Testing

All electrical equipment must meet minimum electrical safety requirements. Whenever possible, we rely on third party organizations like Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The simplest, quickest, cheapest, most reliable way to have  equipment approved is to make sure that it has a label from a Nationally Recognized Testing Lab (NRTL).

We recognize that many pieces of equipment are specialized, and manufacturers do not obtain the testing. In these cases, the ALS has developed a screening process to verify that the equipment meets our minimum standards. We have Electronic Maintenance (EM) technicians trained to perform these reviews. Users should contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (ext. 7222) when completing the Experiment Safety Sheet (ESS) to alert them about this type of equipment, so that they can schedule appropriate reviews.

Trouble-Shooting
Periodically, equipment will fail during the experimental run. In these cases, we highly recommend contacting our Electronics Fabrication and Installation (EI) Shop (ext. 5029). They have a large range of parts, and the experience and skills to efficiently and safely perform these types of tasks. They have staff available from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., five days/week. If you experience trouble outside of these hours, please contact the EM shop at 812-0452.

Equipment Review

All equipment will be reviewed prior to the experiment run. ALS staff will evaluate not just the piece of equipment, but its role in the overall beamline and how it will be used. To make this process more efficient, please make sure that a staff person from your group who is knowledgeable about your equipment is available when these reviews are scheduled.

Electrical Work
ALS does not authorize users to perform live electrical work above 50 V (up to 1000 W). Work above this level requires a person to be a formally qualified electrical worker per the NFPA 70E guidelines. If you have any doubt or questions about whether your work may be coming close to this limit, please contact the EM Shop at 812-0452. They maintain a fully qualified staff who will be happy to help you, and are available 24/7.