Equipment-Specific Terms of Use for the Fluorescence Microscopes

of 7 January 2022

1. These Terms of Use govern the use of the fluorescence microscopes at the Institute of Microbiology in user operations. The Terms of Use are set out in this appendix, which is incorporated into the General Terms of Use of the Department of Biology’s Imaging Center.
2. Use in service operations is as stipulated in the General Terms of Use.

1. The general contact is the administrative head of the Imaging Center.
2. The scientific contacts and the persons responsible for the respective devices are listed on the Imaging Center’s homepage (https://imaging.uni-greifswald.de/en/about-us/organisation/our-team/).

A list of fluorescence microscopes provided for the Imaging Center at the Institute of Microbiology and a detailed description of the devices are available on the Imaging Center’s website (https://imaging.uni-greifswald.de).

1. Users may not use the equipment specified under § 3 until they have filled in the questionnaire (§ 5(2) of the General Terms of Use) for that particular device (one questionnaire per device) and until they have been given a briefing by a person who is in charge of the device.  The briefing is only valid for the person to whom it has been given and needs to be accompanied by a laser safety briefing (if the equipment mentioned in § 3 is fitted with lasers) and a safety briefing which may only be carried out by a laser safety officer. After briefing, the user will be added to the booking system and granted access to the rooms in which the equipment is kept. Usage is limited to a period of one year. After that, the user must receive a new laser safety briefing (if the equipment mentioned in § 3 is fitted with lasers) and will then be re-activated in the booking system. Users who have not used the equipment for over six months will not continue to be authorised unless they are given another laser safety briefing (if the equipment mentioned in § 3 is fitted with lasers) and are again shown how to use the equipment.
2. Once the equipment briefing and general safety and laser safety briefings are complete, access to the rooms in which the equipment is situated will be activated on the user’s staff ID card or a guest ID card. On completion of the work, the guest ID card has to be returned to the person who had previously issued it.
3. The equipment may only be used and access to the rooms where it is situated only granted if a briefing according to § 14 of the Biostoffverordnung - BioStoffV (Biological Agents Ordinance)and § 12 of the Gentechnik-Sicherheitsverordnung - GenTSV (Genetic Technology Safety Ordinance) has taken place and if an occupational health check according to § 6 of the Verordnung zur arbeitsmedizinischen Vorsorge - ArbMedVV (Ordinance on Occupational Health Care) has been given. All these must be confirmed by personal signature on the questionnaire.

1. The devices are booked via the device’s booking calendar. Users must ensure that their passwords are protected against misuse by any third parties.
2. Only users may make bookings. Users are strictly forbidden to book equipment for third parties who have not been briefed or for any other unauthorised persons. Non-compliance can result in immediate loss of their own permit.
3. The equipment can only be used if it has been booked electronically in advance.
4. All users from the Institute of Microbiology and the Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics who have access to the Institute of Microbiology’s alarm system can access the equipment at any time day or night.
5. All other users can access the equipment from Monday to Friday (except public holidays) from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
6. The devices may not be used without prior reservation in the booking calendar.
7. If the equipment cannot be used due to a defect or because it is being serviced, then it will either not be possible to book the device or the booking will be cancelled by a person responsible for the equipment (§ 2). The user receives appropriate notification.

1. Only authorised users may use the equipment listed under § 3.
2. The equipment can only be used during the booked time. If the experiments require a longer period of use, the booking period can be directly extended by entering the required time in the booking system unless the time slot has already been allocated to somebody else.
3. After use, the work area must be left clean and tidy (i.e. the lenses and the work surface must be cleaned, used material and any leftover glass must be discarded). The work surface in front of the microscope must be disinfected with the surface disinfectant provided. All users must discard of infectious samples pursuant to the provisions of the laboratory of origin in their respective working group.
4. All users must fill in and sign the logbook at the end of the usage period. 

Fee table for the use of the fluorescence microscopes at the Institute of Microbiology in the version as amended from time to time

The English translation of the Gerätespezifische Nutzungsordnung für die Fluoreszenzmikroskope des Imaging-Zentrums der Fachrichtung Biologie am Institut für Mikrobiologie is intended solely as a convenience to non-German-reading students/members of the University. Only the German text published on 14 January 2022 is legally binding. In the event of any conflict between the English and German text, its structure meaning or interpretation, the German text, its structure, meaning or interpretation shall prevail.