Accessibility statement

Standards for Use of Mobile Phones / Personal Music Players / Headphones

The use of mobile phones / personal music players can reduce awareness of an individual's surroundings, and can easily become contaminated with hazardous materials when used in a lab.  A sensible and pragmatic approach is applied to their use in laboratory areas.

Mobile phones / personal music players MUST NOT be used:

  • in high containment (Containment Level 3) biological research facilities (except in an absolute emergency)
  • whilst handling 'open source' radioactive materials
  • whilst handling other hazardous chemical / biological materials
  • for any other activity where their use is considered, as part of the risk assessment for a work activity, to be inappropriate

Users of headphones MUST ensure that they can still hear the emergency evacuation alarms.

It is also left to the discretion of Group Leaders whether or not they permit their workers using personal music players (or other sources of music) under any circumstances in the lab.