Behinds the scenes of GS: a DSO like no other
At CERN, Departmental Safety Officers (DSOs) are responsible for making the members of their department aware of safety issues. They’re our first point of call every time a problem arises relating to environmental matters or the safety of people and installations. In GS, this role is even more crucial as the Department’s activities are scattered across the Laboratory and affect everyone.
As we have pointed out in our article series "Behind the scenes of GS”, the GS Department is responsible for the construction, renovation and maintenance of buildings and related technical infrastructures. The latter include heating and toilet facilities; detection and alarm systems; the management of the hotels, stores, stocks, shuttle services and mail; and the development of technical and administrative databases. The activities of the Medical Service and the Fire and Rescue Service also come under the umbrella of GS, as do the many other daily activities that are part of the hospitality CERN offers its visitors, such as the Library.
“At CERN, everyone plays a role in safety,” explains Marc Vadon, DSO of the GS Department. “It’s my role to advise those who are facing safety issues or who are in charge of projects and need to evaluate the associated risks.” Members of GS frequently have to carry out tasks involving complex, often old installations. The DSO’s role is, therefore, complicated and requires close collaboration with the HSE Unit as well as the Fire and Rescue Service, who intervene in the event of an emergency, the Medical Service, and, of course, the Security service.
The many groups within GS contact their DSO when they need to evaluate the risks of a new, complex installation, analyse an accident in order to learn from it and avoid it happening again, or simply to deal with cars repeatedly parked in dangerous places. The DSO’s role also has an environmental element: he can give his opinion on how to reduce green-house gas emissions in old climate control systems, or the necessary initiatives to reduce drinking water use. “When the HSE Unit inspectors discover any non-conformities, I’m there to inform my colleagues and, together, find solutions that are compatible with the activities in question and, of course, the budget!” explains Vadon.
From public buildings to underground tunnels, the services provided by GS directly affect the daily lives of the thousands of people who work at CERN. Even though, as Marc Vadon stresses, safety is everyone’s responsibility, we can’t help being reassured by the meticulous work that Marc, in his capacity as DSO, carries out behind the scenes of GS!
