[labnetwork] 24/7 operations

Wed Jun 1 14:23:59 EDT 2011

Hi Ian,

We only use one undergrad buddy per shift. Even though they have tasks they need to perform in the cleanrooms, they, like everyone else, are not allowed in the cleanrooms alone, so if all the researchers leave when they're in there, they've got to go out as well. Fortunately, there is almost always some research activity in the labs from 5-10pm, so it's not usually an issue. That said, they're advised to get their assigned tasks out of the way as soon as possible. (The amount of time it takes for them to do their tasks rarely would take more than two hours.)

Since the lab buddy office cubicle for the undergrads is right across from the cleanroom entry, they can easily see and hear when someone goes in and out of the lab. They are supposed to always be monitoring who's in the lab no matter where they are, so if they're in their office and someone comes to the lab when no one else is in there, they will have to go in with them. Similarly, if someone leaves the lab so that only one person remains, they will need to gown up and go on in to join them.

We do not have any differential pay grades. The undergrad buddies don't work during the normal day shift (M-F; 7:30am-5:00pm). During those times there are always full-time staff around. This is considered the safest time to do any processing, even if there isn't a staff person right in the cleanrooms.

Managing the students has always been a bit of a problem, mainly because their work is not usually supervised directly. As with any group of employees, some do a better job than others. It's important to have very specific tasks for them to do, and if possible, a rigid schedule for each task. It also helps if they can stay at the job for a while. There's always a glut of applicants for the lab buddy jobs, so I'm usually able to select those that at least claim they'll be willing to work for 3-4 semesters.

I have managed to get the undergrad hires to work together to set their own schedules, making sure they understand how important it is that all the scheduled hours get covered. This has worked very well, in that it saves a lot of management time. There is obviously more of a problem during holiday periods and semester breaks, but there usually seems to be at least one guy who doesn't mind loading up on hours to earn some extra money. (The undergrads are limited to no more than 20 hours/week if classes are in session, but can go up to 40 hours/week during holiday/semester breaks. Also, we have a relatively high percentage of foreign students, and many of them don't go home over breaks.)

Occasionally there may be a work shift that, for whatever reason, doesn't get covered. In that case we send out a mass-mail to all cleanroom users letting them know that they will be responsible for providing their own buddy if they choose to work during those hours.

Best regards,
John

-------------------------------------------------------------
John S. Hughes                         Office: (217) 333-4674
Associate Director                        FAX: (217) 244-6375
Laboratory Operations                     hughes at illinois.edu<mailto:hughes at illinois.edu>
Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
3114 Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory
208 North Wright Street
Urbana, Illinois  61801              http://mntl.illinois.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------

On May 31, 2011, at 7:11 PM, Ian Harvey wrote:

Hi John,

Your comments were very useful.  Glad to see some strong support for an enforced buddy system.  I am curious about the undergrad buddies off-shift:  Do you have two of them cover each of these shifts so they can be buddies for each other if the researchers are not in the lab?  Or do they only go in the lab if a researcher needs them?  (we may not yet be at the threshold number of researchers to justify this)

Also, do you pay a shift differential for the students relative to students who work the normal dayshift?  Can you comment on some of the issues related to managing those students, say training and supervision and getting the task list done vs. the pressures students have with their weird schedules?

thanks,

--Ian

On May 31, 2011, at 3:29 PM, Hughes, John S wrote:

Hello Matthieu,

I think you already have a lot of feedback on this, but I'll go ahead and describe what we do here at the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab.

Our 16 cleanrooms are contiguous and have a single entry point with a card reader. The cleanrooms are accessible 24/7 and we enforce a buddy policy outside of our normally staffed hours (M-F 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). We allow all activities to be conducted off-hours except equipment maintenance operations, but researchers are encouraged to do processing using hazardous gases only when staff are in the building. The hazardous gas vaults themselves are highly restricted and cannot be accessed except by a very few MNTL staff.

In order to make it a bit easier to work in the labs off-hours, we have have hired undergrads who are paid an hourly rate to act as buddies when needed. (They have other assigned tasks as well, primarily stocking supplies, cleaning, and managing the cleanroom garments.) The undergrad assistants are given safety training and they share an office area right across from the cleanroom entry. The hours they cover are 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends. At all other times, the researchers must make sure someone else is in the cleanrooms with them.

Our card entry system and some custom programming allows real-time monitoring of everyone in the cleanrooms. The computer at the entry has the cleanroom occupant list as its default home page; all the other computers throughout the lab can call up the list with a single click. We try to get everyone into the habit of checking frequently for other cleanroom occupants when they are working late.

We are strict about enforcement. The monitoring system automatically flags single occupants and sends out an e-mail to the transgressor, his/her advisor, and several MNTL staff. (There is a threshold which triggers the automated e-mails; five or ten minutes alone is tolerated.) The researchers get one warning. Upon the next offense they have an automatic two-week lab suspension. The third violation results in a one-month suspension, any more and they're banned permanently.

We also have cameras at the cleanroom entry and other locations, but they are not generally used for active monitoring. Rather, we check the video records if questions come up later about who was where, when.

Regards,
John

-------------------------------------------------------------
John S. Hughes                         Office: (217) 333-4674
Associate Director                        FAX: (217) 244-6375
Laboratory Operations                     hughes at illinois.edu<mailto:hughes at illinois.edu>
Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
3114 Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory
208 North Wright Street
Urbana, Illinois  61801              http://mntl.illinois.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------

On May 27, 2011, at 2:47 PM, Matthieu Nannini, Dr. wrote:

Dear lab managers,

We are in the process of planning a transition to 24/7 operations for our fab. I would appreciate if some of you could share their experience and give advice on must-do's and must-not-do's regarding 24/7 operations. How do you manage staff ? any restriction in processes ? How do you re-inforce the buddy system ? Buddy system at all times or only for specific processes ? Any specific training for users willing to work overnight ?

Thanks in advance for your valuable insights.

-----------------------------------
Matthieu Nannini
McGill Nanotools Microfab
Manager
t: 514 398 3310
c: 514 758 3311
f: 514 398 8434
http://miam2.physics.mcgill.ca/
------------------------------------

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