Practical Ref

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This page contains practical reference info for the Jimenez Group.

General Reference Info

Introduction to the Group

Logistical References

Lab

Purchasing

Instrument References

Group Instruments

Software

User Manuals for Lab Equipment

Field Software and instrumentation manuals

Training Requirements

Travel and Moving Equipment

CU Distribution Services -- Moving and Hauling

Rental Cars

  • CARS (per email from CIRES Travel 10/28/14)
    • "When booking the rental car through Concur specifically, CU employees and non-CU employees do not need to be on the rental car agreement. But if the employee is getting a rental car from the airport and they choose to use their CU travel card, then all drivers do need to be listed on that Contract.
    • If the car is booked through Concur then there won't be an extra driver fee, but if you use your travel card at the airport then you can incur that extra driver fee charge.
    • By renting a car through Concur you are guaranteed the State contract prices and insurance coverage.
    • If you are using a contract vendor (listed on the State Auto and Truck Rental Site) they will provide the Collision Damage Waiver/Loss Damage Waiver (CDW/LDW) insurance to you since you are a state employee.
    • If you are using a non-contract vendor then you can use your state travel card and that will still cover the CDW and you should accept the Liability insurance and explain it on the travel voucher.

Rental Trucks

  • TRUCKS: The only Rental Truck that has CDW/LDW insurance covered by your travel card is Budget, and only when using the State if Colorado Commercial Rental Agreement codes (see below). Rental Trucks from other companies are NOT covered by the insurance on your travel card you must take out supplemental insurance from the rental truck agency.

    Are there any special requirements for renting a truck?

    • Yes. Any truck with a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of 10,000lbs or more used for official business requires specialized training for the University's compliance with DOT regulations, and to ensure that you are insured.
    • In general any truck over about 12' will have a GVWR of 10,000lbs or greater.
      • Before renting a truck, you can ask the rental company for the GVWR.
      • Some vendors provide this information online with their "truck specifications." Don't confuse "payload" rating with "GVWR." Payload is the amount you can load onto the truck. GVWR is the maximum weight of the payload plus the vehicle.
      • If you are at the vehicle, the GVWR will be listed on the sticker on the drivers side door.
    • When renting a truck that requires CMV training, we must report the rental to CU's Transportation Services Department to be in compliance with DOT regulations.
    • When renting a truck that requires CMV training, we must also borrow magnetic stickers with CU's DOT number from Transportation Services for display on the vehicle.

    What is CMV training?

    • CMV stands for "Commercial Motor Vehicle" training. It is not the same as a Commercial Drivers License, though the requirements and training are similar.
      • Since CU is recognized by the Department of Transporation as a "Commercial Entity," any driving done for official purposes in vehicles (or vehicle/trailer combinations) with a GVWR of 10,000lbs or greater fall under DOT regulations.
      • If driving a vehicle requiring CMV traing greater than 90 miles from CU boulder, when crossing state lines, or requiring more than 8(10?) hours of driving in a day there are even more requirements that must be met (in particular a DOT medical exam, and a drivers log book).

    Where can I rent a Lift-Gate truck from?

    • In general, a Liftgate truck will likely require CMV training (see above)
    • Transportation Services has provided a link to the State of Colorado Commercial Rental Agreements.
      • Using the information on this page, state of Colorado discount rates and benefits are available.
      • Currently they use Budget Trucks.
      • There is no mileage charge, and insurance is included. Rental must be made using a CU Travel Card.
    • When placing orders under this agreement you must provide this Budget Truck Discount Code: 56000133710
      • Part of this agreement includes the Collision/Loss Damage Waiver (CDW or LDW), and indicates that the vendor shall not charge the CDW/LDW fee.

    Who in our group has CMV training?

    • Currently only Phil has CMV training.

    What does it take to be CMV certified at CU?

    • First you have to take the Defensive Driver Course offered for free through Transportation Services. This takes 4 hours and is offered regularly
    • After completing DDC, you will require Specialized Training for the type of vehicle you wish to use.
      • This "training" is really more like a driving test by a Transportation Services examiner.
      • You will be required to walk the trainer through the CMV inspection process, and then take a driving test.
      • We need to provide the vehicle, plus the cost of the examiner's time (as of 6/2014 it was about $90 per test).

    Can't I just rent a truck with my own credit card and ignore all this CMV stuff?

    • No. This would be contrary to CU policies and DOT regulations, and if it were discovered that you used a vehicle that requires CMV training it could cause problems
      • If anything were to happen (i.e. an accident), you could be denied insurance coverage because you were not following the rules.
      • If it were discovered that you rented a vehicle for university business and were nor properly trained, it could cause the University trouble with the department of transportation.

    Why doesn't the rental company stop me from renting a truck if there are all these requirements?

    • The rental company has no burden to know that you are operating the vehicle for a company that is governed by the DOT regulations - that's your responsibility. Many companies are not "DOT entities," and do not have to follow these rules.
      • The DOT would undoubtedly love for everyone to have this level of training, but it's not feasible for them to make everybody get a commercial drives license to use a rental truck (or pull a trailer).
      • Probably due to budgets and feasibility, they tend to target large corporations and/or corporations that have a "commerical" driving aspect to their business and require them to become "DOT entities."

Traveling Abroad

    • CU employees who will work abroad for >6months - need to contact risk management (workers comp, etc.)
    Health Insurance
    • In general, Risk Management recommends taking out personal travel insurance when traveling abroad since only accidents arising out of the scope of employment would be covered. If someone falls seriously ill, this is not insured. They've recommended the company HTH which is also used for CU student excursions (http://www.hthtravelinsurance.com). This plan also covers repatriation and starts at 1 USD per day and then gets successively more expensive for periods longer than 2 weeks. You should first check with your private health insurance carrier. You may or may not be already be covered. For example, Hilke says that Kaiser Permanente only covers emergencies abroad (ER) but probably not non-emergency doctor visits.

    International Travel Tools and Resources - From the Office of Risk Management (10/2014 email from Carolyn Peet)

    For all employees at the University of Colorado Boulder As A University employee, there are international travel tools and resources available as you prepare for your international travel.

    • As of 8.1.14, the University now provides international travel medical and evacuation insurance coverage for all CU employees travelling internationally on university business authorized by their CU department. The insurance coverage is through Geo-Blue and you should register on-line at http://www.geo-blue.com with the CU Access Code: QHG99999UCBT. There you can print the CU ID Card you will need should you need medical treatment or emergency services. There are a host of services to assist you in your travels and you only need to register once.
    • Additionally, the Risk Management website provides travel tools and resources at https://www.cu.edu/risk/services/international-travel. One of those resources is the CU International Traveler Letter attached to this email and included in all international travel itineraries when your travel is booked through Christopherson Travel Agency. The letter contains critical information regarding travel and GEO-Blue.
    • Lastly, the University retains an additional international evacuation and emergency service travel consultant through International SOS (ISOS). They assist CU employees and students with emergency services such as; lost passports, on-the-ground country specific information, and/or if seeking safety/security advice. If you choose to do so, you can register your trip with ISOS using the CU Membership #11BCAS000006. They will have your travel information in a CU traveler database and able to assist you in case of an emergency. If you would like a laminated ISOS membership card, just let me know your campus box number.
    • One last item, do you know if we have any researchers in the Ebola areas?

    Carolyn Peet, RMPE
    Associate Director
    University Risk Management, Boulder Campus Operations
    3215 Marine Street, Marine Street Science Center
    Boulder, CO 80303
    303-735-5900
    303-492-1911 FAX
    Cell 303-981-9575
    Carolyn.peet@cu.edu

    https://www.cu.edu/risk

    Assistance Abroad

    • When we travel on University business, we can use the 'International SOS' plan (www.internationalsos.com). This is not a health insurance, but an organization that would help with locating doctors abroad, help finding someone to translate in a medical emergency or even help with organizing repatriation also in the case of political unrest. Before you travel abroad, you should copy the details: https://www.cu.edu/content/internationaltravel.

    Travel Insurance

    • HTH also provides separate policies for travel insurance. This may be useful in cases where there is a high likelihood of needing to change airplane tickets.
    • HTH Travel Insurance Rates and Coverage Table

    Charging/Reimbursement for International-specific Fees

      e.g. Visa fees, immunizations, malaria prophylaxis, etc.
      • Charge to Travel Card or personal credit card (no PCard)
      • Submit/Allocate with travel voucher (TV); Use Expense Type 700300 = "International Travel".
      • Travel card charges needs to be allocated within 90 days (submit additional TV before end of trip if needed)

    Insurance: On-Campus/Shipping/Off-Campus

    Key Links

    Key Contacts

      CIRES:
      • Ted DeMaria (demaria_at_colorado.edu, 303-735-3739) -CIRES Property accounting and Inventory.

      CU Risk Management

      • Tara Lindsay (tara.lindsay_at_cu.edu, 303-492-1906) - Director of University Risk Management, Boulder Campus Operations
      • Gary Longfellow (gary.longfellow_at_cu.edu, 303-860-5676) - Director, Insurance and Claims Administration
      • Frank Hammitt (frank.hammitt_at_cu.edu, 719-255-3525) - Risk Analyst

    CU's Insurance Policy

    • The University is mostly self-insured. That means everything under the value of 500,000 USD will be replaced by the University itself and only for larger amounts, a claim is made with an external insurance company (FM Global). For smaller losses, our group may be expected to pay, and the university may ask CIRES to cover moderate/small losses. The rules seem generally complicated/vague, Risk Management informed us that if we demonstrate due diligence, the university will probably cover it in the end; however, when in doubt contact the appropriate admin.
    • There is a CU deductible: $2500 (CIRES generally pays that out of pooled funds). However, often when shipping with a commercial shipping company you can take insurance for just $2500 to cover that deductible (it will generally only be a few dollars).
    • CU will cover destroyed/stolen items at their replacement costs. In the event that we need to replace one or many items, we would probably need to demonstrate the replacement costs, for example with quotes for larger items
    • Power surges are covered.
    • Car Rental Insruance: see above.

    Shipping and Deployment in the Field

    • When shipping items off-campus you need to fill out an "OFF-CAMPUS USE OF UNIVERSITY EQUIPMENT Form" for "equipment" which are items of value >$5k. See further details and example here under "Property". Additionally you should report the total value of the items being shipped since non-equipment items may likely be a significant portion of the total.
    • For shipping, coverage only exists when transported by a regular carrier or a commercial airline. Open ocean/offshore is excluded (unless by inland waters or by coastal shipments). Open ocean, off-shore policies have to be taken out separately. This would include transport on a cargo ship as well as deployment on a ship. Also, URM has created an ”Ocean Cargo and Off-shore MOU” which allows for CU departments to pay a premium for a specific shipment (See form here.). Premiums start at $2500 for up to $500K then for >$500K up to $1M it's 0.15cents/$100 (if <$1M, consult Tara et al.; may need different arrangements). In the case of GVAX it was cheaper to go with a 3rd party insurance carrier (that ARI arranged); although may be more reliable to stick with CU. In the case of international shipping, once the equipment is in the foreign country, it is covered by CU property insurance.
    • Is flying equipment in research aircraft during field experiments covered by CU's insurance? Both in the continental US, over the ocean, and overseas are covered. A recently updated MOU (Jan. 2012) now includes the research property flown in research aircraft. Unlike the Ocean Cargo, there is no additional premium for this coverage. The limit is $1 mil (with $2500 deductible).
    • Flying cargo on a military aircraft: for now CU will temporarily self-insur cargo on military aircraft, for values up to $1 million in one shipment. If you have any such shipment valued at $1mil or over, be sure and contact Tara et al. well ahead of time to discuss alternative methods of insuring over the $1mil value. Please keep in mind that this is a temporary solution—they’re working on a long-term solution for cargo on military aircraft. Tara will keep us informed on that progress (13 April, 2012).
    • Driving equipment in rental or private cars is covered by the CU insurance. Tara specifies that: "I would like to know in advance of any equipment being delivered by CU personnel that has a value of $1mil or more. But again, that’s not a requirement for coverage, it’s to ask and discuss what loss prevention techniques that the person doing the transport will have in place to help prevent a loss".
    • Given the uncertainty and inability of Risk Management to provide us with specific documented or "hard-and-fast" rules, the general approach is to talk to Sarah Guthrie (CIRES message center) or Ted Demaria and they would contact the Risk Management Department discussing the details of the journey and the deployment. The threshold for contacting Risk Management is ~100,000 USD and also for everything that is a bit more unusual which would include deployment on a research aircraft. In such cases, likely Risk Management would contact NCAR/NOAA/NASA etc. See link of "CU Property Insurance Information" above for specific exceptions to CU coverage (such as open-ocean or blacked-out countries).
    • If we use equipment on loan (sans visiting researcher), i.e. it is in our care the CU insurance covers that equipment. Moreover, if we bring loaner equipment off-campus, we need to include that in our insurance/off-campus reporting. Conversely, if we loan equipment to another institution or company (and are not there ourselves using it), CU expects THEIR policy to cover it. So in such cases ask Ted to contact his counterpart at that institution. An example of the above is the HAIS-ToF-AMS, which belongs to NCAR but is in our custody and thus is covered by our insurance.
    • Customs declarations do not count for insurance. CU will cover destroyed/stolen items at their replacement value.
    • Mobile Road Laboratories (such as ARI's): CU’s property coverage applies to equipment in mobile road laboratories.
    • Attaching/Installing equipment on ships and aircrafts: What is our liability coverage in case we damage an aircraft with our installation? Tara's response: "The University of Colorado’s General Liability insurance affords coverage to defend the University and its employees acting within the course and scope of their University employment against claims brought by third-party claimants, in the event of alleged acts of negligence or omission. For further information, see our website at: https://www.cu.edu/content/generalliability. Am I correct in assuming that ship and aircraft owners’ personal would be providing instruction on how to safely attach the instruments? If so, as long as you follow their direction, that should avoid most, if not all, liability to CU."
    • See Insurance Q&A document from Tara Lindsay for further details on some of the above items here.

    Pending questions about insurance of importance to our group:

    • None at this time (28 June, 2012)

    Usual Suppliers

    • Brechtel for flow splitters, Y's, laminar flow elements, control valves, etc.

    Guest Internet Access

    • Guest internet access for university wireless ITS website
    • Guest Identi-Key (for access to non-public facing webpages ie: library resources) ITS website

    Poster Printing

    • Megaprint Email them the file and they will fedex the poster to any location.
    • Poster Session
    • Also, Nate or the office workers in chemistry can print a poster.

    Group Meeting

    Local Seminars

    Science and Publication References

    Conferences

    Info for Field Campaigns

    Packing lists for field campaigns

    Information Regarding Specific Campaigns

    Group Restricted Pages

    Group Activities

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