The NHMFL is committed to the safety of its staff and users. We follow the practices of Integrated Safety Management (ISM) developed by the Department of Energy. The Lab has developed a safety training program based set of online and in-person safety courses. Certain courses are required of all staff. Others, such as laser safety, are assigned based on the activities carried out by the individual. Online safety training is required not only for staff but also for contractors who carry out work on site, and for facility users who travel to the NHMFL and carry out experiments. In order to keep track of safety concerns, the Lab also maintains a safety concern website which allows anyone to report any type of safety concern. These concerns are reviewed by a committee of representatives from various user facilities as well as from the NHMFL Safety Office and the Director’s Office.

The magnets in the NMR and AMRIS facilities are always turned on. This poses several SERIOUS DANGERS:

  • Metallic objects should never be brought around the magnets. They can become flying projectiles and can severely damage the magnet and injure or kill a person.
  • Heart pacemakers will stop functioning and surgically implanted metallic devices can be dislodged around the magnets.
  • Magnets occasionally quench. A magnet quench is the rapid loss of liquid nitrogen and liquid helium into the room. People can die of asphyxiation, by freezing, or both if proper precautions are not taken during a magnet quench. In the event of a quench in the AMRIS facility, it is important to leave immediately.

Tallahassee MagLab Safety Training Procedures:

Each user and staff member has an account on the safety training website. The system keeps track of all courses taken, and when refresher courses must be taken. A total of 55 courses are available on the website. Visiting users are required to be current on their safety training before they are issued a badge and key for laboratory access. Courses required for NMR users include General Safety and Magnetic Field Safety.

AMRIS/UF Safety Training Procedures:

All AMRIS users and regular guests and visitors are required to attend a general MRI safety training before getting access to the facility.  Please contact James Collins at AMRIS for more information.