SAFETY

CERN Safety rules and Radiation Protection at CMS

The CERN Safety rules are defined by the Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Unit (HSE Unit), CERN’s institutional authority and central Safety organ attached to the Director General. In particular the Radiation Protection group (DGS-RP1) ensures that personnel on the CERN sites and the public are protected from potentially harmful effects of ionising radiation linked to CERN activities. The RP Group fulfils its mandate in collaboration with the CERN departments owning or operating sources of ionising radiation and having the responsibility for Radiation Safety of these sources.

The specific responsibilities concerning "Radiation Safety" and "Radiation Protection" are delegated as follows:

  1. Radiation Safety is the responsibility of every CERN Department owning radiation sources or using radiation sources put at its disposition. These Departments are in charge of implementing the requirements laid down in CERN’s Safety rules and documents or specified by DGS-RP in order to ensure the safe operation of their existing and future installations (accelerators, beams, experiments). The Departments are also in charge of training their personnel in matters of Radiation Protection according to the rules specified by DGS-RP.
     
  2. Radiation Protection is the responsibility of the DGS-RP. 
    Its duties include operational radiation protection which comprises assessment of radiological risks, classification of work places in radiation zones, implementation of control measures, monitoring radiation levels for different radiation areas and impact of radiation on the environment, monitoring the implementation of regulations and of specific rulings, approval of ALARA plans, control and characterization of radioactive material and waste.

At CMS, Safety officers are nominated in order to provide help and support to the collaborators in the enforcement of the Safety rules:

The CMS Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)2, appointed by the PH department Head in consultation with the GLIMOS and the Technical Coordinator, is qualified in the hazards of ionisation radiation and with regulations and techniques of radiation protection. Among other duties, he/she ensures3:

  • that supervisors of technical work are familiar with and apply the Radiation Safety Manual (Code F) ;
  • that the installations comply with the regulations in force ;
  • that the technical means of radiation safety and protection are in place and operational ;
  • that the organisation conditions are adequate for the safe operation of the installation

In addition, CMS GLIMOS and DGS-RP group nominated 20 Radiation Protection Experts (RPE4) holding a certificate as Swiss Radiation Protection Expert and who proved technical competence and excellent conduct during the pratical exercises.

They execute the following tasks in non-designated or supervised5 radiation areas of CMS

  • risk assessment of work places with respect to ionizing radiation,
  • radiological controls of material leaving the CMS experimental areas,
  • monitoring the compliance of workers in CMS experimental areas with CERN’s radiation protection rules.

These members of personnel are supporting the CMS collaboration in the enforcement of the Safety Code F6 and in particular in making sure that, in the CMS supervised radiation areas (i.e. UXC55 cavern, SX5 RP Workshop) the ALARA7  process is applied. This process is part of the « JOLi » principles : Justification, Optimisation and Limitation.

For example, from the time a pregnancy is established through to the birth of the child, the equivalent dose at the surface of the abdomen of occupationally exposed women must not exceed 1 mSv, and that to the fœtus, from external radiation or from the incorporation of radionuclides, must also not exceed 1 mSv. Women who are breast-feeding are not allowed to perform any work involving radioactive substances that entails a risk of internal or external contamination.

There’s an obligation of results in Safety, which implies that, no matter the means are made available, only the result counts.

In this respect, any personnel have the rights and the obligation to stop any dangerous work. In particular, as CMS collaborator, if you witness a misbehavior in the enforcement or application of the Safety rules and procedures, you shall react and remind your colleague in order to protect him/her first, but as well the CMS collaboration. If this behavior is repeated, it is extremely important to involve the supervisors, including the Technical Coordination through the Safety officers (GLIMOS, RSO, TSO, etc.), the Technical Coordination Oncall (16 5000) or the Shifters at the SCX5 control room (Technical Shifter DCS or SLIMOS).

For more information, please consult the following CERN’s bulletin articles :
RADIOPROTECTION: THE 5TH HSE OBJECTIVE OF 2012
MODERNISATION OF THE CERN OPERATIONAL DOSIMETERY SYSTEM
A MILESTONE IN SAFETY
RADIATION PROTECTION AND RADIATION SAFETY: CERN AND ITS HOST STATES TO SIGN A TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT
RAMSES STANDS GUARD OVER THE ACCELERATOR CHAIN
SAFETY FIRST

and keep in mind that there’s « no true excellence without excellence in Safety ».


CMS Safety office: http://cern.ch/cms-safety - cms-safety@cern.ch

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[1] Source « HSE Unit Website » 
[2] The CMS RSO is Stéphane BALLY
[3] Source CERN « A9 Code »
[4] Source EDMS 941627 « Organisation of Operational RP for CERN’s Experiments »
[5] effective dose received can exceed 1 mSv in any consecutive 12-month period, without exceeding 6 mSv.
[6] Source EDMS 335729 v.2 « Radiation Protection »
[7] As Low As Reasonably Achievable (below the appropriate dose limits, economic and social factors being taken into account)


by Niels Dupont