[labnetwork] damage by users

[Tobi Beetz]

Hi All - we've had some recent incidents that has led me to reflect on policies in regard to paying for costs associated with misuse of equipment/procedures. For example, a Stanford student mishandled a TEM holder, causing about $5k in damage. We had a difficult time getting the PI agree to pay for the repair.  Another example is an external industry user who incorrectly disposed a chemical down the drain. We are still waiting to see if the city imposes an administrative fine of up to $25k per day of violation.

Getting access to our center includes that every user agrees to the SNSF Code of Conduct<https://snsf.stanford.edu/labmembers/policies> where list the following: We reserve the right to charge repair costs, equipment and staff time resulting from damage caused by users to the PI.

On the external user side our agreement has an indemnification section which includes: ... obligation to make Center whole for any and all damage to Center, its facilities, and equipment to the extent arising out of the negligent actions or use by User or User Personnel.

While this all seems reasonable, I am wondering if you have dealt with this type of issue in a better way. Our approach seems a bit of a patchwork. On the accountability side for local students/postdocs, I am also wondering if other labs have focused on contract language with PIs instead of just getting users to acknowledge policies and an administrator/PI provide the charge account.

Thanks,

Tobi

Tobi Beetz, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Stanford Nano Shared Facilities, Stanford University, http://snsf.stanford.edu

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