v.378P
Standard Operating Procedure - Assistant Lab Officer (ALO)
September 2018
V378P
I. PORT CALL (Start of an Expedition)
- Go to Lab Officer's (LO) Office and begin crossover with the off-going ALOs. Read the ALO report from the previous leg and discuss any changes in equipment status or procedures.
- Conduct a thorough walk through of the lab stack with the off going ALOs. Identify all the off-going shipments, including "cold" and "special" shipments.
- Obtain both off-going and on-coming shipping papers; familiarize yourself with the content in order to coordinate the shipment distribution accordingly. Also ensure Ensure the shipping paperwork is correct.
- Consult the logistics coordinator about shipment status.
- Conduct a brief freight handling safety orientation with new technician(s), and ensure all Marine Laboratory Specialists (MLSs) follow safety regulations (wear steel-toed shoes, hardhat, gloves, and safety glasses).
- Coordinate off-load/on-load shipment with MLSs. Assign a MLS to oversee the dockside of oncoming and off going. Provide dockside MLS with needed paperwork (including load out diagram).
- Coordinate on-coming shipment distribution. Cross-check packing lists with shipping papers to verify all supplies received. There are AMS reports designed for this purpose.
- Notify LO and Marine Logistics Coordinator (MLC) regarding any mistakes, missing freight, and/or shortage of lab supplies.
- Consult all technical staff and assist them in verifying physical counts on priority #1 inventory items in their assigned lab/area. Bring to LO and MLC's immediate attention if any item is short on quantity.
- Toward the end of portcall (during transit) once all shipments are received and the sent are verified, "receive" all oncoming shipment and "send" off going shipment in AMS.
- Coordinate with the Expedition Project Manager for safety tours and Life at Sea presentations.
- Provide "Life at Sea" training to oncoming scientists and new staff, coordinating the time with oncoming EPM
- Provide "General lab safety" training to oncoming scientists and new staff, coordinating time with EPM
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- Conduct Physical Counts on all bulky items like d-tubes, core,sample boxes, and curation supplies critical items (CORE Logisitcs spreadsheet) prior to any surface freight shipments leaving IODP for future expeditions, . Work with shore ALO to ensure enough the correct amounts of items will be sent for upcoming expeditions.
- Ensure all labs are fully prepared with supplies and instruments are all calibrated and working correctly.
- Update all check out sheets.
- Ensure a thorough lab safety orientation is provided for the new technician(s). Train new technicians on proper catwalk and core handling procedures.
- Find out from the curator about the catwalk and sample table sampling plans. review these plans with technical staff who will be on catwalk and in corelab.
- Complete physical count on IODPS (IODP Ship Store items).
III. ON SITE ACTIVITIES
- Act as core lab supervisor to direct processing of cores through the core lab. Assign duties as necessary.
- Act as backup for Curator, assuring that policy and procedures for core handling, section data entry, and sampling are followed.
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- Assist the LO as a safety officer.
- Assist the science party with sampling and data gathering
- Act as a liaison between the science party and lab technicians.
- Assist in establishing and enforcing procedures for effective and safe operation of shipboard labs.
- Train and mentor staff.
- Maintain a log of personnel performance in the event that input is requested by the LO or shore-based supervisors.
- Maintain the shipboard inventory database "AMS"; update checkout sheets every 7-14 days, or as needed. Update Checkout Sheets about 10 days prior to when shipments leave IODP (College Station) for the ship. Update/check quantities in CORE Logistics spreadsheet and coordinate with shorebase ALO to ensure correct quantities of needed items will be shipped.
- Reviewing the requirements for laboratory supplies with lab personnel for future cruises, ensuring the requisitions are produced to meet the scientific requirements.
- Notify Supervisor of Science Operations and shore-based Logistics Coordinator(s) for estimated supplies shortage.
- Access resource of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Hard copy of MSDS is no longer maintained in shipboard files, it's available on-line.
- Assist in monitoring radioactive material including radiation badges, if require, for lab personnel.
- Assist in lab development projects and upgrading instruments. May assemble, troubleshoot, and repair instruments in shipboard labs.
- Run the IODP Ship Store. Contact individual onshore with needed quantities for future expedition.
- Verify and enter into AMS shipping addresses for scientists and technical staff. Curator can provide the list of scientists and addresses.
- Coordinate with the curator for sample shipments. Inform the MLC of any frozen and/or refrigerated shipments.
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