LS3 Safety Spotlight: coordinating activities at CERN: declaring interventions – a key step
As mentioned in our June and July articles, CERN has put in place a structure to meet the need to manage and oversee concurrent activities during Long Shutdown 3 (LS3). One of the key measures is systematically declaring interventions. Why declare your activities? This is a key step in obtaining formal authorisation to carry out […]
At CERN, a structure has been established to manage and oversee concurrent activities during Long Shutdown 3 (LS3). One crucial step in this process is systematically declaring interventions. This declaration is essential for obtaining formal authorization to carry out the activity at the chosen time and place. To declare an activity, one must first ensure its safety compatibility in terms of working method, location, and schedule.
The IMPACT tool, a flagship CERN tool for over a decade, is increasingly being used for both above-ground and underground activities, with several thousand requests per year.
A new interface for IMPACT was introduced in May 2026, offering features such as routing, access, centralization, and traceability. Routing automatically sends the request to stakeholders concerned for approval or information based on the location and time period. Once approved, the request is added to the authorizations, granting access to specific areas via ADaMS.
Centralization stores other related authorization requests together, such as fire permits, IS37 authorizations to disable level 3 fire alarms, and lockouts. Traceability requires safety documents like working procedures, VIC reports, DIMRs, and WDPs to be entered in the tool to maintain a complete record of the activity.
For Category 1 operations, the use of IMPACT is at the discretion of the Project Leader. To ensure a smooth process, it is recommended to plan ahead by submitting requests two weeks in advance. Be specific in describing activities and fill in all fields in an understandable manner. Optimizing the duration of additional permits is also advised.
Finally, only proceed with the intervention after all requests have been approved. If assistance with IMPACT is needed, the IMPACT e-learning course and pop-up writing tips integrated in the tool can be utilized. Additionally, the nine CERN Safety Fundamentals should be checked to ensure safety first and always.
Written by urgent.news from CERN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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