Scope
This experimental work instruction applies to the use of explosives / energetics in experiments at Diamond.
Pre-visit
User Principal Investigator shall provide the following to the Diamond Local Contact at least eight weeks prior to the experiment at Diamond:
- Essential Information Requirements (see below).
Assurances that User-provided materials and equipment achieves the relevant:
- Essential Safety Requirements (see below).
Assurances that Users coming to Diamond achieve the relevant:
- Essential Competency Requirements (see below).
Assurances that the experiment and equipment is compliant with the safety requirements of the home institution.
Diamond Local Contact shall:
Ensure compliance with the following for Diamond provided equipment or materials:
- Essential Information Requirements (see below);
- Essential Safety Requirements (see below).
Pre-experiment
Diamond Local Contact shall ensure that:
- The above pre-visit requirements for User provided equipment and materials are reviewed by a competent scientist or technician; and
- The beamline and persons supervising the experiment meet the requirements of Safe & Secure Explosive Operations HAS-PRC-0080.
Experimental Setup
Diamond Local Contact & User Visit Principal Investigator shall collaborate to ensure adherence to:
- Essential Experimental Setup Checklist (see below).
Operation
Diamond Local Contact & User Visit Principal Investigator shall collaborate to ensure adherence to:
- Essential Operational Checklist (see below).
Essential Safety Requirements
Equipment shall be:
- Rated and compatible for the intended pressure, substances, sample environment and setup conditions at Diamond;
- Suitably tested by a competent person or body to ensure safe operation at Diamond. Non-standard set-ups shall be commissioned and tested prior to coming to Diamond;
- Safely packaged & transported to Diamond to prevent damage that could affect safe operation; and
- Suitably risk assessed, identifying failure modes, safety controls and emergency controls (ref. Essential Hazard & Failure Mode Checklist).
- Fitted with suitable safety devices (e.g., bursting discs / blow-off ports, earthing straps, etc.);
- Labelling: Equipment CE / UKCA marked or has an appropriate declaration of conformity; and
- Remote operation enabled as far as possible.
Materials shall be:
- The lowest energy & quantities possible for the experiment; and
- Compliant with legal requirements for transportation, handling, storage, and security, whilst at Diamond.
Essential Information Requirements
Information required:
- A full description of the proposed experimental setup & technical specifications;
- Explosives / energetics details including names, formulas, states, quantities (which must be below that which requires a license or regulatory permission), legal requirements for handling and storage, security requirements, etc.;
- Safety risks including potential response to heating, drop / shock, electrostatic discharge, laser illumination, incompatible substances, direct x-ray exposure, etc.;
- Copies of licenses / regulatory permissions for the use of the materials at Diamond, unless below the regulatory threshold;
- Safe operating procedure / instructions for any equipment not provided by Diamond;
- Unique Identification mark of any equipment not provided by Diamond, i.e., its serial number; and
- Assurances and evidence that all equipment has full up-to-date test and calibration certificates (where applicable).
Essential Competency Requirements
Person setting up experimental equipment shall:
- Have sufficient experience of setup, test and operation of the equipment, explosives / energetics, risks and required safety controls to ensure safe setup;
- Have sufficient skills and be practiced in safe setup and operation of the equipment, explosives / energetics, risks and required safety controls used in the experiment;
- Have sufficient knowledge of the essential safety requirements of the equipment to ensure safe setup; and
- Be aware of their responsibilities associated with the necessary legal permissions for safe handling and storage of the specific explosives / energetics.
Persons operating equipment shall:
- Have sufficient experience and be practiced in safe use of the specific equipment, explosives / energetics and required safety controls to ensure safe operation;
- Have sufficient skills and be practiced in safe use of the specific equipment, explosives / energetics and required safety controls used in the experiment;
- Have sufficient knowledge of the essential equipment safety requirements, explosives / energetics, and safety controls to ensure safe operation. This includes knowing when to stop operations and what to do in the case of an emergency;
- Be suitably supervised if they do not have sufficient skills, knowledge, and experience; and
- All Diamond persons handling or supervising explosives experiments and operations shall meet the requirements of Safe & Secure Explosive Operations HAS-PRC-0080 and have completed Explosives Safety training.
Essential Experimental Setup Checklist
- Persons setting up the equipment meet the Essential Competency Requirements.
- Persons setting up the equipment shall be covered by the necessary regulatory licenses or permissions.
- Amounts within the regulatory permission or are below the threshold which requires a license or regulatory permission.
- Security: The necessary security arrangements (both physical and procedural) are available to accommodate the samples during the set-up, running, and decommissioning of the experiment.
- Storage: There is a secure place for the materials to be stored when unattended (e.g., a lockable metal cupboard).
- Materials are insensitive and will not initiate under normal or any foreseeable accident conditions.
- Visual inspection of the setup.
- Manufacturer’s instructions (where applicable) have been followed during setting up.
- Remote shutdown is enabled for all experimental equipment.
- Modifications from planned setup have been checked by a competent person.
Essential Operation Checklist
- Persons operating the equipment meet the Essential Competency Requirements.
- Non-essential persons are prevented from entering experimental areas.
- Sample accounting requirements are implemented.
- Visual check of the setup is carried out before every operation.
- Modifications to the planned setup are done by a competent person and checked against the Essential Experimental Setup Checklist.
- Safety controls stated in the User Experimental Risk Assessment (ERA) (or lab form) are applied, and the ERA has been graded and validated.
- Safety controls stated in both the beamline risk assessment and any Diamond equipment risk assessment are applied.
- Lone-working prohibition is in place and understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Suitable supervision of the experiment is in place to ensure safety.
- Failure modes of the set-up are understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- PPE identified on the risk assessment is provided, it fits, it is in good condition, and all operators are proficient in its correct usage.
- Emergency conditions and required action is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Emergency action on unplanned detonation / deflagration or other energetic event, or potential for this to occur is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Emergency action on the fire alarm sounding is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Emergency action on gas detection sounding is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Emergency action on power outage is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Emergency action on loss of sample is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Sample return / disposal requirements implemented.
- If safety issues are identified, the Principal Beamline Scientist (PBS) must be contacted, and the issues resolved before continuing with the experiment.
Essential Hazard & Failure Mode Checklist
The main hazards are:
- Explosive initiation resulting from electrical energy (e.g., static discharge);
- Explosive initiation resulting from radiation energy (both Ionising and Non-ionising);
- Explosive initiation resulting from kinetic energy (drop / shock);
- Explosive initiation resulting from ageing or degradation;
- Explosive initiation resulting from service failures (cooling water, inert atmosphere, power supply;
- Over-pressurisation resulting from no or incorrect bursting disc(s) / incorrect setup;
- Fire resulting from detonation / deflagration / decomposition of explosive material; and
- Incompatibilities detonation / deflagration / decomposition due to incompatibility with other experimental components.
Principal failure modes are:
- Poor equipment and / or system design;
- Poor installation / setup;
- Poor maintenance of equipment;
- Inadequate repairs or modifications;
- An unsafe system of work; and
- Operator error, poor training / supervision.