Laboratory rules for the Department of Production Technology

Validity

  • The following laboratory regulations are valid for all laboratories of the Department of Production Technology.

Organization

  • Head of Department, technical coordinator, technicians by laboratory, apprentices

Applicable regulations

General provisions

  • Access to the laboratories is only permitted by the electronic access system. For this reason, all access points must be kept closed at all times. The use of the laboratories is granted exclusively to:
    • Employees of the Department of Production Technology
    •  Students after receiving written permission from technicians and/or tutors and only under their strict supervision
    • Visitors should use the door intercom system and must always be accompanied by technicians and/or tutors.
  • The university is not liable for personal injury to and material damage caused by students. The university is liable according to Austrian Federal law. Any further claims for compensation made against the university are invalid.
  • The laboratory rooms and facilities must always be kept in order. Escape routes and emergency exits are clearly marked and may not be blocked.
  • Measures to be taken after the completion of work include:
  • Switching off the power supply and compressed air supply
  • Cleaning up the workstation
  • Storing tools and measuring instruments in the corresponding cabinets
  • Locking all cabinets
  • Switching off lights
  • Closing windows and doors.
  • The computers must be treated in accordance with the "IT Guidelines for computer rooms".
  • The polluter pays principle applies to the cleaning of workstations and equipment, the disposal of waste and the proper resetting of the equipment! Damage must be reported immediately to the responsible technician.
  • The removal of laboratory equipment or plant parts, equipment, measuring devices, etc. is prohibited without permission and without logging it in the borrowing system by the responsible technician.

Personal protection and behaviour

  • Everyone is encouraged to check the location of fire extinguishers, first aid kits and other safety devices such as escape routes. Furthermore, everyone must take any and every precaution to reduce the risk of accidents in the laboratory.
  • All safety instructions from or measures taken by technicians and tutors must be followed or supported.
  • Leaving one’s workstation or the exercise area is strictly prohibited, as is hanging around different parts of the facility other than the prescribed area.
  • Smoking and the consumption of food and beverages ist not allowed in the laboratory.
  • When working on installations with moving parts, loose-fitting clothing should be avoided and/or removed and long hair pulled back. Personal protective equipment corresponding to plant operation must be worn at all times.
  • Unnecessary personal items must be placed in the existing cloakrooms.

Operation

  • Machinery and test facilities may only be operated with appropriate training and prior instruction by technicians or tutors based on the machine safety documentation for each part of a plant or machine and only in the presence of a second person in the room.
  • Prior to switching on a robot or a rotating machine, the operator must clearly announce his/her intention to do so and ensure that the danger zone is clear of people and/or unnecessary equipment.
  • Automated systems, such as robots, must not be left unattended. The person who puts the plant into operation bears full responsibility for this.
  • Protective devices, such as dividers between automated and set-up equipment, must not be removed or rendered ineffective. Any unnecessary contact with cables and unprotected parts of machinery and equipment is prohibited. Deficiencies in this respect must be reported.
  • In the event of a risk to the life and health of persons as well as to the prevention of damage, an emergency shutdown must be initiated as soon as possible. Improper use of the emergency shut-off switches will lead to expulsion from the laboratory and may result in monetary compensation.
  • The installation, modification and dismantling of plant parts and electrical circuits may only be carried out in compliance with the 5 safety rules:
  1. Disconnect from the mains
  2. Ensure that the electricity cannot be switched on again
  3. Ensure all pole connections are voltage-free
  4. Ground and short-circuit
  5. Cover or insulate parts which are energised
  • Switching operations on the central control panel and on the main distribution board, as well as the re-setting of emergency stop circuitry and the rectification of safety defects, may only be carried out by the supervising technician or tutor.

Regulations for order processing and safety in the mechanical workshop

  • In addition to the basic equipment such as workbenches, the Mechanical Workshop (MW) includes numerous electric hand tools, a MIG/MAG welding machine, numerous other pieces of equipment and five conventional machine tools (universal lathing machine, universal tool milling machine, drilling machine, surface grinding machine) with the corresponding tools.
  • The technician responsible for the MW is Walter Kaindl, or in his absence David Schwarz and Günter Laimer. In the event of long-term absences, parts are produced by skilled novices or apprentices under the supervision and with the support of Walter Kaindl and David Schwarz. Order processing is also maintained by Walter Kaindl (technical coordinator) or designated substitute. All orders for the MW are processed as follows:
  1. A drawing (at least a sketch) with all required materials, dimensions and tolerances must be provided by the client.
  2. The order must be clarified with the technical coordinator (Walter Kaindl or substitute). The procurement of materials and tools, as well as the cost centre and the cost assignment must also be clarified prior to manufacture.
  3. Coordination of and agreement to the desired delivery date will be made exclusively by the technical coordinator (Walter Kaindl  or substitute) due to the utilization of machines and employees and required procurement times.
  4. If an order cannot be manufactured in-house for technical or capacity/time reasons, its external production will take place in the same way as stipulated in steps 1 to 3 above. The technical coordination will then take place directly between the technical coordinator and the suppliers.
  5. The order must be placed in a timely fashion. Experience has shown that orders placed in the middle of the semester will have to long lead times due to capacity, lead times which can extend to the end of the semester.

General safety regulations for MW

  • In principle, work is carried out solely by MW technicians, skilled novices or MW apprentices.  With the appropriate training, technicians, project staff and students outside of the Department of Production Technology may receive special permission to work independently on individual machines or equipment in the presence of a responsible technician, but only after their skills have been checked by the MW technicians. Such activities can therefore only take place during regular working hours (Mon-Fri, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
  • Persons outside of the Department of Production Technology must comply with the safety guidelines and knowledge thereof must be confirmed by signature. For safety reasons, MW technicians can limit the number of persons working in MW at any time (recommended: 3 persons in addition to those regularly working there, but, depending on the necessary oversight required by the activities). The technicians are authorized to bar persons from entering the MW.
  • After completion of their work, persons outside of the Department of Production Technology must check in their workstation and all the tools and equipment used to the MW technician in a clean and orderly state. Any damage to property must be reported.