From the Turbomachinery Laboratory Facility Manager:
The following website is designed to give you, the Turbomachinery Laboratory employee, tools you need to safely and effectively perform your duties. At the bottom of this page, you will find instructions for completing the safety courses required to work at the Turbolab.
Prior to beginning a new experiment, a project safety analysis must be completed and turned in to the Turbomachinery Laboratory Manager. If you need clarification on the information required in a project safety analysis, please ask and I will be happy to provide a sample copy for your review.
Safety of all Turbomachinery Laboratory employees is paramount. Please read, understand and follow the guidelines set forth by the Texas A&M System so that we all continue to enjoy a safe and productive workplace.
Turbo Lab Employee Database Worksheet
There are some guidelines for working at the Turbomachinery Laboratory that you need to follow and some suggestions I recommend you consider while employed here.
Guidelines:
- When working in the main bay, the test cell offices (1st floor) or the test cells, long pants and closed toe shoes are mandatory. Shorts and/or sandals are approved only for the 2nd floor offices and the offices in the front of the building.
- When working in the Lab’s machine or wood shop, safety glasses are required. There is a box just inside the door to room 124 (“the shop”) containing safety glasses. Put a pair on when you come into the shop and replace the glasses in the box upon exiting the shop so they are available for the next employee. Safety glasses are mandatory once you cross the red line painted on the floor.
- When working in the machine shop with the lathe or mill, someone must either accompany you or the Facility Manager must be in the manager’s office. This is due to an incident at another university where a female student’s long hair became tangled in a lathe, resulting in her death. Someone must be in the shop with you, whether they are just watching you or working on another machine or project. Do not work in the machine shop alone.
- Long hair and loose clothing must be secured before working with rotating machine tools. Roll up long sleeves and tie up long hair or secure it under a cap. Be mindful that your hair does not dangle into the work piece while tied up if you are bending over to watch the work.
- If you use a tool, put it away in its proper location when you are finished with it, even if you found it somewhere else in the shop.
- If you use one of the lathes or the mill, you must sign in and sign out on the machine use log attached to the machine. Once you are finished using the machine, clean up all of your tailings, scraps and oil spills, clean the cutting tools and replace them in the proper place. The machine should be clean and ready for the next user before you leave the machine shop. A mop and floor cleaner are available for your use in cleaning oil from the floor. Simply wiping the oil with a paper towel is unacceptable.
- Tools are available for your use in your test cell but must be signed out in the tool check out log located on the bench by the door. Tools must be returned by 4:45 p.m. each day.
- If you repeatedly use a tool or need it for long periods of time, speak to your PI about purchasing that tool for use in your test cell. The tools are not intended for long term check out, as other employees may need that tool.
- If you use consumable materials (paint, bolts, nuts, wire, sheet metal goods, dimensional metal goods, wood) you are expected to replace what you use. The best way to avoid replacement is to purchase the materials prior to starting work on your project.
- Keep your work area (test cell and test cell office) and the shop neat and clean. Clean up oil spills immediately using spray cleaner and the mop provided in the shop. Or, you may use dry sweep provided for your use at the front of the bay by the elevator.
- After using a machine tool, clean up after yourself and return the tool to a condition useable for the next employee. Do not leave excess metal shavings in the catch basins of the lathes or on and around the mill. Do not leave sawdust on the woodworking machines and the floor around the woodshop.
- Report broken and/or inoperable tools to the Facility Manager immediately so the tool can be repaired or made operable and/or safe for the next employee.
- If you are unfamiliar with a tool, do not use it until you speak with the Facility Manager and get help with your project.
- We are attempting to cut energy cost across the TAMU System. One change has been the use of the overhead bay lights that, previously, were on all day. I do not turn the bay lights on for the duration of the day but it you need them, please do not hesitate to turn them on. You may consider how much light you need and only turn on the zone of lights that will help you accomplish your task. The switches for the bay lights are located at the corner of the wall between my office (Room 123) and the hallway leading to the front offices and bathrooms. Please turn the bay lights off when you are done. If you appear to be the last person in the Turbomachinery Laboratory in the evening, and the bay lights are on, please turn them off.
- My mobile number is posted on the whiteboard just inside my office door. If something happens at the lab overnight or on the weekend and you need some help, please do not hesitate to call me. If there is an emergency (fire, injury, flooding etc.) please call emergency services at 911 (from a mobile phone) or 9-911 (from a land line at the Turbomachinery Laboratory). If the air conditioner, electricity or water goes out, please call the Radio Room (Maintenance Services, non-business hours) first. The number to the Radio Room is 5-4357 (land line) or 845-4357 (mobile phone).
- Parking – during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), please park in the parking lot at the front of the lab. In order to facilitate truck and forklift traffic at the rear of the building, student vehicles are not permitted at the back of the lab unless all the parking spaces in front are full. Do not park in front of or in any way block the roll up door at the back of the lab. Never park your vehicle directly in front of either of the walk through doors at the back of the lab as this creates a hazard if the building needs to be evacuated for an emergency.
If you have questions, comments or additions to the information provided in this website, I welcome your input.
Thank you,
Carl Johnson
Facility Manager
Turbomachinery Laboratory
A&M Texas Engineering Experiment Station
Texas A&M University
979-845-6669
[email protected]
Students, faculty and all employees with a TAMU UIN:
The following outlines Texas A&M Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) safety training requirements for faculty and staff working in laboratories.
EHS prefers faculty and staff attend the classroom Introduction to Laboratory Safety (TrainTraq course 211126) training. Employees can register for this course by logging into TAMU SSO, select TrainTraq, select Course Catalog, enter 211126 in the Course Number, and click search.
- Work area specific training is required at the laboratory by the Pl or laboratory manager. This training must be documented on the Hazard Communication Training Record.
Online Hazard Communication (TrainTraq course 211138) training is available to faculty and staff who cannot attend the classroom training due to scheduling conflicts. Employees can register for this course by logging into TAMU SSO, select TrainTraq, select Course Catalog, enter 211138 in the Course Number, and click search.
- Work area specific training is required at the laboratory by the Pl or laboratory manager. This training must be documented on the Hazard Communication Training Record.
Training instructions
- Click “Start” and follow the prompts.
- You will be prompted to provide some information about yourself, such as your name, employer, and how you heard about this course. Click Save.
- Click Start Course.
- When you have completed the course, an email will be sent to the email entered at the beginning of the course. The email will contain a link which will allow you to print a completion certificate for the course.
- Retain a copy of the completion certificate for your records and provide a copy to the laboratory where you will be working.
Student trainings for laboratories are the responsibility of the lab instructor. These trainings should be tailored to the hazards related to the lab during any lab period. Please direct all lab safety trainings questions to [email protected].