Safety in IT

Everybody is responsible for safety. 

CERN has a formal safety policy and the Staff Rules and Regulations require you to be familiar with, and to comply with it.

Your Safety Contacts

Role   Deputy
SL or GL Your Supervisor  
TSO (31 600) Juan Manuel GUIJARRO Aurelie PASCAL
TSO (49 513 613 773) Alexandre PUTZU Anthony GROSSIR
TSO (597)    
RSO Claudia Ahdida  
DSO Arash Khodabandeh Wayne Salter

Accidents (including personal injury)

If an accident or near-miss occurs on the CERN site, the person concerned or any person witnessing the accident must immediately inform the CERN Fire Brigade.

The person directly concerned must inform his/her direct supervisor or his/her designated representative. If the person directly concerned is unable to do this, it is the duty of any person witnessing the accident to ensure that the information is conveyed to the appropriate person.

The person concerned must record the accident by completing the EDH Rapport interne d'accident / Internal accident report form to ensure that all the relevant services are informed, in accordance with Safety Code A2.

In addition, if the person is injured and if the accident is deemed to be occupational in accordance with Paragraph 26 of Administrative Circular No. 14, s/he shall submit an occupational accident declaration within 10 working days of the accident, or within three months of the accident if the person concerned or his or her beneficiaries are materially prevented from meeting the 10-day deadline.

The member of the personnel must complete the EDH form Déclaration d'accident professionnel / Declaration of occupational accident, accompanied by a medical certificate giving details of the injuries sustained (see the model).

Please check additional information and guidelines in the admin eguide.

IT-specific risks

For most people in IT, the greatest danger is from the usual occupational hazards---slipping, falling and the risk of fire. So, make sure you know the evacuation procedures and behave sensibly - don't climb up on a wobbly chair to reach the top of your bookcase! (Simple falls are the most common form of accidents at CERN.)

The machine room in areas in B513 and B613 have special risks:

  • the false floor - removing false floor tiles creates a hazard for others and care is needed when working under the false floor.
  • lifting heavy objects - recommendations are given in the 'Related Document' section.
  • special equipment - such as the STK silos or the motorised "clerk" used for lifting palettes - operating instructions for the server lifting equipment are contained in the 'Related Document' section.
  • electrical risks - not all sockets are protected with differential circuit breakers. 
  • noise - a document describing noise awareness measures for the CERN Data Centre is given in the 'Related Document' section
  • last, but not least, a fire here puts the CERN programme at risk.

People with access to the machine room must be aware of the rules that apply here.

Office environment

Safety at CERN also covers issues of ergonomics - your office environment should be comfortable and not damaging to your health.

So, make sure your chair is safe and that your desk is set up correctly for using a keyboard and monitor - see Adjusting Your Workstation.