[labnetwork] [BULK] [EXTERNAL] earbud/earphone use in facility/cleanroom

[Michael Helmbrecht]

Hi all,

No headphones, earbuds allowed in our lab. We have also had a recent
experience where a lab member did not hear a toxic gas alarm.

We are also concerned by distractions and general lack of awareness. We do
not allow phone use or conference calls around the equipment. (Exceptions
for a conference call to repair a piece of equipment or for remote teamwork
related to the tool.)

One ear bud or bone-conduction seams like a decent compromise.

Best,
Michael



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Helmbrecht, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory
520 Sutardja Dai Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 809-8620
https://nanolab.berkeley.edu/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Wed, Jul 8, 2026 at 7:58 AM Jacob T. Trevino <jt2900 at columbia.edu> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> We allow in-ear headphones (no over-ear headphones), but ask them to only
> wear one so that they can still hear the environment around them.
>
> Best,
> Jacob
>
> -------------------------------------
> *Jacob Trevino, PhD*
> Senior Director, Columbia Nano Initiative Labs
> Columbia University
> 530 W120th Street, Room 1015/MC 8903
> New York, NY 10027
> Email: jt2900 at columbia.edu
> Cell: 734-787-2171
> Desk: 212-854-9927
> https://cni.columbia.edu/
> https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-t-trevino/
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 8, 2026 at 7:52 AM Ahad Syed <ahad.syed at kaust.edu.sa> wrote:
>
>> Hello Fubo, About 18 months ago, we had an incident where a user didn't
>> hear the fire alarm because they were wearing noise-cancelling earbuds.
>> They were so focused on their work (and music) that they didn't notice
>> either the audible alarm or
>> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart
>> Be Careful With This Message
>> The sender's identity could not be verified and someone may be
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>> Hello Fubo,
>> About 18 months ago, we had an incident where a user didn't hear the fire
>> alarm because they were wearing noise-cancelling earbuds. They were so
>> focused on their work (and music) that they didn't notice either the
>> audible alarm or the flashing lights.
>> Following that incident, we decided to ban all types of headphones and
>> earbuds in the Cleanroom.
>> All the best,
>> Ahad
>>
>> --
>> Nanofabrication Core Lab
>> 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
>> 0253 Building 3, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
>> Tel:+966 12 808 2348
>> Visit The Core Labs
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>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> on behalf of Fubo
>> Rao <furao at ucsd.edu>
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 7, 2026 9:12 PM
>> *To:* Network Fab <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
>> *Subject:* [BULK] [EXTERNAL] [labnetwork] earbud/earphone use in
>> facility/cleanroom
>>
>> You don't often get email from furao at ucsd.edu. Learn why this is
>> important
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>> Dear Colleagues,
>>
>> Do you ban, regulate, or allow your users to wear earbuds or earphones in
>> your facility, especially in the Cleanroom?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Fubo Rao, Ph.D.,
>> Nano3 Technical Director,
>> Qualcomm Institute/Atkinson Hall,
>> UC San Diego
>> 9500 Gilman Drive #0436
>> La Jolla, CA 92093-0436
>> Tel. (858)534-4518
>> Cell: (858)375-9190
>> E-mail: furao at ucsd.edu
>> https://nanofab.ucsd.edu/
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