All textile and chain slings must be approved by the HSE unit and bear a validity tag. All other equipment, such as shackles, links and rings, must be CE marked. All equipment must be checked by a competent user before and after use.

CERN has a variety of cranes, some of which are used solely by the transport service, while others, such as small overhead cranes and mounted hoists, are available to other users. Before using any such equipment, users must:

• have completed appropriate training for the lifting equipment;
• have obtained the appropriate authorisation (EDH authorisation request: https://edh.cern.ch/Document/General/Arlett).

In addition, users must not exceed the limits of the use for which they are trained. Training courses available at CERN for members of the personnel:

• Overhead Crane – Operator and Slinger (or: refresher course)
• Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) – Driving (or: refresher course)
• Forklift Truck – Driving (or: refresher course).

NB: MPEs with industry-recognised training can apply for an equivalence waiver. Contractors’ personnel must comply with the applicable training and medical certification laws of the Host State concerned. They must also obtain the relevant EDH authorisation before using the equipment.

CERN’s transport team has a number of spreader beams that are likely to be suitable for the operation. If the team cannot provide a solution, the primary goal is to find a CE-certified product on the market. If a bespoke solution is required and cannot be purchased on the market, CERN-designed equipment must be checked and inspected by the HSE unit and an on-site acceptance test undertaken.

Equipment designed by CERN must meet or exceed, as far as possible, the requirements of the harmonised EN standards applicable to that equipment.

Anchorage points must be designed in accordance with the applicable requirements. The owner of the anchorage point must arrange an acceptance test, during which a load test will be performed by the HSE unit to confirm the installation’s integrity. Anchor bolts must be suitable for the type of anchoring (expansion/chemical). Rails – EN 1993-6; EN 1993-6; EN 1993-3-1-1; EN 1993-3-1-1.

It is compulsory to wear an anti-fall safety harness:

• for 3B mobile elevating work platforms;
• for mobile elevating work platforms where the instructions for use mention this requirement and an anchorage point is provided on the platform.

The training courses for operating mobile elevating work platforms are listed in chapter 3 of Specific Safety Instruction SSI-M-1-5, “MEWP, suspended platforms, mast-climbing platforms and rail-dependent storage and retrieval equipment”.

To use a mobile elevating work platform belonging to CERN, a contractor must apply for authorisation for the driver concerned, using the specific EDH form. Before submitting the application, the contractor must ensure that the driver complies with all the requirements of the applicable legislation (driving skills, medical fitness, etc.).

The user should be made aware as soon as possible of the requirements of Specific Safety Instruction SSI-M-1-6, “Lifting tables, vehicle lifts and tail lifts”. The HSE unit should be contacted to arrange an inspection of the equipment on its arrival at CERN to check that it meets the essential health and safety requirements before it is used at CERN.

If the pressure equipment (pressure vessel or pressure conduit) is tested in the bunker or in the HSE unit’s workshop, the HSE unit will carry out the pressure test. This test will be carried out provided that the person requesting it prepares all the appropriate connections needed for the HSE inspector to connect the equipment to the pressure source.

If the pressure equipment is tested in situ, the equipment owner prepares and connects the test device and carries out the pressure test; the HSE unit is simply present for the test. Safety valves are always tested by HSE inspectors in the HSE unit workshop.

The scope of the non-destructive testing to be carried out during the manufacture of a pressure vessel is described in table 6.6.1-1 of standard EN-13445-5.

To request an acceptance inspection of a pressure vessel (transportable or simple) by the HSE unit, follow the instructions set out in EDMS 3193890.

To request an acceptance inspection by the HSE unit of a pressure vessel governed by Specific Safety Instruction SSI-M-2-1, a simple pressure vessel governed by Specific Safety Instruction SSI-M-2-2 or a transportable pressure vessel governed by Specific Safety Instruction SSI-M-2-6, follow the instructions set out in EDMS 3193890.

In accordance with Specific Safety Instruction SSI-M-2-2, simple pressure vessels are subject to inspection starting from 0.5 bar.

No, non-return valves are pressure accessories, not safety accessories, because their role in the system is an operational role rather than a safety role. Safety accessories are classified as category IV pressure equipment, while non-return valves may be classified as category III pressure equipment (they are classified as pipe pressure accessories, according to fluid group, operating pressure and nominal diameter).

Only gas pressure regulators that are connected to safety devices are safety accessories. They are considered to be safety accessories if:

• they are incorporated into the main body of the self-operated pressure regulator of a gas safety shut-off device or of a second pressure regulator (called a monitor);
• a second independent pressure regulator (called a monitor) is connected in series with the active pressure regulator;
• a gas safety shut-off device is connected in series with the active pressure regulator.

Otherwise, the gas pressure regulator is a pressure accessory and not a safety accessory.

In the light of past experience with non-compliant gas pressure regulators, it is strongly recommended that all new regulators, whether purchased through the CERN Stores or not, be checked at the HSE unit workshop in 130/R-009.

It is also strongly recommended that any gas regulator that has not yet been checked (i.e. a regulator without an inspection seal), any inherited gas regulator whose working order is unknown and any gas regulator that has suffered an impact should be checked at the HSE workshop in 130/R-009.

Placing isolation valves between a safety accessory (usually a safety valve or a rupture disc) and the pressure equipment it protects is bad practice. However, the presence of an isolation valve between the safety accessory and the equipment it protects may be tolerated if the isolation valve is locked in the open position. In such a case, lockable valves must be installed.

To request an acceptance inspection of a safety valve by the HSE unit, follow the instructions set out in EDMS 3226168.

The scope of the non-destructive testing to be carried out during the manufacture of pressure pipes is described in table 8.2-1 of standard EN-13480-5.

To request an acceptance inspection of a pressurised line by the HSE unit, follow the instructions set out in EDMS 3195225.

To request an acceptance inspection of a transportable pressure device by the HSE unit, follow the instructions set out in EDMS 3193890.

All cryogenic vessels, including equipment that is not subject to periodic inspection requirements, must be registered by their owners in EAM.

To request an acceptance inspection of a pressure vessel (transportable or simple) by the HSE unit, follow the instructions set out in EDMS 3193890.

The rules applicable to inspections of pressure vessels in refrigeration systems are set out in the Cahier Technique Professionnel (CTP) of 23/07/2020 – Union Syndicale Nationale des Exploitations Frigorifique (USNEF).