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Safety Day

From phone straps to neuroscience

18 Sep 2023

The setting, the action, the small groups strolling from stand to stand ... it all felt like a village fair. Visitors could play ping-pong, maneuver toy forklifts, test their skills at various "games," have a taste of augmented reality and even take a ride 40 metres in the air in a bucket attached to a telescopic crane. But beyond the fun and occasional excitement, these activities and experiences had a very serious purpose: making staff and contractors aware of the importance of safety in each and every action, whether trivial and routine or exceptional and sophisticated.

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Now in its third edition (and the first fully post-COVID), the ITER Safety Day has become an important annual get together. More than a mere "event," it is "a call to action and a renewed commitment."
"Our pursuit of technical excellence is not only about achieving outstanding results; it's also about ensuring the safety of every task we perform," stressed Sergio Orlandi, the head of the ITER Construction Project, in his welcome address. "Remember, safety is not an option," he added. It is "a way of life" with a simple but essential objective: ensuring that everyone returns home safely at the end of each day. Following established rules is of course essential. But even more fundamental, said Yutaka Kamada, ITER Deputy Director-General for Science and Technology, is "to understand the reason why a rule is important and how it can save your life, your staff's life and their families' happiness."

The return of experience from the 2021 and 2022 editions greatly contributed to the themes and approaches of this year's ITER Safety Day on Thursday 14 September. "We realized that some safety aspects—such as psychosocial risks, managerial practices and the necessity to integrate safety constraints when designing a component or system—needed to be included, illustrated and explained," says Gilles Perrier, ITER Head of the Safety and Quality Department.

Now in its third edition (and the first fully post-COVID) the ITER Safety Day has become an important annual get together, where one can have direct interaction with top management. The event is breaking professional and hierarchical barriers because, precisely, we are all leaders when it comes to safety. Or, in Orlandi's words: "Safety is a collective effort. It knows no boundaries or job titles."

From the choice of a proper smartphone strap to the tricks the brain can play on the perception of reality, the ITER Safety Day explored a vast amount of territory, much larger than what one usually perceives as "safety." More than just an "event," Perrier insisted that it was "a call to action and a renewed commitment, knowing that our collective efforts will keep us safe and enable our organization to thrive."

How to play ping-pong using one's "non-dominant" hand? This was one of the many exercices offered to visitors during ITER's Safety Day.
Every fair has a Ferris wheel. The ITER Safety Day had a large telescopic crane that took visitors for rides 40 metres up in the air.
Learning the basics of CPR can prove critical in an emergency situation while waiting for the onsite medical teams.
At ITER Safety Day, one could play with toy construction machinery (here, a pair of forklifts) and get an idea of the difficulties and risks that go with maneuvering them in real size.
A worksite is full of obstacles. How to navigate them properly and safely?
The brain plays tricks on our perception of shape and movement. Better to be aware of it ...
Personal Protection Equipment is "the last barrier of defense against potential hazards."
The ITER Safety Day felt a bit like a village fair, with people strolling from stand to stand, playing games, trying their skills at different exercises and being treated to "augmented reality" experiences...
Nothing is more familiar than electrical systems and appliances. And just for this reason, nothing can be more dangerous...
Safety should be a preoccupation right from the design phase of a component or system. 3D augmented reality helps to understand why.
Safety is about more than just observing rules. "We must foster a culture of safety in which everyone feels empowered to contribute to safety discussions, suggest improvements, and hold each other accountable. Safety should be an integral part of our work culture," says ITER Head of the Safety and Quality Gilles Perrier.
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