The Safety Day event opened with a speech by Director-General Bernard Bigot. ''It is never an option to compromise safety,'' he told the hundreds of people assembled. ''It is always and shall always be the prerequisite for all of our activities on the ITER site.''
Safety is a central priority in all ITER activities. As part of a push to require every person across the organization to be actively committed to safety standards, a Safety Day was organized by ITER's Security, Health & Safety Division on 16 September. Through hands-on workshops, dialogue, and demonstrations, the organizers aimed to ensure that everyone who works at ITER, from staff to collaborators, is focused on putting safety first and is well informed about ITER's safety procedures.
ITER partners came together to create a series of booths dedicated to different aspects of safety. Social distancing and masks were mandatory, and the booths were set up inside the parking structure to maintain an outdoor space while protecting attendees from the rain.
Many of the booths provided visuals and interactive elements to educate on safety issues—quizzing participants on how to safely perform a lift, for example, or using electrical boards to teach about the risks of electricity (shocks and/or electrical fires). And one corner of the exhibition space was dedicated to an escape room game which simulated the safety procedures for leaving the ITER worksite.
