Cooling Outage: Guidance for Researchers

This page is for faculty engaged in research

Last updated: May 18, 2023

Dear colleagues,  

A pipe in the chilled water system responsible for cooling on main campus requires repair. For the time being, research operations can proceed as normal. For information about the chilled water system and planned outage please see the Risk website. 

The VPR Office and Emergency Management are preparing for two scenarios:  

1. The chilled water system remains functional until it is shut down for the scheduled repair June 9-11, 2023; or 
2. The pipe fails before repairs can begin and the chilled water system is immediately shut down.  

Either scenario will impact main campus research operations. Please read this email closely for important information on how it will affect you. 

Impact on main campus research operations 

Research operations will be impacted by the chilled water system repairs in two ways: 

• Most buildings on main campus will not be cooled by air conditioning, resulting in uncomfortably warm temperatures in labs, offices and equipment rooms.  

• Research equipment that requires chilled water to operate will need to be shut down, connected to an alternate water source or operated at a reduced capacity. 

Entry to buildings will not be restricted, and electricity will not be shut off. You can access your labs and workspaces during the repair period if urgently required. 

Main campus research operations during the repair period 

We are asking researchers to proceed as follows: 

1. Pause your on-campus research activities and work from home during the repair period. Because of the short time period, most researchers will be able to do so with minimal disruption to their research. If you can proceed in this way, no further action is required.  
    
2. If one or more of the following criteria apply to your main campus research or infrastructure, please contact your ADR by Friday, May 19, 2023, to develop a mitigation plan:  
   • Research infrastructure or services required to ensure animal health and safety.  
   • A lab or workspace with materials (collections, chemicals, etc.) or equipment that cannot be safely left at an elevated ambient temperature for over 12 hours.   
   • Research infrastructure reliant on the chilled water system that cannot be shut down in a timely manner (less than one day) without significant risk of damage or destruction of the infrastructure in question. This includes sample/material storage infrastructure requiring regular maintenance or consumable replenishment. 
   • Ongoing research in which significant amounts of data would be completely lost or compromised if the experiment or project was terminated early/suddenly. This includes research contract work with contract deliverables that must be met for funding to continue. 

Your ADRs will help you develop a mitigation plan, and if required, submit a request to the VPR Office, Facilities and Emergency Management for additional mitigation assistance.  

If you are unsure if the criteria apply to your research, equipment or infrastructure, please contact your ADR to discuss.   

Research with human participants 

We recommend that all research with human participants scheduled for main campus during the repair period be moved to an alternate location or postponed. Please note that if you choose to meet with research participants on main campus during the repair period, they may be exposed to risks posed by excessive temperatures.  

If you have concerns about how to continue your research with human participants during this time, please contact your ADR.  

Researchers can implement changes to their project in advance of submitting modifications/REB approvals, as per TCPS Article 6.16, which states that changes can be reported after the fact, as they are being undertaken to reduce risks to participants. All post-hoc modifications, including venue changes, must be submitted to the CHREB or CFREB for approval.  

If you need to relocate to interact with your research participants, please ensure that you follow privacy and confidentiality protocols. 

If you have further questions, please contact chreb@ucalgary.ca or cfreb@ucalgary.ca. 

If you have questions about research operations during the repair period, please contact Robert Thompson, Associate Vice-President (Research) at avpr@ucalgary.ca. 

The latest information on the Chilled Water system repairs can be found at ucalgary.ca/risk/chilled-water-shutdown. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.