Reopening the CNI – safe operations – part 2
The CNI Team believes that we can re-open safely. There are issues beyond the CNI environment that the University must consider prior to giving us permission. We report, however, that our confidence that the CNI environment can be safe is high. A blog post and Slack Channel messages will be sent out when CNI has been cleared for scanning and the dates for specific session are posted.
The items below describe our plans and why we will be ready to open when the University and County give us permission.
New Operating procedures
The CNI has drafted a standard operating procedures (SOP) document for safely resuming human research studies. In preparation for restarting – and we don’t know when that will be – we ask CNI users to familiarize themselves with the new policies and protocols for scanning human subjects.
The SOP document was developed in collaboration with people representing Environmental Health and Safety and Human Subjects Research policies at Stanford University. The principal safety tools in the plan
- use signage to make the rules clear to all participants, including restrict the area that needs frequent cleaning
- restrict the number of participants to meet the density restrictions using the facility and require physical distancing
- require and provide PPE to all participants including masks and hand-washing prior to entry
- require Stanford health checks prior to entering the CNI
Re-certification
To be sure the new procedures are clear, users must re-certify for scanning privileges. This can be done by completing CNI Covid-19 training. The steps and documents for recertification for scanning at CNI are posted on the CNI “Getting Started” Wiki in the new “COVID-19″ section at the top of the page.
In addition to being cleared to scan by their PI and the usual safety training, the new certification steps are:
- Review the CNI SOP. The CNI SOP covers the procedures for participant screenings, enhanced cleaning procedures, and required behavior during a research session.
- Complete the quiz/verification form link from the COVID-19 section at the top of the CNI “Getting Started” Wiki page quiz/verification form
- Complete the EHS training on COVID19 hygiene best practices (STARS Course Code EHS-2470-WEB)
New procedure: visitor forms
For each scanning session participants must complete an additional CNI COVID-19 SCREENING, MITIGATION AND ASSUMPTION OF RISKS form. This document informs all visitors to the CNI what steps we are taking to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission. These precautions significantly reduce the risk of infection, but visitors should recognize that the level of risk of COVID-19 infection increases as it would for any activity outside the home.
The screening questions must be completed by all CNI visitors and users; links to the form are also posted on the CNI “Getting Started” Wiki page. When completed, the form must be left in the labelled box (labelled “CNI forms”) located by the CNI printer in the CNI control room at the conclusion of each scanning session.
New user training
Please fill out the registration form for the session that you would like to attend. Enrollment to each session is limited to eight people. There will also be some changes for the new user orientation sessions, which will now be Zoom sessions. For new users to CNI, new user training will be the following:
- CNI user training begins with the completion of the Level 1 and Level 2 on-line training modules in Canvas. The links to the training module are on the CNI “Getting Started” Wiki page.
- Completion of the on-line training is now followed by registration in a Level1/Level2 Zoom orientation session. The in-person orientation sessions have are discontinued and replaced with a one hour Zoom session. The Zoom orientation sessions will be held on Thursdays from 9-10AM. Current sessions will be listed on the CNI “Getting Started” Wiki page.
- All new users will be additionally required to complete the CNI Covid-19 training already described in this blog. The steps and documents for this training are posted on the CNI Wiki “Getting Started” page in the new “COVID-19″ section.
Feedback regarding all the new procedures is always encouraged and appreciated by the CNI team.
The CNI Team
