Health, hygiene and safety in the workplace and the MARS interview

The MARS exercise provides a unique opportunity for exchange between staff members and their supervisors. It is also an opportunity to review workplace health, hygiene and safety issues, and in particular to identify occupational risks to which the staff member may be exposed. That information can also be used to identify and arrange for safety training, and to agree on the personal protective equipment that may be required.

 

Please remember that it is stipulated in Article 4.3 of Safety Code A1 that: “The member of the personnel concerned and the Group Leader are responsible for updating the questionnaire on occupational hazards. (…) The Group Leader is also responsible for ensuring that his personnel do not undertake work forbidden by a medical decision.”

CERN’s Medical Service can use the identi­fied occupational risks to verify that the state of health of each member of the personnel is compatible with the work assigned, which is one of the Service’s responsibilities.

Part 4 of the 2012 MARS form (“Aspects related to health, safety and working conditions”) will therefore have a new box, which should be checked to confirm that the staff member and the supervisor have identified occupational risks using form OHS 0-0-3. The safety courses should be listed under “Development objectives”. The personal protection equipment should be purchased from the CERN store.

Instructions for completing form OHS 0-0-3:
• Print the form out (use the link on the MARS form).
• Fill it out together (staff member and supervisor):
            - describe the staff member’s work;
            - tick the boxes that are applicable to the staff member; and
            - date and sign the form (both staff member and supervisor).
• Send the form to the Medical Service, as indicated on the first page of the form.
• Check the corresponding box on the MARS form.

As a reminder: anyone in possession of a dosimeter must tick box 500 (risks related to ionizing radiation); however, if exposure is infrequent, please specify this in the box marked “Other”.

The current form OHS 0-0-3 will be an electronic document handled by EDH for the forthcoming MARS exercise. Please send any suggestions for improving this document to safety-general@cern.ch.

HSE Unit