General Rules & Regulations of IITBNF Laboratories


For all members/ non-members/ visitors

Before entering the labs

Remember:The lab is not a meeting place. Enter the lab only if you need to work with instruments, or if you are being given a tour. Nobody is allowed to wait inside the lab without the presence of their mentor or tour instructor.
Wearing socks is mandatory – bring your own pair.
Persons wearing shorts and/ or sleeveless clothing will not be allowed inside the labs.
Pregnant women are advised not to enter the labs.
Place your shoes/ sandals in an orderly manner on the shoe rack outside.
Leave your bags, notebooks, water bottles in an orderly manner outside.
Only cell phones, laptops are permitted to be taken in.
Do not hold the main door open and talk to others across the door.
Members: Do not use your own biometric access to let in other people who don’t have lab access.

After entering the labs

Wear lab sandals.
Wear hairnet.

For members/ any usage of laboratories

Buddy System Policy

For safety reasons, no one is allowed to work alone in the lab between 8pm and 8am on all days. During weekends and all holidays also buddy system needs to be followed.
A buddy refers to any other lab member (need not be an AU) present with you, while working within the lab.
Each lab member is individually responsible to ensure that a buddy is ALWAYS present.
Buddies may change during lab use.
Buddies must communicate with each other regularly (at least every 15 minutes). This ensures the safety and well-being of all lab members during lab use.
Usage of any Hazardous Gases (gases stored inside the gas cabinet) between 8pm and 8am/ holidays requires prior intimation & approval from the facility team. Facility team members will ensure/ take care of the service corridor safety.
Entry must be made in the 'Buddy Log Book' which is placed in every lab.

To make buddy system user-friendly, the following labs have been clubbed:

Nano lab: Includes Nano yellow room and Nano room
Micro I semi clean lab: Includes chemistry room and semi clean room
Micro I Yellow room: Includes Karl Suss room and Laser Writer room
Micro II lab: Includes HWCVD room and Bio MEMS room

Chemistry Lab Rules

Even if you need to use the lab only for a few minutes (for eg: to use acetone), the following rules must be followed.

IF IN DOUBT, PLEASE ASK.

Before going into Chemistry Room:

Place regular lab sandals on the shoe rack outside Chemistry Room.
Wear covered lab sandals.
Wear hair net, chemical resistant apron, facemask, gloves, and goggles.

In the Chemistry room, before starting your work:

Fill up the ‘Chemical Warning Form’ available in the Chemistry Room.
Check that the mixture of chemicals which you need is a compatible one.
Label the petri dish/ beaker if you want to leave your sample in it for some time with your name, chemical name, contact no.
heck that there is space in the ‘Used Chemical’ bottle available for disposing the respective chemical/ mixture after use.

After completion of work in the Chemistry room:

Dispose the hairnet, regular gloves, facemask into the dustbin.
Place the goggles back into the box provided.
Remove the chemical resistant apron, place it on the hanger provided outside.
Place the covered lab sandals back on the rack.

Clean room Rules

Nano Litho lab: Not more than 6 people are allowed at a time
Nano Lab: Not more than 8 people are allowed at a time
AMAT Lab: 6
Nano electronics device fabrication lab: 11
NCPRE Fabrication Lab: 8
MBE Labs: 5

Before entering the clean rooms:

Place regular lab sandals on the shoe rack outside Nanolab in an orderly manner.
Wear the clean room clothing according to the order specified:
Wear the hairnet.
Wear the facemask.
Wear the clean room headgear.
Wear the clean room gown.
Wear the clean room shoes.
Wear the gloves.

While working in the clean rooms:

Be conscious of your surroundings, no fast movements should be made inside the lab.
After your work is done, ensure that the instrument & its surrounding areas are clean and tidy.

While exiting the clean rooms:

Remove the clean room clothing according to the order specified:

Remove the clean room shoes & place it on its rack in the right manner.
Remove the clean room gown & put it up on the hanger.
Remove the headgear & put it up on the hanger.
Dispose the hairnet, gloves, facemask into the dustbin.

Response to lab rules violations

The IITBNF facilities are equipped with safety measures and lab protocols to protect the health and well-being of researchers and maintain high research quality and productivity.

The safety protocols in place rely on intelligent and responsive policy definition, along with strict adherence to these policies by both users and staff. Additionally, the implementation of violation policies serves as a deterrent and ensures that any potential hazards are minimized.

To maintain a safe environment, IITBNF follows a zero-tolerance approach towards violations, with proportional punishments as necessary. This fair principle aims to deter any misconduct and promote a culture of responsible behavior.

At IITBNF, the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) takes responsibility for addressing any safety and policy violations. The Student Representative Council (SRC) plays a vital role in this process by representing the students and actively participating in relevant meetings and conclude DAC meetings as applicable.

For more details you may refer to : http://www.iitbnf.iitb.ac.in/iitbnf/manuals/Policy_Document.pdf

Last updated on: 31-Jul-2023