Contact the DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO of your department/experiment. If necessary, the DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO can call in the specialists from the HSE department.

Simple risk assessments can be recorded in CERES. For advice, contact the HSE unit (safety-chemistry@cern.ch).

An assessment of the risks of the processes used must be carried out to determine the protection required. The risk assessment must be carried out with the activity manager and the DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO of the department/experiment.
The protection required depends on the working method and may include collective protective equipment (CPE), such as extraction at source, or personal protective equipment (PPE).

Welding activities require a risk assessment to be performed. To manage the fumes produced, an extraction and filtration system can be installed. The scale of this system will depend on the results of the assessment. For assistance, contact the DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO of your department/experiment. You can also consult Safety Guideline SG C-1-0-3, “Practical guide for users of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems”

Consult Safety Guideline SG C-1-0-3, “Practical guide for users of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems” on the HSE website.

The appropriate type and scale of the system is determined on the basis of a prior risk assessment.

The requirements concerning asbestos risk management at CERN are set out in Safety Instruction 43, “Asbestos – dangers and precautions”. For any questions relating to your building or your activity, contact the DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO of your department/experiment. If necessary, they will contact the HSE department.

The manager of the area or, where appropriate, the designated manager of the activity must organise a weekly test of the eyewash device or safety shower to make sure that it is working properly and to check the points described in Safety Form SF C-1-0-3 “Test of safety showers / eye washes”. An annual service of the equipment is required.

For CERN personnel: Where respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is needed to limit exposure to chemicals, personnel must follow the safety training related to the wearing of RPE and carry out a fit test for each type of RPE to be worn.

Safety form SF C 1-0-4 must be completed and signed by the user and the user’s supervisor (or the team leader in the case of associated members of the personnel (MPA)). For contractors: Please refer to the Risk Prevention Plan.

The Flammable Gas Safety Officer (FGSO) of the department or large experiment or, where appropriate, the DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO can carry out an explosion risk assessment. If necessary, the FGSO/DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO can call in the specialists from the HSE unit.

An EX sign is displayed at the entrances to all areas where an explosive atmosphere (ATEX) could occur. In addition to the EX signage, a visual demarcation may be put in place around the ATEX zone.

The organic unit that uses and is responsible for the area must classify it as a hazardous area or an explosive atmosphere (ATEX) zone. This classification will depend on the volume of the flammable gas or vapour mixture and the harmful consequences of a possible ignition or explosion.

Exceptions to this rule may apply to tasks involving the use of only very small quantities of combustible materials, such as in laboratories. Further information can be found in the following Safety Guidelines:

• SG C-2-0-1 “Explosion protection measures”
• SG C-2-0-2 “Identification and prevention of explosion hazards”
• SG C-2-0-3 “Practical guide for classification of hazardous areas”

Consult the table in annex I of Safety Guideline SG C-2-0-3 to determine how ventilation affects classification.

To decide on the necessary degree and availability of ventilation, study the descriptions in annex I carefully. If necessary, contact the FGSO/DSO/LEXGLIMOS/EXSO of the area or of the large/medium/small experiment concerned.

The FGSO or any other person with the necessary skills and training will carry out the explosion risk assessment in collaboration with the HSE unit. As soon as a flammable substance is used for the first time in an activity, it must be documented in the safety file. The assessment will then be available in CERES.

The LEXGLIMOS, the EXSO, the group leader or the latter’s representative is responsible for completing and distributing Safety Form SF C-2-0-3 to declare or cancel a flammable gas risk.

The organic unit using a hazardous chemical agent must ensure that exposure to it is monitored by an accredited or competent body, depending on the chemical agent concerned. The results of the monitoring are recorded in the safety file and, in the case of members of the personnel, sent to the CERN Medical Service. The monitoring for which contractors are responsible is managed by the CERN contract managers.

For any queries, please contact: safety-chemistry@cern.ch

Whenever exposure measurements are taken, the person responsible for the activity in the organic unit concerned must use this form (EDMS 1240466) to record the details and the results of the exposure monitoring.

The following dangerous goods are covered by the Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR):

• Explosive substances and items (Class 1)
• Gases (Class 2)
• Flammable liquids (Class 3)
• Flammable solids, self-reactive substances, solid desensitised explosives and polymerising substances (Class 4.1)
• Substances liable to spontaneous combustion (Class 4.2) – Substances which emit flammable gases in contact with water (Class 4.3)
• Oxidising substances (Class 5.1)
• Organic peroxides (Class 5.2)
• Toxic substances (Class 6.1)
• Infectious substances (Class 6.2)
• Radioactive material (Class 7)
• Corrosive substances (Class 8)
• Miscellaneous dangerous substances and items (Class 9)

If you wish to order or ship chemical products or hazardous waste, you must follow the online training course “Transport of Chemical Products and Chemical Waste” in the LMS system, which explains all the necessary steps to be taken.

For any questions you may have after following the training, please contact the HSE unit: safety-chemistry@cern.ch

Before taking the product or waste to Building 262, the sender or requester must complete the online training course “Transport of chemicals in limited quantities (LQ)” in LMS. A very small quantity corresponds to the concept of a limited quantity in the ADR.

After completing the training, the sender or requester must check whether the ADR regulations allow limited quantities of the chemical products or hazardous waste concerned to be transported to Building 262.

Consult section 14 of the Safety Data Sheet provided by the manufactuer or the supplier to check whether the chemical product is regulated by the ADR.

The limited quantity of a product can be found in column 7a of table A, “Dangerous Goods List”, of volume 1 of the ADR: https://unece.org/adr-2025-files

New or fresh oil is not regulated by the ADR. However, used oil is regulated, its transport must comply with the provisions of the ADR and it must be treated as an environmentally hazardous substance.

The term “used oil” refers to any oil from industrial and non-industrial sources that has been used for lubrication or other purposes and has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of contaminants or impurities or to the loss of its original properties. Used oils include, but are not limited to, used oils for engines, gears, lubrication, hydraulic or metallurgical purposes, insulation and heat transmission.

For solids: the UN number is “UN 3077, environmentally hazardous substance, solid, N.O.S.”, followed by the technical names in brackets.
For liquids: the UN number is “UN 3082, environmentally hazardous substance, liquid, N.O.S.”, followed by the technical names in brackets.

UN-approved packaging can be found in the CERN Stores with the SCEM No. 55.50.75.D – APPROVED PACKAGING FOR TRANSPORT OF CHEMICALS

Approved labels and markings for such packages are available from the CERN Stores with the SCEM No. 50.55.21 – DANGEROUS GOODS LABEL, TRUCK TRANSPORT 50.55.21.A – DANGEROUS GOODS LABEL, AIR TRANSPORT

The UN number can be printed on paper and stuck to the packaging, but certain conditions apply to labels and markings. It is therefore recommended that you use the labels from the CERN Stores. A “blank diamond” packaging label is also available. It can be used to write the UN number on for simplicity, in order to comply with the standard.

Yes, empty packaging is treated in the same way as filled packaging. With the exception of Class 7 goods, packaging that has previously contained dangerous goods must be identified, marked, labelled and stored in the same way as required for the dangerous goods concerned, unless measures such as cleaning, purging of vapours or filling with a non-dangerous substance are taken by the sender to eliminate any hazard.

Where two or more dangerous goods are packed in the same outer packaging, the packaging must be labelled and marked as appropriate for each substance. It is not necessary to affix subsidiary risk labels if the hazard is already represented by a primary risk label.

This depends on the hazards posed by the various components. A generic UN number will be assigned to the combination of products, according to the nature of the individual components. Please contact: safety-chemistry@cern.ch to request the generic UN number for the combination.

In the case of unidentified chemicals, contact the chemical laboratory in Building 10 to arrange for a sample to be taken and analysed. The sample must then be shipped with the appropriate UN number and labels, depending on the results of the analysis. For any queries, please contact: safety-chemistry@cern.ch

Before shipment, the sender must have the original packaging checked and inspected by a competent person to ensure that it is intact and can be used for the transport of dangerous goods. If this is the case, it is recommended that the chemical product be transported in the original packaging.

A shipping request must be made in EDH, under the “Logistics” heading. For internal transport within CERN, use the “Storage and/or Internal Transport” form; if the products are being sent outside CERN, use the “Shipping Request (Expedition)” form. Select “chemical material” or “chemical material limited quantity” from the drop-down menu.

The shelf life varies from one type of packaging to another and is indicated on the packaging itself. However, the shelf life of plastic drums, jerrycans and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) is five years from the date of manufacture.

Yes, PPE contaminated with chemicals is considered to be special (chemical) waste. The rules of the ADR apply to its packaging, labelling, marking and transport.