Policy for Undergraduate Interns

Created by Amelia Farmer, Modified on Wed, 4 Jun at 4:46 PM by Jim Koman

All interns at Bakar Labs are expected to be administratively treated like all other employees, while being given additional supervision in the labs. All undergraduates working at Bakar Labs will be qualified as interns for the purposes of this policy.


In more concrete terms, this means you must abide by the following steps:

  1. Submit a new employee form for them prior to their start date, with "Intern" as their role. If they are from a UC Berkeley internship program, include that as well (ie. "MET Intern" or "QWEST Intern")

  2. Have them attend New Member Orientation on their first Monday in the building

  3. Have them go through the following safety training process to obtain lab access:

    1. Bakar Labs' Safety Training, in-person with Thom Opal

    2. Document that they read your BUA and are fully aware of the hazards with which they will be working

    3. Complete UC Berkeley provided safety training courses (note -- only available for those with a valid UC Berkeley CalNet ID):

      1. EHS 101 Laboratory Safety Fundamentals

      2. EHS 105 Hazardous Waste Program

      3. EHS 106 Hazardous Materials Spill Response Online Training

      4. EHS 201 Biosafety in Laboratories

      5. EHS 202 Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) Online Training

      6. EHS 502 Workplace Safety Program Training

    4. Attend additional orientations as needed (Tissue Culture, Microbial, autoclave/sterilizer, etc.) and read/sign the relevant SOPs

  4. Provide bakarlabsbua@berkeley.edu with a training plan for student hires and the work they will be doing, as well as the dates of completion for the UC Berkeley laboratory safety courses

  5. While many students are capable workers, they are not experienced scientists. They will require additional supervision for their first few weeks to ensure they follow all lab safety protocols. Pay particular attention to the following areas:

    • TC Rooms- Interns will need additional supervision in the TC rooms and when working with BSL-2 materials to ensure their safety and safe disposal of materials

    • Cold Storage- Monitor interns to ensure they are using best practices when accessing cold storage (minimize time with door open, only touching relevant samples, securely closing door once finished)

  6. Even after this initial supervisory period, student interns may not work after hours or on the weekends unsupervised. In the event of an emergency, their supervisor should be available to respond directly

  7. For some highly sensitive pieces of equipment, there are special limits on their usage that apply to interns. Please see the list and the restriction details below:

    1. Floor CentrifugeInterns may not use this equipment

    2. LN2 Abeyance FreezerInterns may not use this equipment

    3. LN2 Fill Station (outside the loading dock) -  Interns may not use this equipment

    4. LC/MS- Interns must be directly supervised at all times while using this equipment in addition to the normal training procedure (SOP, video courses, training with mentor)

    5. Bravo Liquid Handler - Interns must be directly supervised at all times while using this equipment in addition to the normal training procedure

    6. Agilent NovoCyte Penteon Flow Cytometer - Interns must read and sign the SOP and train in person with a mentor before using this equipment unsupervised

    7. Sony Cell Sorter -  Interns may not use this equipment

    8. JR-15 Centrifuges - Interns must read and sign the SOP and train in person with a mentor before using this equipment unsupervised


As always, if there are questions about this policy, or specific details you would like clarified, please submit a ticket.


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