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Safety Day 2026

Harnessing energy, managing risk

21 Sep 2026

ITER is not only one of the most complex science and engineering projects on the planet; it is also an active construction site with an array of risks. The annual Safety Day promotes best practices to help preserve ITER’s robust safety record.

Safety Day organizer Jeremy Guigon-Boyd discusses the protective equipment provided to ITER staff, contractors, and visitors with supplier Sabrina Lebourg at the Safety Shop booth.

Building on last year’s introduction of the 9 Life-Saving Rules program, the 2026 edition of Safety Day emphasized effective safety measures while exploring the different forms of energy that can create workplace hazards. 

“Our work involves many forms of energy: electrical, mechanical, thermal, nuclear, gravitational, and human,” said ITER Deputy Director-General Yutaka Kamada at the opening of the event. “When controlled, energy enables progress. When uncontrolled, it can cause serious harm. Understanding these hazards and managing them effectively is essential to working safely.”

Held for the sixth consecutive year, Safety Day welcomed more than 1,500 staff members and contractors from across the ITER project on Thursday 17 September. The event featured 36 booths supported by more than 150 volunteers, covering topics ranging from how drugs can impair coordination to the energy risks associated with non-destructive testing.

ITER contractor NOVA demonstrates how potentially hazardous forms of energy, including the ionizing radiation used in industrial radiography, are carefully controlled during non-destructive testing.

“We were delighted with the turnout and the wide variety of people who took part,” said safety culture officer Jeremy Guigon-Boyd, who organized the event. “By offering these engaging Safety Day experiences, we are better able to share the fundamentals of assessing and mitigating risk.”

Over the past five years, the number of accidents at ITER has fallen by more than a factor of three and the number of working days lost due to accidents has decreased by almost a factor of seven. According to Gilles Perrier, ITER’s Head of Safety and Quality, there were also more than 600 positive safety observations reported over the past year, an indication that awareness programs such as Safety Day are having an impact.

“The measure of safety is not simply the absence of accidents,” he said. “Safety is the presence of care, learning, vigilance, leadership, and strong barriers. Let us continue building not only the most ambitious scientific project in the world, but also one of the safest industrial projects in the world.”

See a few more scenes from the day in the gallery below.

Safety Day 2026 mobilized more than 150 volunteers from across the ITER ecosystem. Here, the volunteers present at the end of the day celebrate another successful edition.
Gordon Farquhar (left) shows ITER’s Liu Lijun (right) how winches can multiply the human energy applied to lift heavy objects.
By donning glasses that simulate the effects of marijuana and playing a coordination game, Harshad Kulkarni (left) and Kumal Mozarkar (right) discover how drugs can dull reflexes and increase risk.
Preserving components is also a safety issue at ITER because degraded equipment can become a source of risk. Here, ITER’s Marta Saavedra explains the preservation process.
Visitors to Safety Day tackle a crossword created by ITER’s Human Resources Department to highlight the connection between well-being and safety.
More than 1,500 people attended the 2026 edition of ITER Safety Day. Those who successfully completed a series of safety challenges received a prize.
A virtual reality simulation provided by ITER contractor Assystem offers immersive insights into radiation protection.
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