Equipment Use at Grice Marine Laboratory
Use of GML equipment is generally restricted to faculty, staff and students of the College of Charleston for tasks related to teaching and research in marine science.
Equipment includes but is not limited to the following: nets (see below), buckets, waders (see below), tools, aquariums, pumps, microscopes, ladders, specimen dishes, glassware, bottles, sampling gear, traps, extension cords, computers, and projectors.
It is the responsibility of the user to ensure all equipment is used in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions and safety guidelines. If you are not sure about the proper manner in which to use the equipment, please contact the lab manager for assistance.
It is the responsibility of the user to return the equipment to its proper storage space in operational condition.
Negligent use of equipment will not be tolerated and may result in the forfeiture of equipment use privileges. Any damage to equipment due to negligence is the responsibility of the user and the Grice Marine Laboratory will require compensation sufficient to repair or replace the damaged item.
If equipment is to be used outside of its designated storage/use area, permission must be secured from the Administrative Assistant, the Laboratory Manager or the Laboratory Director. This permission is secured in writing by completion of a checkout sheet (see below; checkout sheets can be downloaded as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.)
Equipment use is normally granted on a first-come first-serve basis.
Upon completion of the equipment use, the operator will:
- ensure the equipment is clean and in operational condition
- stow it neatly in its proper place
- notify the lab manger that it has been returned
- inform the lab manager of any accidents or problems which occurred during equipment use
There are four types of Equipment Checkout Sheets:
- Short-Term Checkout (list style) form is to be used for small items (tools & buckets, etc) checked out for less than 24 hours. These forms can be found in the Wet Lab and outside Lab Manager’s Office (Room 116).
- Long-Term Checkout form is located outside the lab manager’s office (Room 116) and is only used for larger items needed for longer or repeated use (Aquariums, Depth Finders, Microscope, etc). Long-term forms will be stored in a GML equipment checkout notebook. There are two sections in the notebook and each section is organized alphabetically. The front section includes items currently in use or checked out and the back section holds sheets for returned items. The sheets can be adjusted and reused as needed to save paper and time.
- Wader & Boot Checkout (list style) form is located outside the storage closet (Room 132B). Waders and boots need to be checked out and returned to dry storage within 24 hours. Property numbers must be recorded on the checkout sheet. DO NOT use the short- or long-term checkout sheets for wader or boot checkout.
- Plankton Net Checkout (list style) form is located outside the storage closet (Room 132B) and is to be used for plankton nets only. DO NOT keep nets longer than you need them. Nets must be returned to dry storage within 24 hours.
Directions for Wader & Boot Checkout
Waders and boots are checked out on a first-come first-served basis. Please DO NOT use long-term or short-term checkout sheets for wader or boot checkout. Please use checkout sheets located on the door of the boot and wader closet.
Please be considerate and do not keep boots and waders any longer than you absolutely need them. These items are in high demand.
Each wader and boot is tagged with a property ID number for easy identification. This property number must be recorded on the checkout sheet. The number of boots and waders and the sizes available for checkout are as follows:
| Equipment | Waders | Boots | |||||||
| Size | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| Total # | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Property numbers | A8 B8 C8D8 Q8 | G9 H9 | F10 | J11K11 | M12 N12 P12 R12 S12 | A5 | B7 | C9 | D10 |
Waders and boots must be rinsed with fresh water immediately after each use. A scrub brush should be used to remove any pluff mud remaining after the rinse. Place waders on the wader drying rack between the buildings.
Waders must be returned to dry storage within 24 hours.
You should report any leaks in the waders to the Lab Manager so they can be repaired prior to the next use.
Directions for Plankton Net Checkout
Nets are normally checked out on a first-come first served basis. Please do not use long-term or short-term checkout sheets for plankton nets. The checkout sheet for the nets is located on the storage locker door.
Please be considerate and do not keep nets any longer than you absolutely need them. These items are in high demand.
There are three sizes available: 20, 150 and 350 µm.
Nets must be kept wet until they can be rinsed with fresh water. If the net is allowed to dry with the plankton on it, it will clog and destroy the net.
Please make sure the plankton net is securely attached to the rope prior to use.
The cod ends are fragile and subject to damage if dropped.
The net must be returned to dry storage within 24 hours.
You should report any damage to the nets to the Lab Manager.