"We are all accountable"
In 2023, 1,000 workdays were lost to accidents and injuries on the ITER site. This is considerably less than the average in European countries but approximately twice more than, for instance, on the EPR nuclear plant construction site in northern France. Also preoccupying are what safety experts call "high potential events"—events in which a small change in circumstances could have resulted in significant harm to personnel and even fatalities. Thirty such "high potential events" occurred last year on the ITER construction site. Figures, however, are heading in the right direction: over the past four years, accidents and "near misses" have been divided by two.
The observance of rules, improved trainings, the analysis of events, lessons learned from events and engagement with contractors account for a large part of this positive trend. But there is more to it. "Safety is not just a policy—it is a responsibility that belongs to all of us and makes us all accountable," said ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi in a video address to staff on the eve of the 2024 ITER Safety Day last Thursday, 19 September. "Safety is not just a priority, it is a core value that must guide our everyday actions," adds ITER Head of the Safety & Quality Department Gilles Perrier.
Four years ago, his Department organized the first edition of what was to become a regular September event—the ITER Safety Day. Through hands-on workshops, exchanges with experts, demonstrations and games, the operation aims to ensure that everyone who works at ITER, whether in the offices or on the construction site, is focused on safety as "core value" and is well informed about ITER's safety procedures. Over the years, as the project entered machine assembly and the start of plant commissioning, the annual safety days grew in attendance and focused on new, emerging risks. The 2021 edition fitted booths, animations and participants inside a contractor parking lot structure; last week's edition required a much larger space which only the partly unoccupied, former poloidal field coils winding facility could provide.
"We are making progress," acknowledge both the ITER Director-General and the Head of Safety & Quality. Beyond statistics and figures (270 lost days due to accidents this year so far), participation in the 2024 ITER Safety Day illustrated the assimilation by staff and contractors of safety awareness: from 800 in 2022, the 2024 edition attracted 1,800 participants.
The event was the occasion to promote five commitments (see gallery) that will guide and inspire ITER actions in the coming years.
