Speaker
Description
Health & Safety Group, ALBA Synchrotron facility, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
ALBA is the Spanish synchrotron facility formed with a 3GeV electron synchrotron accelerator generating bright beams of synchrotron radiation, located in Cerdanyola del Vallès (near Barcelona city).
The electrons are accelerated in a 100 MeV linear accelerator (LINAC). Then, the electron beam enters in a synchrotron accelerator named Booster that increases the energy up to 3GeV. Finally, the electron beam is stored in a synchrotron Storage Ring with a current up to 400 mA emitting synchrotron radiation (mainly in the X-ray range), tangentially to the e- trajectory. Around the Tunnel and outside the concrete shielding and tangentially to the Storage Ring, there are the experimental research laboratories; named beamlines (nowadays there are 8 installed and 4 under construction). At each beamline the scientists use the synchrotron light generated by the accelerator for a wide variety of experiments.
The aim of this work is to explain how some accidents and near misses pushed H&S Office to conduct a critical review of the works at height methods at ALBA.
In less than two years, we suffered two important accidents and one near miss at ALBA involving works at height, which triggered different actions. In this work we will explain the new equipment purchased, the design of new working methods and training and the new procedures to be applied in case of working at height at ALBA.
