Safety

We work with high voltage, evacuated vessels and, from the first beam onward, X-rays. We control these hazards first by design and then by procedure.

Principles

• Fail-safe design. Equipment is designed so that any single failure brings it to a safe state. We aim for a residual risk comparable to that of a standard teaching laboratory.
• Authority. The Tutor holds final authority on safety. Equipment involving high voltage, vacuum or the beam is operated only with the Tutor’s authorisation.
• Qualification. Members operate equipment only in the areas in which they are Qualified. Candidates do not work on laboratory equipment.
• Two people. Work on energised or evacuated equipment requires at least two people present, one of them Qualified in the area.
• Interlocks. Interlocks and emergency stops are designed, reviewed and tested like any other subsystem.
• Licences. Any licence or authorisation the law requires is held by university staff, never by a student.
• Records. Every operation of laboratory equipment is entered in the laboratory logbook.

Radiation

Electrons stopping in matter produce X-rays. Shielding is part of every machine’s design. The university’s radiation protection service measures the dose rate of each ALOHA machine before its first beam, and again before any handover.

Procedures

The safety rules in force, the list of authorised operators and the procedure for each system are kept in the team’s internal documentation.