TOMCAT offers the possibility to work with different types of equipment or samples that potentially pose additional hazards beyond what is to be expected in standard experiments. In such cases, experiments need to be even more carefully planned and additional safety measures may need to be taken.
These additional safety issues must already be declared upon proposal submission. We strongly encourage users to contact beamline personnel well in advance of submitting a proposal and again before performing actual experiments to ensure that all necessary permissions and safety measures are in place.
Note that experiments are only allowed to begin once all required approvals are present, the safety training has been completed, and all safety measures are in place.
Users are not permitted to conduct any work on low, medium or high-voltage electrical installations
(> 25V AC / > 60V DC or > 2.0 A) at PSI. Only trained and authorized PSI personnel must perform such work.
Custom electrical equipment (> 25V AC / > 60V DC or > 2.0 A) brought to the beamline must either be certified according to European or equivalent standards (e.g.: CE certification) or be inspected and approved by an electrical safety inspector from PSI before being used at the beamline. Please discuss this with your local contact well in advance of the beamtime to make sure the criteria for safe operation of electrical equipment can be met by your experiment.
When chemicals are used to prepare samples or as a part of the actual measurements, special care must be taken. Consult and inform your local contact well ahead of time to discuss the experiments.
Always label all containers containing any form of chemicals at the beamline, even if they are only used as temporary storage. Make sure that you have up to date safety data sheets (SDS, formerly also know as MSDS) available for all of your chemical substances, along with the required standard operation procedures (SOP) and the necessary safety equipment. Always use the proper PPE (personal protection equipment, e.g.: gloves, etc.) when handling chemicals. Potentially dangerous work should never be performed alone. Also prepare for your experiments by carefully noting the locations of emergency equipment (chemical shower, eye wash solution, etc.).
Depending on the chemical processes required, the sample preparation labs and the laminar flow hood available at TOMCAT might not be sufficiently secure and well-equipped to carry out the work. Instead, users should request access to the shared user chemistry laboratory of SLS. To do so, check the corresponding box ("I intend to use the SLS chemistry laboratory WSLA/028") when applying for your badge and dosimeter through the DUO system prior to your arrival at PSI. Consult the chemistry lab user manual for further information on its usage rules and the available equipment.
The use of lasers poses potential safety risks. For information and official regulations on the use of lasers at PSI, please consult with your local contact well ahead of time.
Always wear laser safety goggles when necessary!
TOMCAT laser furnace
TOMCAT features a dedicated infrared laser furnace for sample heating, powered by two 150 W infrared class 4 lasers, which is routinely available for user operation. If you request to use this device, please contact a beamline staff for more information and to coordinate the necessary procedures for the laser use.
Special safety instructions are required before using these lasers, and all members of the experimental team are required to read and sign a liability waiver.
User-owned laser systems
User-owned laser systems can be used at TOMCAT, provided they meet the necessary safety criteria and the operation adheres to established standard operation procedures. The required safety approval steps depend on the type of laser to be used:
Class 1 and class 2 lasers
Class 1 and 2 lasers are deemed to be safe for work at PSI, and no special safety precautions are required. These systems can be used for user experiments without further issues.
Class 3B and class 4 lasers
Class 3B and 4 lasers will require special safety approval and dedicated interlock systems to be integrated at the beamline. Contact beamline personnel well in advance of planning experiments to initiate the necessary safety work and approval processes for these types of lasers.
Again, special safety instructions are required before using these lasers, and all members of the experimental team are required to sign a liability waiver.
Pathogenic and genetically modified materials
The TOMCAT beamline is equipped with all necessary safety measures and equipment (laminar flow hood, personal protective equipment (PPE), and cleaning agents) to conduct experiments on biological samples covered under the biosafety level 1 category (BSL-1).
Users conducting experiments with pathogenic and genetically modified samples must indicate this already in the proposal and are required to contact TOMCAT staff (usually the local contact) well in advance of the experiments to make sure all necessary safety measures can be put in place before the experiments.
In vivo experiments
Experiments involving invertebrates or vertebrates, either in vivo or post mortem, require special attention and very careful preparation. It is essential that you contact beamline personnel well in advance when planning such experiments to discuss all relevant issues (experiment feasibility, ethical considerations, import/export restrictions, permits, housing at the beamline, etc.) ahead of proposal submission. Keep in mind that a significant amount of additional paperwork may be required and take the response time of local and foreign authorities into account when applying for documents and permits.
Important Note: The beamtime allocated by the PRC for experiments involving live specimens will only be definitively scheduled for TOMCAT beamtime after all of the necessary permits are in place and have been approved. If the experiments have not yet been fully approved by the time we schedule the upcoming beamtime cycle, the allocated shifts may be postponed to a next cycle, contingent on the necessary approvals. We therefore strongly recommend to have all required permits ready at proposal submission time to avoid delays in obtaining beamtime at TOMCAT.
Special rules and regulations govern the use of nanomaterials at PSI. Please consult with the chemical safety specialists at PSI and discuss potential hazards with your beamline local contact.
At present, TOMCAT is not equipped to conduct experiments with radioactive samples. This situation can be potentially re-evaluated if a solid scientific case for it can be presented, but at the moment this is not actively pursued. Contact beamline management if you have a use case that convincingly demonstrates that the current policy should be re-evaluated.