs.
A key is available in Mrs. West’s office in 414to permit TUNL personnel to fill LN
containers after hours or on weekends if the need arises. Do not attempt to fill a liquid
container unless you have been instructed in the safe operation of the filling station! The
storeroom clerk must be informed of the purchase. Send Email to Maxine@phy.duke.edu
stating when the LN was obtained and how much (size of container).
Logging the Accelerator and Ion Source
The PIC (person in charge - of the experiment) is responsible for filling in the daily
log sheets. The log book is kept at the tandem console and is a daily record of the machine
parameters. It is imperative that the radiation levels be recorded on a daily basis when the
accelerator is in operation - this is a State of North Carolina regulation! Do this even if all
levels are zero. Failure to complete these logs can result in revocation of your operator
privileges.
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4.4 Working on Equipment
While most repairs or modifications to laboratory equipment should be done by the
technical support staff, there are always some jobs which are left up to the experimenter - i.e.
replacing faulty detectors or power supplies. Laboratory policy is that the experimenter is
allowed to undertake such minor repairs only if he/she is not alone in the laboratory. This is
especially true at night when there may not be more than two people around. Experimenters
are encouraged to work in pairs so that if an accident should happen, the second person will
be immediately available to get help. If a problem arises which requires that some repairs be
made, an experimenter alone in the laboratory should call another of his/her collaborators for
advice and help.
4.5 Machine Shop Procedures:
The Duke University Instrument Shop (DUIS) normally handles all mechanical
construction projects for TUNL, although the NCSU and UNC-CH machine shops do on
occasion build equipment for the researchers from those institutions.
At Duke, all jobs or material requests must be submitted on the standard DUIS forms
and must be signed by one of the authorized TUNL staff members. All work submitted to the
instrument shop must be submitted through the shop manager. In addition, any changes to a
job must be submitted to the shop manager and not to the instrument makers. All mechanical
drawings submitted are expected to be neatly done and with legible notations. Computer
generated scaled drawings are preferred. The shop will indicate any changes made in the
design, on the original drawing. All vacuum system related projects should be reviewed by
Mr. Richard O’Quinn or Mr. Chris Westerfeldt to help assure compliance with laboratory
standards.
4.6 Evaporator Room
TUNL maintains two high vacuum evaporators in room 038 Physics for use by
TUNL personnel in making thin targets by resistance heating or electron gun evaporation..
This room contains a homemade evaporator and a commercial Denton evaporator, and a
carbon cracking system for preparation of thin carbon foils. Auxiliary equipment includes a
precision Mettler balance, a hood, and a carbon foil lifting apparatus The evaporators may be
used for up to one week at a time by a group or an individual who have signed up for the time
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in advance. (A sign-up log is located in the evaporator room.) If at the end of the week, no
one else has requested time, a person may sign up for an additional week. Users are
responsible for handling materials safely. When Particularly Hazardous Substances (PHS)
are to be evaporated, the director must be notified and a procedure must be developed for the
evaporation and cleanup. This may require approval by the university environmental safety
office.
The evaporator room, its equipment and supplies are maintained by the users. This
means that users are expected to clean the evaporator thoroughly after use and to replenish
any materials depleted i.e.: alcohol, glass slides, Kim wipes, etc. Most components
(electrodes, slide holders, etc.) may be cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner. Hazardous waste
must not be discarded in the wastebaskets, all such waste must be bagged, tagged, and stored
under the hood in room 016. Rinse all items cleaned in clean water before drying to remove
any (soap) residue. Store all cleaned components in the compartmented plastic storage bin
provided - this keeps contamination to a minimum. Handle all internal evaporator
components as little as possible with bare hands - cotton and latex gloves are provided for
use. A limited supply of source boats and carbon coated slides are maintained for use by
TUNL personnel. Persons requiring special boats or slides or large quantities of same should
contact Chris Westerfeldt for information about ordering these items. Questions pertaining to
the maintenance and operation of the evaporator should be addressed to Chris Westerfeldt
(660-2545/Room 07 PY) or Richard O’Quinn (660-2957/Room 06 PY)
This room is also considered the "Chemistry Room" – and is available to TUNL
personnel. . This room contains a variety of materials - metals and compounds- for targets as
well as a hydraulic press for making solid targets from powder or wire, an oven and a water
distillation system. A small assortment of glassware and general chemistry supplies are also
kept in this room. These and all Nuclear Physics rooms should be locked after you are
through working in them. Never leave them unlocked overnight. Procedures requiring the
use of Hydrofluoric Acid may be performed in the hood in this lab and are subject to the
terms of the HF SOP. Copies are available in room 038 Physics or from Chris Westerfeldt in
room 07 Physics.
4.7 TUNL Machine Shop
For researchers who wish to make minor changes to a piece of equipment or to
construct something themselves, limited machine shop facilities are available for TUNL
personnel in the mechanical room. Persons using this equipment are assumed to be familiar
with its safe operation. Additional facilities are available in the Staff shop in the Physics
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building - room 051. The Instrument shop requires persons using this equipment to complete
a training course which they offer. Advice or assistance in learning how to use this
equipment can be obtained from the technical support staff in the instrument shop. The
laboratory also provides an assortment of safety equipment - including safety glasses and face
shields, heavy gloves, hearing protectors, hard-hats, and aprons. These are located in the shop
area in a metal cabinet.
All users of the TUNL shop are to replace any tools which are broken (i.e.. drill bits)
or expendable (i.e. sandpaper) which are used up. Replacement sanding belts and band saw
blades are provided in the metal cabinet in the shop area. Lastly, the users of this shop are
responsible for cleaning it up after use. Leaving a mess is not only annoying to the next user,
but can be dangerous. We are periodically inspected by the University OSHA office and this
is an item that we can be cited for. Under no circumstances should you ever use the
machines or tools to work contaminated materials!
4.8 Safety in the Laboratory
All workers in the laboratory are encouraged to read section 2 on hazards associated
with the accelerator and the laboratory. The laboratory is very concerned about the safety of
its personnel and has taken steps to protect them by providing safety equipment and
instruction in first aid. The laboratory has made available hard hats, safety goggles, hearing
protectors, and heavy gloves for persons working with or around shielding walls or blocks, or
any heavy equipment. Because of the hazards presented by heavy objects in the laboratory,
all laboratory personnel are required to wear shoes while in the laboratory (this includes the
electronics and machine shops). In addition, shirts must also be worn while in the laboratory.
A shirt can provide a significant degree of protection from electrical shock and accidental
burns. The laboratory provides coveralls both as protection from these hazards and as
protection for your clothing while working. New laboratory personnel are required to
acquaint themselves with the location of the various first aid boxes, fire extinguishers etc.
All personnel are encouraged to notify the director of any unsafe practices or other safety
hazards which they feel are present in the laboratory.
4.9 Laboratory Tours and Visitors
Organized tours of the TUNL facilities are welcomed. Persons contemplating
organizing a tour for a large group (i.e. a class) should contact the director (Dr. C. Howell) in
order to arrange a convenient time and sufficient tour guides to handle the group. (It is best
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to break up a large group into smaller groups of around 10 - 15 persons.) All tours must be
accompanied by at least one TUNL employee - familiar with the laboratory - as a safety
measure. Tour guides should inform the experimenter of his tour route and determine from
him any areas which should be avoided. Tours should not be conducted in areas with
radiation present - even if it is below the 2.5 mR/Hr threshold of our safety system. The tour
guide should remove the “Tour” key from the safety panel while conducting the tour. This
prevents injection of beam into the accelerator. It must be returned at the conclusion of the
tour. The tour guide should carry and use a portable Geiger counter while conducting the
tour unless a check of the tour route is made in advance. Minors are not allowed in any areas
where radiation is present above 0.2 MRem/Hr by state and federal law. Tour guides are
required to sign out one of the pocket dosimeters and to carry it on their person for the
duration of the tour. All members of the tour group are required to fill out a record sheet on
the clipboard at the badge rack. At the conclusion of the tour, the recorded dose will be
entered into the log for each group. In general, the low-energy Faraday cup should always be
put in for the duration of the tour. Tour guides should avoid areas with "hidden" dangers i.e. hot diffusion pumps or exposed high voltage such as may be on a Faraday cup etc. and
areas where beam activated components are located (beam stops and slits). At the conclusion
of the tour it should be determined that all tour members have left the experimental areas and
the experimenter notified of this fact.
Frequently, visitors such as colloquium speakers will be given a tour by a TUNL
Faculty or staff member. Experimenters are encouraged to accommodate such impromptu
tours if possible. The control room is not a 'public area', any person entering the laboratory
level other than TUNL personnel, must be accompanied by a TUNL employee. A pocket
dosimeter should be worn by the visitor and a dosimeter log entry made at the conclusion of
the tour. The control room and computer room may at times be radiation areas so deliveries
or casual visitors should be met on the office level. All visiting researchers must check in
with Ms. Strope in room 125 FEL to receive and complete the check list for new personnel
and visiting researchers. If they will be working on the lab level, they will be issued a TLD
badge by the TUNL RSM after completing the radiation safety quiz, badge application, and
operator training record in the packet. Minors under the age of 16 are not permitted to work
in the laboratory, except in public spaces - offices or work areas not on the laboratory level.
Minors aged 16-18 are permitted to work in the laboratory, however they may not work in
areas where radiation sources and other hazards are present. See the section on Radiation
Safety at TUNL for further information.
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4.10 Minors in the Laboratory
The University has developed a specific policy for minors working in the laboratory.
SECTION I. General
Chapter 6. Minors/NonEmployees
Revision
Date
Minors/Non-Employees in Work Areas
INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE
Duke University acknowledges that there are justifiable and productive reasons for the
presence of minors and non-employees in university work areas. Because of concerns related
to the exposure to physical, chemical, radioactive, and biological hazards, particularly in the
research laboratories, the following guidelines are necessary to ensure that all potential
exposures are minimized.
DEFINITIONS
Minor
Any person who has not reached the age of 18.
Non-Employee
Any person who does not perform work for compensation.
Volunteer
Any non-employee who performs services at Duke. For the purposes of
this policy, this does not include a minor volunteer who is a subject in a
medical treatment or research protocol.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Heads of Medical Center Departments which use minor volunteers shall:
 Notify the Coordinator of Volunteer services before allowing the volunteer to perform
tasks.
 Ensure that volunteers who are 14 and 15 years old are assigned only to tasks for which
there is continuous adult supervision.
 Heads of all Departments shall take appropriate steps, as described in this policy, to
ensure the safety of all non-employees in the areas under their control.
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Employees who escort or supervise the activities of minors and other non-employees shall
assess the potential risk of exposure to hazards and direct the non-employee's access
accordingly.
Procedures
Minors
No minor below the age of fourteen shall work or volunteer at Duke University Medical
Center.
No minor shall work or volunteer in a capacity that is determined to be hazardous or
potentially detrimental to the minor's health or well-being including but not limited to the
following:
 Where it is determined that there is an increased risk of exposure to infectious diseases
transmitted via the aerosol route, including the following areas of the Medical Center:
Emergency Department, 8100, 8200, 8300, Clinical Microbiology Laboratories, Infectious
Disease Clinics, Medical Specialties Clinic, and Autopsy Suite.
 A task that would potentially expose the minor to blood or body fluids, infectious
diseases or hazardous chemicals which are included on the institution's Particularly
Hazardous Substance list distributed by the OESO.
 Any area where there is potential exposure to radiation in excess of 0.1 rem (0.001
Sievert) total effective dose equivalent or in excess of 10% of the limits for general
employees specified by regulatory authority. Furthermore, no minor is permitted to work
directly with or handle radioactive materials. Authorized Users of radioactive materials who
plan to involve minors in activities in their laboratories shall notify the Radiation Safety
Office prior to beginning work in the laboratory.

Any area under construction or renovation.
Minor children, under the age of fourteen years, shall not enter the laboratory or industrial
areas without written approval from the Occupational and Environmental Safety Office.
NON-EMPLOYEES
Whenever possible, non-employees should be restricted from research areas and industrial
areas of University buildings.
When non-employees (or employees not in the course of their employment) must enter the
building, their activity should be limited to non-laboratory or non-industrial areas, such as
offices, break rooms, etc; unless approval has been received from an employee having
responsibility for the area.
Students and other non-employees with approval to enter the laboratory or industrial area
must be directly supervised by a responsible employee of the laboratory.
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Where deemed appropriate, the supervisor or Principal Investigator may place additional
restrictions on the presence of non-employees.
REFERENCES
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Part 570 (OSHA), Child Labor Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Part 1910.96 (OSHA), Ionizing Radiation
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