No activity is so urgent or important that we will compromise our standards for environmental protection, safety, or health. ELI Beamlines management declares that EHS is its highest priority and will never replace this priority with any other operational or administrative activity. ELI Beamlines management makes a commitment to keep EHS always on track and to maintain high EHS level.
Environment, Safety, and Health, as well as respect for the surrounding environment are critical any activity being undertaken by ELI Beamlines. The range of hazards that are routinely encountered and controlled by staff at ELI Beamlines extends from fire to biological safety and through to chemical, electrical, and radiation hazards, to name a few.
The EHS Group
- is responsible for planning ahead and taking measures to minimize these hazards
- ensures that simple and effective safety systems are in place to maintain safety and constantly aims at the improvement of the systems
- applies sound practices for pollution prevention and waste minimization
- certifies the compliance with European Union and Czech laws, regulations, and standards.
Safety
The ELI Beamlines facility will operate a complex technological infrastructure that can pose high risks to personnel because of the presence of combined high hazards. There are several high hazards that must be managed. We assess all technical design and operational documentation to address the safety requirements and controls that must be applied to comply with all legislations and to operate the facility in a safe mode.
We take care of:
- carrying out risk assessments of processes and works
- training employees
- performing regular audits and checks
- planning safety-related activities.
It is crucial to develop and install an effective personal safety system to ensure safe operation in the experimental and laser areas. This requires a complex system that ensures that nobody is hurt during the preparation of experiments and operations. Because the ELI Beamlines facility will be operated as a user facility, we focus on developing an effective user safety program. This is being done in cooperation with other teams and also other ELI Beamlines facilities. ELI Beamlines has a comprehensive and effective safety management system for its facility, involving cooperation between the management, experimental, and technical teams.
Environmental Protection
The environment is one of the most important parts of our lives therefore, we pay special attention to its protection. We perform assessments of environmental impacts and cooperate with local and national authorities and communities to establish a high standard of environmental protection.
The main topics of the environment protection are the following:
- waste management
- water conservation
- air pollution prevention
- soil protection
- chemicals handling
- transport of hazardous goods
We prepare various types of documentation and implement technical and administrative measures to comply with all European and national legislative requirements and to manage environmental aspects.
Security
Security is very important for our unique facility therefore, we put extra effort into developing and maintaining high-level security standards with respect to the nature of the facility’s operations. We keep in mind the protection of property and state of the art technology.
Radiation Protection
The goal of radiation protection is to enable the maximum usage and scientific benefits of the beams, while keeping the effects of ionizing radiation that are detrimental to people and devices As Low As Reasonably Achievable. Our scope for achieving this is very diverse, ranging from the design of efficient shielding to a reliable monitoring system and, last but not least, to effective procedures. Therefore, the radiation protection group has participated in the design of the ELI Beamlines building. We analyzed the shielding capabilities of the civil structure and the influence that the numerous penetrations, necessary for technology distributions, have on the overall radiation levels. Our main interest at this moment is to design and implement a suitable and reliable monitoring system that will cover both personnel and the workplace. Exploring the responses of available detection systems in pulsed fields is one of our primary concerns. A detailed system of training, standards, and emergency procedures must be thoroughly implemented to ensure the smooth operation of the facility. All documentation will be based on careful customization of primary radioprotection principles and will conform to legal requirements and international recommendations.
Monte Carlo group
In addition to operational radiation protection, a group of radiation physicists has been established to optimize the design of the experimental setup and minimize any danger that could be caused by ionizing radiation. In particular, this group uses Monte Carlo computer simulations to identify any possible improvements that could lead to lower radiation levels.
Veronika Olšovcová, Radiation Protection, veronika.olsovcova@eli-beams.eu
Tomáš Franek, Security, tomas.franek@eli-beams.eu
