Safety first!

Among the many duties I assumed at the beginning of the year was the ultimate responsibility for Safety at CERN: the responsibility for the physical safety of the personnel, the responsibility for the safe operation of the facilities, and the responsibility to ensure that CERN acts in accordance with the highest standards of radiation and environmental protection.

 

The Safety Policy document drawn up in September 2014 is an excellent basis for the implementation of Safety in all areas of CERN’s work. I am happy to commit during my mandate to help meet its objectives, not least by ensuring the Organization makes available the necessary means to achieve its Safety objectives.

One of the main objectives of the HSE (Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection) unit in the coming months is to enhance the measures to minimise CERN’s impact on the environment. I believe CERN should become a role model for an environmentally-aware scientific research laboratory. Risk assessment and prevention and emergency preparedness are also key targets. An effective approach to handling radioactive waste is also important for CERN where we must work to limit the production of such waste, sort it effectively, store it safely and ensure safe disposal.

As an illustration of my commitment to Safety, I have appointed the Head of the HSE unit as a member of the Research Board, the body that sets the laboratory’s scientific programme, in order to ensure that Safety considerations are taken into account when project proposals are considered for approval.

CERN has an excellent track record in matters of Safety, but  there is always room for improvement, and there is never room for complacency. We all have the duty to comply with the safety rules and to encourage our colleagues to do the same. Safety is a shared responsibility of all of us, not someone else’s job. I count on you to help us meet CERN’s Safety objectives, just as much as I count on you to help achieve our scientific goals.

Fabiola Gianotti

 

Safety Tips

  • Your Territorial Safety Officer (whose name should be on the entrance door to your building) can advise on Safety issues with your building and in your office, as can your Departmental Safety Officer or LEXGLIMOS, who is holding the equivalent role of the DSO for the Large experiments. Make sure you know who they are, and don’t hesitate to consult them.
  • Look for the emergency evacuation notices in your building and make sure you know what to do in an emergency.
  • The HSE unit is available to advise on all aspects of Safety at CERN. Please contact HSE experts early if you are planning a major project.