Safety

Several safety activities have occurred in the past six months. To conform the Spanish regulations all staff and students were asked to signed their respective 'MAC Risk Assessment' documents acknowledging agreement with its contents.

Some electrical safety checks have been done at the telescope to verify that all the safety device function correctly and conform to current CE safety standards. It was recommended that a couple of earth leakage breakers, though functional, and some of the illuminated safety signs should be replaced. In addition the machines in the mechanical workshop that do not have the CE certification were inspected by an licensed company, and safety recommendation made (e.g. add emergency stops, include safety guards, obtain representative user manuals).

In the ORM safety committee which was (re-)created by the ORM operation sub-committee of the CCI, rules for using the access roads to the ORM when officially closed as a preventive measure where agreed, and for the NOT an agreement has been obtain with our vehicle insurance company for cover when using the road within these rules.

Efforts to organize a basic First Aid course in English for the students and staff that are not sufficiently fluent in Spanish have been rather frustrating with very slow response and reactions which were first positive and then negative. It the moment we have some specific offers which look more promising but this still needs to be finalized.