diff --git a/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py b/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py
index 7aa1285d7..704b58e49 100755
--- a/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py
+++ b/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 import re
 import json
 import math
+import pandas as pd
 
 # Creates a time anchored MC workflow; positioned within a given run-number (as function of production size etc)
 
@@ -295,12 +296,52 @@ def determine_timestamp(sor, eor, splitinfo, cycle, ntf, HBF_per_timeframe = 256
     production_offset = int(thisjobID * maxcycles) + cycle
     # add the time difference of this slot to start-of-run to get the final timestamp
     timestamp_of_production = sor + production_offset * ntf * HBF_per_timeframe * LHCOrbitMUS / 1000
-    # this is a closure test. If we had prefect floating point precision everywhere, it wouldn't fail.
+    # this is a closure test. If we had perfect floating point precision everywhere, it wouldn't fail.
     # But since we don't have that and there are some int casts as well, better check again.
     assert (timestamp_of_production >= sor)
     assert (timestamp_of_production <= eor)
     return int(timestamp_of_production), production_offset
 
+
+def exclude_timestamp(ts, orbit, run, filename):
+    """
+    Checks if timestamp ts (or orbit) falls within a bad data period.
+    Returns true if this timestamp should be excluded; false otherwise
+    
+    ts is supposed to be in milliseconds
+    orbit is some orbit after the orbitreset of the run
+    """
+    if len(filename) == 0:
+       return False
+
+    if not os.path.isfile(filename):
+       return False
+
+    # read txt file into a pandas dataframe ---> if this fails catch exception and return
+    df = pd.read_csv(filename, header=None, names=["Run", "From", "To", "Message"])
+
+    # extract data for this run number
+    filtered = df[df['Run'] == run]
+
+    # now extract from and to lists
+    exclude_list =  list(zip(filtered["From"].to_list() , filtered["To"].to_list()))
+
+    if len(exclude_list) == 0:
+       return False
+
+    data_is_in_orbits = exclude_list[0][0] < 1514761200000
+
+    if data_is_in_orbits:
+       for orbitspan in exclude_list:
+          if orbitspan[0] <= orbit and orbit <= orbitspan[1]:
+             return True
+    else:
+       for timespan in exclude_list:
+          if timespan[0] <= ts and ts <= timespan[1]:
+             return True
+
+    return False
+
 def main():
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Creates an O2DPG simulation workflow, anchored to a given LHC run. The workflows are time anchored at regular positions within a run as a function of production size, split-id and cycle.')
 
@@ -312,6 +353,7 @@ def main():
     parser.add_argument("-tf", type=int, help="number of timeframes per job", default=1)
     parser.add_argument("--ccdb-IRate", type=bool, help="whether to try fetching IRate from CCDB/CTP", default=True)
     parser.add_argument("--trig-eff", type=float, dest="trig_eff", help="Trigger eff needed for IR", default=-1.0)
+    parser.add_argument("--run-time-span-file", type=str, dest="run_span_file", help="Run-time-span-file for exclusions of timestamps (bad data periods etc.)", default="")
     parser.add_argument('forward', nargs=argparse.REMAINDER) # forward args passed to actual workflow creation
     args = parser.parse_args()
     print (args)
@@ -329,6 +371,12 @@ def main():
 
     # determine timestamp, and production offset for the final MC job to run
     timestamp, prod_offset = determine_timestamp(run_start, run_end, [args.split_id - 1, args.prod_split], args.cycle, args.tf, GLOparams["OrbitsPerTF"])
+    # determine orbit corresponding to timestamp
+    orbit = GLOparams["FirstOrbit"] + (timestamp - GLOparams["SOR"]) / LHCOrbitMUS
+
+    # check if timestamp is to be excluded
+    # what to do in case of
+    job_is_exluded = exclude_timestamp(timestamp, orbit, args.run_number, args.run_span_file)
 
     # this is anchored to
     print ("Determined start-of-run to be: ", run_start)
@@ -402,8 +450,12 @@ def main():
                    + str(GLOparams["FirstOrbit"]) + " -field ccdb -bcPatternFile ccdb" + " --orbitsPerTF " + str(GLOparams["OrbitsPerTF"]) + " -col " + str(ColSystem) + " -eCM " + str(eCM) + ' --readoutDets ' + GLOparams['detList']
     print ("forward args ", forwardargs)
     cmd = "${O2DPG_ROOT}/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow.py " + forwardargs
-    print ("Creating time-anchored workflow...")
-    os.system(cmd)
+
+    if job_is_exluded:
+      print ("TIMESTAMP IS EXCLUDED IN RUN")
+    else:
+      print ("Creating time-anchored workflow...")
+      os.system(cmd)
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
   sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/MC/run/ANCHOR/anchorMC.sh b/MC/run/ANCHOR/anchorMC.sh
index 3c7b52336..b702be24e 100755
--- a/MC/run/ANCHOR/anchorMC.sh
+++ b/MC/run/ANCHOR/anchorMC.sh
@@ -210,7 +210,8 @@ MODULES="--skipModules ZDC"
 ALICEO2_CCDB_LOCALCACHE=${ALICEO2_CCDB_LOCALCACHE:-$(pwd)/ccdb}
 
 # these arguments will be digested by o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py
-baseargs="-tf ${NTIMEFRAMES} --split-id ${SPLITID} --prod-split ${PRODSPLIT} --cycle ${CYCLE} --run-number ${ALIEN_JDL_LPMRUNNUMBER}"
+baseargs="-tf ${NTIMEFRAMES} --split-id ${SPLITID} --prod-split ${PRODSPLIT} --cycle ${CYCLE} --run-number ${ALIEN_JDL_LPMRUNNUMBER} \
+          ${ALIEN_JDL_RUN_TIME_SPAN_FILE:+--run-time-span-file ${ALIEN_JDL_RUN_TIME_SPAN_FILE}}"
 
 # these arguments will be passed as well but only evetually be digested by o2dpg_sim_workflow.py which is called from o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py
 remainingargs="-seed ${SEED} -ns ${NSIGEVENTS} --include-local-qc --pregenCollContext"
@@ -223,17 +224,27 @@ remainingargs="${ALIEN_JDL_ANCHOR_SIM_OPTIONS} ${remainingargs} --anchor-config
 echo_info "baseargs passed to o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py: ${baseargs}"
 echo_info "remainingargs forwarded to o2dpg_sim_workflow.py: ${remainingargs}"
 
+anchoringLogFile=timestampsampling_${ALIEN_JDL_LPMRUNNUMBER}.log
 # query CCDB has changed, w/o "_"
-${O2DPG_ROOT}/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py ${baseargs} -- ${remainingargs} &> timestampsampling_${ALIEN_JDL_LPMRUNNUMBER}.log
+${O2DPG_ROOT}/MC/bin/o2dpg_sim_workflow_anchored.py ${baseargs} -- ${remainingargs} &> ${anchoringLogFile}
 WF_RC="${?}"
 if [ "${WF_RC}" != "0" ] ; then
     echo_error "Problem during anchor timestamp sampling and workflow creation. Exiting."
     exit ${WF_RC}
 fi
 
-TIMESTAMP=`grep "Determined timestamp to be" timestampsampling_${ALIEN_JDL_LPMRUNNUMBER}.log | awk '//{print $6}'`
+TIMESTAMP=`grep "Determined timestamp to be" ${anchoringLogFile} | awk '//{print $6}'`
 echo_info "TIMESTAMP IS ${TIMESTAMP}"
 
+# check if this job is exluded because it falls inside a bad data-taking period
+ISEXCLUDED=$(grep "TIMESTAMP IS EXCLUDED IN RUN" ${anchoringLogFile})
+if [ "${ISEXCLUDED}" ]; then
+  # we can quit here; there is nothing to do
+  # (apart from maybe creating a fake empty AO2D.root file or the like)
+  echo "Timestamp is excluded from run. Nothing to do here"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
 # -- Create aligned geometry using ITS ideal alignment to avoid overlaps in geant
 CCDBOBJECTS_IDEAL_MC="ITS/Calib/Align"
 TIMESTAMP_IDEAL_MC=1