Altitude sickness

Safety and Health Rules at the MAGIC Site
Version 4.2: Oscar Blanch Bigas, May 16th 2013Previous versions: Juan Cortina EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:
EXTERNAL HELP: 112
RECEPTION: 2500, 9
This document describes the safety and health procedures and rules at the MAGIC telescopes
site. You must read it, make sure that you understand it completely, sign a printed copy
o
f the check list found at the end of the document and give this copy to the safety
responsible (GLIMOS) before you start any activity at the MAGIC site. Rules are typewritten
bold and underlined. Failure to comply with them will result in a Safety Penalty.
This document is inspired on the original document by Karl Kolle and on the safety regulations of the GRANTECAN.
INTRODUCTION
The Deputy Spokesman has the n al responsibility for safety and health at the MAGIC site. He appoints an Operations and Safety Coordinator (OSC) to set up procedures which guarantee the safety and health of the operators and technical experts at the MAGIC site in La Palma. The OSC appoints a deputy OSC to replace him when he is absent or to delegate some functions on him. The Deputy Spokesman appoints a Committee for Safety and Health. This committee assists the OSC on safety procedures and discusses all reported incidents. Any member of the MAGIC is advised to send an email to this Committee’s mailing list ( if she/he has any question regarding safety or health at the MAGIC site, or wants to report any safety concern.
The GLIMOS ( = Group Leader In Matters Of Safety) represents the Deputy Spokesman in matters of safety. The GLIMOS is the most important person for the safety of his experiment and has complete authority over personnel and equipment in all matters that concern safety of the experiment, independently of to what home institute the personnel or equipment belongs. WORKING AT THE SITE: GLIMOS
• Have a deep knowledge of all technical elements of the telescopes. • Know the Technical Operation Manual (TOM). • Be committed to enforce the Safety Regulations and be ready to act as Chief of The default GLIMOS (generally during daytime on weekdays) is the Support Astronomer. In his absence, the GLIMOS is the Shift Leader or the Deputy Shift Leader. The following list states an order of priority to become GLIMOS: • Shift Leader (SL) (if two are on site: the one who has stayed longer in La Palma for the • Operations and Safety Coordinator (OSC).
• Technical Coordinator (TC).
• Deputy Operations Coordinator.
• Deputy Technical Coordinator.
If none of the above is at the MAGIC site and somebody intends to work there, she/he must contact them in this order and request for a GLIMOS to be appointed. You may not work at the MAGIC site without a GLIMOS.
Get in contact with the GLIMOS every day when you arrive at the MAGIC site and inform him on what you intend to do. This is especially important on your day of arrival.
All this means that you must plan in advance for a GLIMOS to be present at the site when you plan a technical access. Otherwise you may simply have to leave the site and come back another day. If you intend to work at day, make sure that the Support Astronomer will be around (he is not there in the weekends or holidays). If you intend to work at night, make sure that you the SL will be around (i.e. you will access the telescope during standard datataking hours).
Alternatively, ensure that somebody in your group is prepared to act as an official GLIMOS or that somebody who can act as a GLIMOS happens to be on site. JOB PROFILES
You must have a job profile when you access the MAGIC site: you may be either an Expert,
an Operator or a Visitor. Individuals who do not belong to the MAGIC collaboration and are
not technicians belonging to the any of the MAGIC groups may only access the site as
“visitors”.
• OPERATORS are responsible for the data-taking and should not do technical work. They
ust know the DATATAKING OPERATION MA
NUAL (DOM) which can be found at the
web page in La Palma. Operators m
ust never access the areas restricted to experts
without the supervision of an expert (see below). In the event of a technical failure in a
system which is in a restricted area, operators must contact the experts and stop data-
taking until the corresponding expert solves the problem. Operators are NOT required to
know the TOM (a collection of PDF documents for all the elements at the telescope which
can be found at the web page in La Palma ).
• EXPERTS are responsible for technical maintenance and upgrades. T
ust know the
relevant sections of the TOM. Experts can access all restricted areas. Experts should
also follow the Health and Safety rules while in the MAGIC site. If applicable, they
must update their corresponding section of the TOM before they leave the island and
inform the collaboration of the update. There are three groups of experts:
The SUBSYSTEM EXPERTS come to the island to maintain or upgrade telescope
subsystems during so-called ”technical accesses”. They must inform the technical
coordinator about their plans to go to the island, must report to him with any
technical news and must log their activities.
The SHIFT LEADER and the DEPUTY SHIFT LEADER are the link between the
subsystem experts and the operators. They must know both the DOM and the
TOM. They are NOT expected to x technical problems inside restricted areas, but
they can understand more easily what is wrong and contact the corresponding
subsystem experts. The SL may help experts with technical work even in restricted
areas, but only under the expert’s personal supervision on site. The DSL becomes SL
after minimum one full data-taking shift, always with the consent of the technical
coordinator. The deputy is introduced by the SL to the technical and data-taking
details of the telescope during the rst days of the shift. The SL is the GLIMOS in
absence of the Support Astronomer (generally at night), so they must make sure that
these Safety Regulations are enforced.
The main duty of the SUPPORT ASTRONOMER and POSTDOCS AT LP is to
guarantee smooth data-taking, and NOT to help experts coming for regular technical accesses or to maintain the technical systems unless they explicitly agree to. One of them must be always on call and ready to travel to the site immediately for technical problems which affect the integrity of the collaborators on site or the integrity of the telescope and need quick intervention (e.g. lids do not close, telescope does not move, power cut, medical emergencies, re, o od etc). One of them must always be ready to travel to the site for technical problems affecting data-taking in time scales • VISITORS are allowed at the site only in company of an expert or an operator. They do
not need to be acquainted with this document, but their accompanying persons are advised to instruct them on these safety procedures. The accompanying persons may receive a safety penalty if the visitor breaks any of the safety rules.
erybody should inform the OSC th
rough the mailing list [email protected]
about their arrival and departure details. In the case of Visitors, the responsible
accompanying person should inform.
RESTRICTED AREAS
Restricted areas whose access is restricted to supervision of Experts are:
1. The two circular areas limited by white lines around the frames of MAGIC-1 and MAGIC-2 2. The two areas limited by white lines around the access towers of MAGIC-1 and MAGIC-2.
3. Both garages.
4. Parking places of cherry picker and fork-lifter. Operators can only access the restricted areas if they are accompanied by an expert. Always carry a helmet (with a flashlight from dusk to dawn) if you are outside at any of
the restricted areas at night.
Report to the GLIMOS before starting any work at the camera access tower or telescope
structure. Describe your work to him and tell him when you intend to finish your work. Read the
corresponding sections of the TOM. You are not allowed to work alone in any of these two
places. When you are working in the telescope area you and a member of your group must
carry a communication device (e.g. Walkie—Talkie) with you to be able to contact with the
Control Room. If the GLIMOS is himself working at the tower or structure (e.g. at night), he
should inform everybody else at the site (e.g. the operators) about his plans and specifically on
his schedule, so that they check on him and his co-worker in case they do not show up on time.
You are not allowed to work in the telescope structure or the camera access tower in
case of:
• Wind speed > 50km/h, • When it is raining, or after raining, drizzle, dew and fog while the telescope structure is still The only exception on that is when securing the telescope with bolts if those conditions arrived while telescope was not secured.
Every time you enter the inner area of the telescope (e.g. for working in the
telescope structure, dram etc) please u
e installed stairs to
pass the azimuth rail as well
if you want to go up to the platform of the elevation drive.
Please pick up immediately for tools or material which has fallen down while you were
working in the telescope structure or the camera access tower!
Please tie your tools to the harness’ safety belt to prevent them from falling down and use
e.g. a backpack to transport material up in the telescope!
Y
ou are only allowed to use the drill/milling m
achine, lathe or the grinding m
achine (which
are located in the mechanical workshop) when you have passed the corresponding course
to
is type of machines . Every time you are using one of these machines you must:
— wear eye protection goggles located on the wall close to the drill or grinder.
— keep your jacket closed.
— take care that the sleeves of your clothing can not be caught by spinning tools (e.g. fix them
tight or roll them up).
— (if you wearing long hair) cover your hair completely under a cap.
When you have finished your work clean the machine(s)and put all tools you have used
back to their proper place, even if you have found them in a different place. Please do not hide
tools in buckets or backpacks. If tools get lost or broken, immediately send a note to the
GLIMOS.
D
o not use a
ny tool if you are in doubt how to use it. Ask the GLIMOS for help.
o not store fuel inside the garage ( re danger).
Do not work alone on electrical equipment or repair it which is powered by 400V/3phase
lines and 230/240V/1phase lines under power. That means with equipment connected to the
power and switched on.

O
nly persons with an official license can use the cherry picker and the fo
rk-lifter. For the
fork lifter one also needs the permission of MPI.
EQUIPMENT FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION
Certain activities at the MAGIC site demand the use of special equipment for your personal protection (Equipment for Personal Protection, “Equipo de Protección Individual” –EPI). The shifters safety equipment is located in a dedicated rack in the control room. The shelfs are labeled with the corresponding personnel. The shelfs are composed with the following items (from top to down): • 1st shelf: Manuals, logbooks, check lists for the shifters• 2nd shelf: (SL shelf) 1 helmet with head light, 1 standard helmet, 1 big flashlight, 1 small flashlight, 1 walkie-talkie, mobile phone inside box • 3rd shelf: (DSL shelf or second SL) 1 helmet with head light, 1 standard helmet, 1 big flash lamp, 1 small flashlight, 1 walkie-talkie • 4th shelf: (operators shelf) 2 standard helmets, 2 small flashlight • 5th shelf: emergency list and instructions, Kenwood radio station• 6th shelf: 2 walkie-talkies All these items have predefined places, the flashlights and walkie-talkies have charging stations in the corresponding shell.
Check at the beginning of the night if your equipment is on place and report to your GLIMOS if something is missing or non functioning.
Hard Hats or Safety Helmets
Most of the Experts will be provided with their own helmets by their institutes and should always
use them. Y
ou must use the Sa
fety Helmets whenever you enter the telescope areas i.e.
inside the fences (as marked by the corresponding sign). Helmets protect you from objects
falling from the frame or the camera access towers. If you take a general use helmet, store it
back into its right place.

Safety foot protection
Safety boots are proper boots like ‘hiker boots’ or shoes with a steel cap. You must always
w
afety boots o
roper boots whenever you enter the telescope areas i.e. inside the
fences. You are anyway advised to wear safety boots whenever you are at the MAGIC site.
Boots can be bought in local hardware shops on the island (~ 40€).
For experts: while climbing in the telescope structure wear a kind of sports shoes which are stiff enough to stay on the tubes and junction balls and as well have a non slipping rubber sole. Safety Harnesses
Safety harnesses are only for experts.
Experts must have been introduced to the use of harnesses. If you have forgot how to use it,
ask an expert for a refresh course. Most of the Experts will be provided with their own harnesses
by their institutes and should always use them. Safety harnesses for general use can be found
in the shelves of the garage #2 of the Counting House.
Y
ou must use the Sa
fety Harness e
very time when you are working in the
telescope structure or in the cherry-picker bucket. Use only the FULL BODY harness with
fa
ll arrest. N
ever ever use a Safety Harness which is not complete, shows any damage or
is labeled ‘DO NOT USE’!
or working in the telescope structure use only a Sa
fety Harness which is equipped with
2 hooks. You always must be ‘hooked on’ while climbing or staying in the telescope structure as
well while working on access tower.
I f you take a general use harness, please store it b
ack into the boxes and shelves of
garage #2 when you have finished your work.

In general gloves are only for experts, but you may want to use a glove when pulling out the telescope bolts in winter. Most of the Experts will be provided with their own gloves by their institutes and should always
use them. Safety gloves for general use can be found in the shelves of the garage #2 of the
Counting House. I f you take a general use glove, please store it b
ack into the boxes and
shelves of garage #2 when you have finished your work.
Flashlights
If you are going on shift to La Palma, you will be provided with a flashlight at the beginning of
your shift. Label the flashlight with your name. You must always use your own flashlight
for the rest of the shift. Make sure that they are properly charged every night before you
use it. If the flashlight gets broken, report it to the GLIMOS and he will immediately provide
you with a replacement. Give the flashlight back at the end of the shift in working
conditions.
You may use your own flashlight at the site but make sure that it is as reliable as the general use flashlights.
Flashlights for general use can be found in the shelves of the Control Room of the Counting
House. I f you are not on shift and you take a general use flashlight, please store it b
the shelves of the control room when you have finished your work.
Walkie-Talkies
There are four walkie-talkie devices for general use. The walkie-talkie allows only local
communication within the MAGIC site. The range covers the KVA telescope, the Roque and the
Residencia. You should use the devices when leaving the control room and arrange a
second person to be in contact with you. Switch off the device after finishing and return it
after the use to the corresponding charging station.
Shift Leader cell phone
If you are going as SL to La Palma, you will be provided with a Spanish cell phone at the
beginning of your shift. The telephone number of this cellphone is +34 699 832 524. The Shift
L
hould carry the phone all the time with him, especially when going down to buy
food etc or during the day when sleeping. He should give the phone to his deputy when he is taking rest in the apartment. This is an emergency phone, therefore the SL should not use it for private calls. Only when he needs to call the ORM, residencia, or one of the GLIMOS in Spain. The number should not be shown on the telephone lists in order not to disturb the person when sleeping during the day. If the cell phone gets broken, report it to the GLIMOS and he will provide you with a
replacement. It is a pre-paid card cell phone: please report to the GLIMOS if you run out of credit in the card. Remember that you may always call the emergency phone number (112) even if you have no credit left. This emergency number has better coverage than regular numbers, so you may be able to call for help even if you are in a rather remote location.
Give the cell phone back at the end of the shift in working conditions.
Shift leader car
The SL will receive on his first day a car (Toyota RAV4). This car may only be driven by the SL or his deputy. If neither SL or deputy have a driving license, they should arrange that one of the operators drive the car. If none of the shift crew members have a driving license, the SL car will not be used during this shift.
You will be automatically insured (full coverage, no penalty) if you are older than 24 or you have more than 2 years driving experience. Otherwise contact the Operations and Safety Coordinator before flying to La Palma.
The following safety equipments should be available in the car in the date of arrival: • A first aid medical box.
• A blanket.
• A fully charged flashlight.
• A fully charged cell phone.
• A VHF radio transmitter.
• Snow chains and anti-sliding spray Shift leader radio transmitter
The SL will receive on his first day radio equipment for his car. The equipment is composed of: Kenwood TK-7180 station, antenna with magnetic socket and cables for the power connection. You will need to connect the cables directly to the cars battery and pass the cable inside the car cabin.
The antenna should be placed outside the car (using the magnetic socked) all the time you use the car at the ORM and when driving up and down to the ORM. In the case you park the car somewhere outside the ORM, you should store the antenna inside the car.
You will get instructions and help with the installation during the delivery. Switch off the device
when you park the car.
WORKING AT HEIGHT
This section applies only to experts who work at height. By law you are “working at height” i f you are working on any structure higher than 2 m from the floor. You will work at height when you access any of the two camera access towers or any of the two telescope frames. If you intend to work at height at MAGIC, you should have passed a medical check to work
at height in the last year.
Always inform the GLIMOS when you intend to work at height, so that he can alert all relevant
people on site. By working at height, you may actually put others in danger by letting tools or
equipment fall on them. It is forbidden to stay under the telescope frame or the camera
access tower when somebody is doing some other work on them.
When you work at height, you must take specific precautionary measures and become familiar with the corresponding safety equipment (harness, etc). You are advised to follow a course about safety at height and to practice with the equipment at your home institute before coming to La Palma. When you are in La Palma, you may also ask the GLIMOS for instructions about the safety equipment. Please report in any case to the GLIMOS whenever you intend to work at height and ask for his explicit permission.
In any case, read the section of the TOM called “Working at height” and follow all its
recommendations.
RULES FOR DRIVING TO/FROM OBSERVATORY
These rules apply to anybody in the MAGIC collaboration who is driving to or from the MAGIC site. MAGIC collaborators are advised to instruct visitors or subcontracting companies on them too. Just before driving up to the site or before driving down from the Roque, phone your colleagues
at the MAGIC site or the reception of the ORM (phone number 922 405 500) and inform yourself
on the weather road conditions (make sure that they know what kind of car you are driving: a
normal car or a 4x4 car). If the ORM is in “pre-alert” or “alert” weather condition, you must
comply with the exceptional rules for adverse driving conditions. Otherwise stick to the
standard rules.
At night, inform the Reception or your GLIMOS before you drive up/down: tell them the
time when you are leaving and the time when you expect to arrive. You may use the radio
transmitter in the SL car. Inform again when you safely reach it.
Standard driving rules
You are advised to drive to/from the observatory in the car of the SL, Support Astronomer or the postdocs at LP, which are equipped with: • A first aid medical box.
• A blanket.
• A fully charged flashlight.
• A fully charged cell phone.
• A VHF radio transmitter.
• Snow chains and anti-sliding spray.
If you have to drive up in a different car, you are advised to equip it with at least: • A fully charged flashlight.
• A fully charged cell phone.
You should always star the trip with the gas tank at least 1/4th full.
Never drive faster than 50 km/h.
If possible, do not drive alone and do not allow your driving mate to fall sleep. Your driving mate must help to keep maximum attention to the road. None of the occupants of the car may drink any alcohol for at least one hour before
driving.
Abort the trip if any of the occupants of the vehicle refuses to go on. In case the trip is
aborted, inform the GLIMOS and the Reception.
Be aware that there are tourists driving up the mountain and entering the MAGIC area from the early morning until the late afternoon. Be patient and take caution with them (they may anytime stop or make funny moves). Take extreme care when the road is wet or covered with pine needles. Never drive your car in the MAGIC site during the datataking night. Park your car at the
helipad.
Driving rules for adverse weather conditions
You are strongly advised not to drive to/from the MAGIC site in adverse weather conditions
unless it is strictly necessary or you are ordered to evacuate by the observatory responsible.
You must follow all the standard driving rules above. On top of that, before driving up or down, phone the GLIMOS at the site and ask for his
permission. Then phone the Reception and ask for all possible information about the
status of the road (ice, water, snow, rock falls, fire, wind).
You must use a 4-Wheel-Drive vehicle. If possible, join a convoy of other vehicles driving up
(GRANTECAN, etc).
All drivers must be instructed on driving in adverse weather conditions (must have followed
a course).
Never drive alone and never allow your driving mate to fall sleep. Your driving mate must
help to keep maximum attention to the road.
WORKING AT NIGHT
Working at night is demanding and calls for special precautions. Expect your performance to significantly degrade during the night because the human body does not work efficiently after it gets dark. The worst hours are between 3:00 and 6:00. You may feel confused, depressed or irritated. Be aware that psychological factors play a role too: when working at night and at a remote place like the ORM, you have less interaction with your family or friends.
The amount of time that you are allowed to work at night is limited and it also requires the corresponding rest time. Taking into account the duration of the MAGIC shifts, which are always shorter than 4 weeks, you have two options: 1. You work for a maximum of 8 hours per night without any weekly rest for the full shift.
2. You take a full night rest every 4th night and a minimum of 10 hours of continuous rest
I t is strongly advised to follow the second strategy: 1 full nigth of rest every 4 th
. The Shift
scheme is done such that there are always 4 people on shift, at least two of them qualifying as experts. This allow to have one full night rest every 4th and still be 3 people taking data. If you choose the first strategy, remember that every time you go to the telescopes, three people are needed: two of them go to the telescope and the third one stays in the control house in contact with them by Walkie-Talkie or other means.
You are not recommended to sleep when you are off duty, because that may break your sleeping habits. Just relax and do not plan for other work. Please follow these other recommendations: • Plan the crew’s working nights/hours at least one week in advance.
• Keep food and drinks at hand (remember the w
ater at the control house cannot be
drunk) at the control house. If possible, have some warm food (complain to Support
Astronomer immediately if the microwave oven stops to work) and eat juice, milk and
bread/cereals regularly.
• Have a light breakfast before going to sleep.
• Plan for breaks to eat. This is especially true for long winter nights. • On top of that, make frequent short breaks (e.g. 5 minutes every hour). They help to reduce the work load and keep your concentration.
• Plan for some physical exercise.
You are not advised to work at night, especially for long periods, if you are younger than 25 or older than 50. Make sure that you do not suffer from epilepsy or other sickness which are made more acute by sleep deprivation. Epileptic strokes are more frequent with little sleep or fatigue. Since working at night generally affects eating habits too, take special care if you suffer from a digestive sickness (especially diabetes).
ALTITUDE SICKNESS
Altitude sickness is a pathological condition that is caused by acute exposure to low air pressure (usually outdoors at high altitudes) It commonly occurs above 2,400 meters and affects especially those persons who live at sea level. In most of the cases, the sickness is mild, but acute mountain sickness can progress to pulmonary or cerebral edema. In pulmonary edema fluid accumulates in the lungs, resulting in hard trouble to breathe and low levels of oxygen in the blood. In cerebral edema, fluid accumulates in the brain, resulting in mental confusion, coma and eventually death. In case of edema, the patient must immediately be taken down to sea level.
About 20% of the people suffer from mild altitude sickness at altitudes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. Acute altitude sickness is much rarer at these altitudes (1-2% at 3,000 meters).
Symptoms
Experts should check if newly arrived collaborators show any of the following symptoms,
particularly during their first visit to the MAGIC site.
• Headache (primary symptom).
• Lack of appetite, nausea or vomiting.
• Fatigue or weakness.
• Dizziness.
• Insomnia.
• Shortness of breath upon exertion.
• Gradual loss of consciousness, confusion.
• Headache that does not respond to analgesics.
• Coughing fits, cough with blood.
• Shortness of breath even when resting.
• Pectoral congestion or rigidity.
• Blue skin color.
• Inability to walk in a straight line or to walk at all.
• Pale or gray face color (cerebral edema).
Prevention
Here are some simple ways to prevent altitude sickness: • Avoid strenuous activity, especially during the first 24 hours.
• Watch for the first symptoms.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Diet rich in carbohydrates.
• Avoid salt as much as possible.
• Wear proper clothes: cold makes altitude sickness worse.
• Avoid alcohol ingestion.
• Persons suffering from anemia (especially women) may consider asking their doctor for a Treatment
• Diet rich in carbohydrates (e.g. marmalade, fruit).
• For headaches: aspirin or paracetamol. If stronger: codeina (in Spain, brand name • Insomnia or breathing problems: acetazolamide (brand name Edemox), 125 mg before sleeping. It can be used to stimulate breathing, speed up the acclimation and sooth mild symptoms. Do not mix with alcohol and increase water ingestion. Never use sedatives for insomnia.
• Pulmonary edema: oxygen and Nifedipine (brand name Adalat, Nifedical, and Procardia) –effective for high blood pressure but also for altitude sickness.
• Cerebral edema: Dexamethasone (brand name Decadrón) –an anti-inflammatory about 20-30 times stronger than hydrocortisone.
If you, or you realize that someone else, have symptoms of Acute altitude sickness
contact immediately the emergency phones.
Counter-indications
Consider any of these before flying to La Palma: Coronary illness: even if it is not an absolute counter-indication, it requires a good acclimation
and proper adjustment of the anti-angina treatment. A recent angina pectoris or heart attack (4-
12 weeks) are counter-indications.
Respiratory illnesses:
hma : no counter-indication. Cold and physical exercise may provoke a crisis, but high altitude can actually decrease the frequency of such crises because there are fewer allergens in the air.
hysema: consult a doctor. May result in a pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
eumectomy: consult a doctor. It is a counter-indication, unless the surgery took place when very young and the respiratory function is fully recovered.
ecurrent spontaneous pneumothorax: consult a doctor.
Blood diseases –haemopathies- (thalasemia, drepanocytosis), thromboembolic diseases,
medical record of pulmonary or cerebral edema: counter-indications.
Age: it is not recommended to go higher than 1,800 m before an age of 18 months or 3,000 m
before an age of 12 years.
Pregnancy: take special care during the first 3 months.
Contraceptive pill: it may produce fluid retention, so it is not recommended.
OTHER HEALTH RISKS
Medical check
You must pass a medical check sometime in the 12 months before you go to La Palma.
This medical check typically takes 1-1.5 hours and should for sure include: • thorough medical consultation• lung function testing (spirometry, auscultation) • blood samples for extensive laboratory testing (cholesterol, blood sugar, and kidney and • physical examination• auditive test You do not need to bring a medical certificate with the conclusions of the medical check. We just expect you to sign at the end of this document that you have passed such a test.
Sun exposure
The intensity of sunlight, especially in UV, increases with altitude. You are advised to use a total
protection sun cream for your skin (e.g. Heliocare 90 gel) or your lips (e.g. Helioderm 32).
Persons sensitive to lip (labial) herpes should apply the cream frequently. Use sunglasses with
at least protection index 3.
The exposure to sunlight with no proper protection or for sensitive persons may result in conjunctivitis (“red eyes”). You will feel “eyeburn”, a feeling of sand inside the eyes, photophobia and you may cry constantly. If your eyes get dry, use artificial teardrops.
It can always get very cold at night at the MAGIC site, even in the mid of Summer. Pay special care to freezing. You will feel no pain and may well not realize that you are freezing until it is too late. There is always a higher risk of freezing at the site due to the following factors: • Humidity and wind add up to the low temperature.
• The blood has a higher density of red blood cells (haematids) because the oxygen • De-hydration also increases the density of red blood cells. Bring a coat to La Palma even in Summer. Choose your clothes carefully in advance to
your trip. You are advised to wear gloves in Winter.
EMERGENCY PLAN
Emergency telephone numbers
All Emergency Telephone Numbers can be found in the Control Room of the Control House, on
the pin board above the displays and in the telephone file book.
In case you need external help, the first number to call is the Public Emergency Phone:
(0)112. They speak Spanish, English and German. They may be phoned from any cell phone
(just dial 112) practically everywhere, even if you don’t have normal coverage. They will tell you
what to do and will get in contact with the medical service, firemen, local authorities, ORM
Residencia or whoever is necessary.
During the night the reception of the Residencia provides assistance in case of an emergency.
They are reachable over the mobile phone 609 554 576 , the reception desktop phone +34 922
405 500 (internal 9) or ORM radio emitter.
Emergencies: internal and external
An emergency may be internal or external. An internal emergency takes place within the MAGIC site, i.e., the area around the telescopes limited by the road. An external emergency is an emergency which takes place at the ORM and affects a member of the MAGIC collaboration, a visitor to MAGIC or the MAGIC installations (e.g. forest fire, storms, fire in a nearby installation). We have a separate emergency plan for each of the two emergencies.
Emergency responsible
Chief of Emergency = Chief of Intervention:
• He (or she) is the highest authority in an emergency.
• He manages the intervention team and calls for any external help from the control center.
• He decides when it is necessary to evacuate the MAGIC site. • He yields his authority to the external intervention teams when they reach the area and collaborates with them if necessary.
• He later takes care to investigate the reasons for the accident.
Intervention and evacuation team:
• They take care for the evacuation of the MAGIC site.
• They must know how to use the fire extinguishers and blanket.
The Chief of Emergency and Chief of Intervention in an installation are in general different persons but due to our limited personnel on site we need to merge them into one single Chief of Emergency/Intervention. This Chief of Emergency/Intervention is the GLIMOS. The intervention and evacuation team consists of at least the GLIMOS and the second most experienced expert/operator on site (e.g. deputy shift leader, most experienced technical expert, most experienced operator). This team may be reinforced with any other MAGIC collaborators on site if the GLIMOS decides so. Control Center, Meeting Point
The emergency control center of the MAGIC site is the control room in the counting house.
The room is equipped with two telephone lines and the VHF radio transmitter. From the control
• Gathers all possible information about the accident from the room.
• Decides on an intervention to the accident site.
• Calls for external help.
• Contacts the ORM authorities.
• Evacuates injured persons.
• Evacuates the MAGIC site.
The Meeting Point of the MAGIC site is in front of the counting house. General principles in case of emergency
• Keep calm.
• Evaluate the situation, check out if your life is in danger.
• Mark the site (if necessary).
• Alert.
• Analyze the situation in detail.
• Act.
KEEP CALM
You must react fast to an emergency, but you must always remain calm. You’d rather spend
some seconds considering the situation than rush to take action and perhaps makes everything
worse and even put your life in danger.
EVALUATE THE SITUATION
Make a first and not exhaustive evaluation of the situation. Make sure that you are not yourself
in danger! If so, leave the area. Try to gather details about the emergency in a few seconds, for
instance why the emergency happened, where exactly it has happened and how many people
are involved. This will be essential for the emergency teams to decide on what actions to take.
MARK THE SITE (IF NECESSARY)
If you have to leave the site, mark it properly to avoid new incidents and for the emergency
teams to find it easily.
ALERT
Let everybody at the MAGIC site know that there has been an accident and that there is some
danger in the area. You may use:
• Use a phone: fixed line or cellphone.
• Use a walkie-talkie.
• Use a radio transmitter.
• Walk to the control center or to anybody who can alert the rest.
ANALYZE THE SITUATION IN DETAIL
Once you have alerted the responsible, remain at the site until help arrives. While you wait,
examine the area in detail, the state of any victims and look for any dangers. If it takes time for
help to arrive, you will need to act and you need to know if your own life may eventually be in
danger and if your actions may endanger the victims.
ACT
If your life is not in danger and you know well what to do, you may now act. For instance:
• Give first medical aid.
• Use the fire extinguishers.
INTERNAL EMERGENCIES
Possible internal emergencies are fire inside the MAGIC area, medical emergencies, or an internal evacuation.
Fire at the MAGIC installations
PREVENTION
• The exits must be left free of obstacles.
• Maintain the equipment regularly.
• Keep the ambient temperature in the working areas under 25°C.
• Keep humidity and water spills and leakages under control: they may provoke electrical • Do not approach inflammable objects to a source of heat.
• Do not overload the power lines.
• Do not smoke close to an area with high risk of fire (e.g. garages, workshop). Smoking is not allowed inside the counting house.
• Do not use tools in bad state which may create sparks.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CASE OF FIRE
• Stay calm, do not scream or run.
• Alert.
• If there is plenty of smoke, crawl low out of the area: the air is cleaner close to the floor.
• Cover your nose and mouth with clothes, if possible wet ones.
• If your clothes get on fire, lie on the floor and roll over yourself.
• Switch off electrical power if you can.
• When leaving the area, close all doors to prevent fire to progress.
• If the fire has grown too large, do not try to put it out by yourself.
• Go to the nearest exit or to a safe place.
• If you are trapped in a room, keep the door closed and put wet clothes under it.
• If you are at the ground floor of the counting house and you are trapped in a room with • If you are in the upper floor, exit to the terrace and call somebody’s attention.
CHIEF OF EMERGENCY AND INTERVENTION TEAMS: FIGHTING THE FIRE
The chief of emergency must make sure that: • Everybody at the MAGIC site has been alerted about the fire and goes to the Meeting • The intervention team is defined.
• Anybody who is not in the intervention team evacuates the site and goes to the Residencia The chief of emergency with the help of the intervention team tries to extinguish the fire using fire extinguishers, the fire blanket or water. In all rooms and corridors in the Counting House you can find at least one fire extinguisher close
to the doors.
Use only CO2 - fire extinguisher for electric equipment!
The fire blanket can be found in the Computer Room close to the fire extinguisher.
How to use the fire extinguisher:
• Find out what material is burning: solid, liquid, gas, special metals. We have CO2 extinguishers which can be used only for solid and liquid materials, but not for gas or • Pull the Pin at the top of the extinguisher. The pin releases a locking mechanism and will allow you to discharge the extinguisher.
• Hold the extinguisher by the handle with one hand and use the same hand to press the lever. Use the other hand to point the extinguishing agent.
• Aim at the base of the fire, not the flames. This is important - in order to put out the fire, • Squeeze the lever slowly. This will release the extinguishing agent in the extinguisher. If the handle is released, the discharge will stop.
• Sweep from side to side. Using a sweeping motion, move the fire extinguisher back and forth until the fire is completely out. Operate the extinguisher from a safe distance, several feet away, and then move towards the fire once it starts to diminish.
• If the burning material is solid, spread the embers once it is extiguished and spray them • If the burning material is liquid, do not point the extiguisher directly at it but rather at its surface to prevent the liquid to spread around. • A typical fire extinguisher contains 10 seconds of extinguishing power. This could be less if it has already been partially discharged. • It is highly recommended to read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher beforehand and become familiarized with its parts. It is also recommended that you get hands-on training before operating a fire extinguisher. Most local fire departments offer this service.
• Once the fire is out, don't walk away! Watch the area for a few minutes in case it re-ignites. • Recharge the extinguisher immediately after use.
Medical emergencies
You must have received a First Aid course in the last 5 years, so no first aid instructions are
provided here. You are expected to follow the course before you come to La Palma in your
home country, because it is hard to get such courses in a language other than Spanish in La
Palma.
A basic First Aid Course like the one offered by Red Cross International all over Europe (e.g. http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/First-aid/First-aid-training) is enough. It provides a basic understanding of emergency care as well as a basic grasp of related clinical theories. The duration is approximately seven hours. You must be taught basic abilities like: • how to respond to the needs of unconscious casualties, including placing an unconscious • how to perform cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), • how to lift the chin to open the airway, give effective rescue breaths and perform chest compressions (with the opportunity to practice their skills on a resuscitation manikin), • how to deal with mild and severe choking for adult, • how to respond to the needs of casualties with major injuries: shock, burns and scalds, significant blood loss, muscular and skeletal injury.
You are not expected to bring any certificate for this course, but only to sign at the end of the document that you have passed it. You are advised to refresh your course with a First Aid booklet before coming to La Palma.
There are 4 First Aid kits in the Counting House. The First Aid kits can be found (1) in the
Control Room located where the EPI are, (2) in the mechanical workshop (garage # 1) located
above the fire extinguisher and (3,4) in the Würzburg Containers on top of the drive cabinet.
If the person who suffers the accident is not seriously injured, he can be taken care of locally at the counting house or at the First Aid room at the Residencia (near the reception). If necessary he may be taken down to a doctor or to the hospital in the SL car. The island’s hospital is in Breña Alta, not far from Santa Cruz or the airport.
If the person is severely injured, the Chief of Emergency should get external help. Phone the
Public Emergency Number (0)112. And only later the Residencia on 2500, 9, (0)922 405 500.
In case he needs special assistance, an external ambulance (112 ambulance) with a first aid team and more expert equipment will be sent to ORM, but this ambulance will take 30-45 minutes. If you need faster assistance, at daytime 112 will send you a helicopter. Work is currently under way to equip one of the helipads so that it can be used also at night.
At night an ambulance at the ORM will come to your help if you phone the reception and may be used to bring the injured person to the hospital. They will drive the injured person with this ORM ambulance and arrange to meet with the external 112 ambulance halfways on the road to Santa Cruz or Garafía to speed up the process.
Evacuation
The Chief of Emergency decides if the MAGIC site must be evacuated. The Intervention Team must make sure that everybody at the site is properly informed, including visitors. The visitors accompanying person is responsible for their evacuation. Everybody on site must come to the Meeting Point in front of the counting house. The Chief of Emergency will instruct everybody to leave the site (by default to the Residencia). He will evacuate last.
• Keep calm.
• Unplug all tools. • Switch off the electronics and computers only if there is enough time (weather conditions • If you find a visitor on his own, a tourist or an external worker (cleaning lady etc), come • Evacuate the site fast, but do not run. Follow the instructions of the Chief of Emergency.
• If there is plenty of smoke, crawl out of the house.
• Do not go back.
• Do not carry any bulky stuff with you.
• Help handicapped people.
• Close the doors after you exit through them.
EXTERNAL EMERGENCIES
If an emergency affects the whole observatory, the highest authority lies in the Chief of Emergency of ORM or, in his absence, the Chief of Intervention. The Chief of Emergency of ORM is the Roque administrator. The Chief of Intervention is the Chief of Maintenance.
They are both in charge of starting and coordinating an evacuation. They will instruct the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC, who in turn instructs everybody at the MAGIC site. The Chief of Emergency of ORM may ask the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC for help to coordinate the actions at the ORM.
Any members of MAGIC may be requested to help with severe emergencies at the other telescope installations (e.g. major fires, collapse of buildings, numerous injured persons). The Chief of Emergency of MAGIC, together with the Chief of Emergency of ORM, organizes the MAGIC team helping in the emergency and the delivery of any necessary equipment. He must make sure that there are enough human resources left at the MAGIC site for eventual emergencies.
Possible external emergencies are forest fires, traffic accidents or adverse weather conditions.
Forest fire
If the fire takes place close to MAGIC and the MAGIC installations are in danger: • Alert the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC.
• Alert the control center of ORM: reception, (6)500.
• The Chief of Emergency of ORM takes the highest control.
• The Chief of Emergency of MAGIC keeps control over the MAGIC site.
• External help will arrive, i.e. public firemen.
• You may get extra help from internal teams: o Intervention Team of Common Services (CCI).
o Intervention Team of MAGIC: extinguishers.
If a fire threatens the ORM or some other installation, the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC will be asked to provide help to the Emergency Team of ORM. He, along with his Emergency Team, will act under the instructions of the Chief of Emergency of ORM.
If the Chief of Emergency of ORM orders the evacuation of the observatory, follow his instructions. The evacuation of the MAGIC site is coordinated by the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC: follow the standard procedure for internal evacuation. If the fire prevents a general evacuation from the observatory, take shelter in a safe place inside the MAGIC installations or, in extreme cases, driving up to the highest section of the observatory (the Roque de los Muchachos itself), where there is hardly any vegetation and you may use paths to walk out of the area.
Traffic accidents
If you are informed by the ORM of a traffic accident at the observatory road, alert the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC and everybody at the MAGIC site, so that nobody leaves the area. This prevents any further accident and facilitates the works of the external assistance team.
If the ORM or the external authorities (Guardia Civil, police, “Protección Civil”) ask for assistance, grant it always under the coordination of the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC.
If you witness a traffic accident close to the MAGIC site, proceed as follows: 1. Mark it properly at the road.
2. Inform the Chief of Emergency of ORM or the reception.
3. Inform the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC.
4. Wait for the intervention team of ORM.
5. Give first aid.
Adverse weather conditions
The ORM suffers from a variety of adverse weather conditions, namely thunderstorms, strong winds, snowfall and ice, rain and thick fog. A fax with the weather forecast for the next days is available at the reception of the Residencia. This weather forecast is of great help to decide on an eventual evacuation. The ORM also distributes a report with the weather alert condition (no alert, pre-alert or alert) every day through the magic_online list. This report specifies the areas of the ORM which will particularly suffer from the bad weather.
Recommendations in case of lightning/thunderstorms:
• Do not leave the buildings (counting house, containers, apartments).
• If you are outside, kneel down and put your feet together to reduce the surface in contact with the ground. Do not lie your hands on any object connected to ground.
• Do not use an umbrella.
• Do not touch any wet surfaces.
• Do not get close to any metallic structure.
• Do not touch metallic objects in general, e.g. window frames, radio transmitters, computer • Avoid the use of fixed (wired) phones.
• If you are inside a car, do not leave it, switch off the radio and pull down the antennas, Recommendations in case of strong wind (>70 km/h):
• Do not leave the buildings (counting house, containers, apartments).
• If you have to go outside for any emergency, use warm clothes, gloves and glasses. Avoid any running shoes with slippery plastic soles.
• If you are outside, look for shelter and get away from areas where you may expect • When you are inside a building, stay away from glass windows.
Recommendations in case of snow or ice:
• Do not leave the buildings (counting house, containers, apartments).
• If you have to go outside for any emergency, use warm clothes, gloves and glasses. Avoid any running shoes with slippery plastic soles.
• When you are outside, watch out for ledges: ice chunks may fall off. Pay special attention when opening the doors of the appartments.
• Drive slowly and use snow chains and, if available, 4 wheel drive.
• Join a convoy when possible and keep the safety distance.
• If your vehicle gets blocked on snow or ice, stay inside, keep the heating low and wrap up • If somebody suffers from hypothermia: o Warm him up slowly.
o Slowly massage the affected areas except if there is evidence for freezing.
o Do not let him drink any alcohol. Give him something warm to drink (tea, Recommendations in case of heavy rain or thick fog:
• Pay special attention when driving: drive slowly and keep the safety distance. Join a • Suspend all outside work at the site unless they are essential or in case of emergency.
If you are in pre-alert and alert conditions and you are planning to drive to the ORM, read the
recommendations in the driving section of this manual. If you are already at the observatory:
• Prealert: stay at the observatory, inside a building and get in contact with the reception
periodically to get an update of the situation.
• Alert: if the weather conditions become severe, the Chief of Emergency of MAGIC
decides if all MAGIC personnel needs to evacuate after a general discussion with everybody on site. Follow the rules of evacuation above. Shut down the electronics, make the telescope safe, lock the counting house. Evacuate always in 4 wheel drive vehicles. If there is a general evacuation of the observatory, follow the instructions of the Chief of Emergency of ORM.
GENERAL SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
o alcohol may be drunk in the time period from 3 hours before the o
peration or
chnical shift up to the end of the shift.
No alcoholic drinks are allowed at the Counting House. The GLIMOS will throw away any
alcoholic drink he finds around.
Respect the IAC rules in the apartments #5 and #6
You must do the ‘check-in’ and ‘check-out’ at the reception desk, and it is not allowed to
pass the room key to another person. When checking out, please hand over the key to the
receptionist. Room changes must be known and authorized by the receptionist. This will lead to
an improvement both in the effectiveness of the cleaning service and personal safety. Avoid to
take cutlery and/or dishes etc from the residencia down to the apartments or at least carry back
‘loaned’ cutlery and dishes as soon as possible. Please do not carry the ½ liter water bottles
from the apartments(s) up to the telescope. They are only for the daily consumption in the
apartment(s).
o not park in front of the a
partments. Otherwise trucks cannot drive through or turn around.
Park at the parking lot on the way to the Residencia. Tidiness in the Apartment #5 and #6
ease tidy up Apartment #
5 a
nd Apartment #6 before you leave . Do not leave used dishes
etc. in the sink, kitchen or living-room. Please wash and rinse them every day. Please clean the
fridge i.e. throw all your personal used food in the dustbin or mark it for ‘common use’ before
you leave. Food which is evidently spoiled should be thrown in the dustbin. If you are not sure at
least separate it and ask the GLIMOS. He will be happy to do the job. Please keep the entrance
door of your apartment every time close but not locked. The room cleaning service will pass the
apartments at 16:00h for cleaning (or earlier). Please turn the label at your room door to the
green side “Please clean the room” to indicate that this room should be cleaned (at least twice a
week!!!).
On your last day (before you fly back) spend an hour for a general clean-up of the
apartment(s).
Tidiness in the Counting House
Please tidy up the Control Room and workshops of the Counting House every day during
your shift when you leave it in the morning. Put the ‘scrap’ paper in the dustbins and clear
them when it is necessary (the cleaning service only comes on Mondays and Thursdays and will
not clean places covered with papers). For experts who can access the garages: there is a large
barrel for waste paper in the garage #2 and as well a smaller one for metal waste (labeled
‘metal’).
Please collect all no longer used tools and store them back to the work-shops where they
belong.

Please put back the keys (Würzburg Container, Camera lids, etc) to the panel in the
electronic workshop after use.
Please avoid using the control room as an electrical/mechanical work-shop. Please d
the control room as a store room for electrical/mechanical stuff. There are proper store
rooms (garage #l, #2 and the store room below the LIDAR tower) in the Counting House.
Please do not leave food over night on the desks and in the shelves (we just survived a mice trouble in the Counting House) as well drinks (coke, water, juice etc) close to computers, keyboards or other electrical/electronic equipment! Please check that the door of the fridge is really closed (after you shut the door). The GLIMOS will remove all kinds of food in the morning from the control room. You will find the
missing stuff in the fridge. When you leave the Counting House (to have dinner etc) or after
observing please l ock the e
ntrance a
nd garage doors as well the fence doors to the
telescope area and the door of the Wuerzburg container.

Please do not forget to close all blinds (outside lids of the windows) in the morning.
Use the small white-board in the control room to leave notes for the GLIMOS. There are ve working phone lines in the site (+34 922 405 XXX). Extension 675 is in the
Wuerzburg container-1. Extension 676 is in the Wuerzburg container-2. Extension 677 is in the
bedroom at the control house and connected to the phone meeting device. Extensions 678 and
679 are connected to two wireless phones at the control room and can be used all around the
house. Do not make long phone calls (>10 minutes), especially for private purposes and
in particular during the night. Try always to leave one of the extensions 678 or 679 free.
If you have a working cell phone at the site, write it down on the corresponding pin board
of the control room together with your room number, and delete it when leaving the site.
Try to keep the cell phone on even when sleeping.
SAFETY PENALTIES
The GLIMOS, Safety and Operations Coordinator, Technical Coordinator and their corresponding deputies will give you a warning if you fail to comply with any of the rules in this document. The warning will also be reported to your Group Leader and to the mailing list of the Safety Committee. If you fail to comply again with a rule after receiving a warning, you will be instructed to leave the MAGIC site immediately. For the following 6 months you will not be allowed to access the site, to use MAGIC data and you will not sign any MAGIC publication.
Is you are not a member of the MAGIC collaboration (e.g. technician), you will be reported to the group leader at your institute. If you are visitor and you break a safety rule, your accompanying person will receive the corresponding penalty.
CHECK LIST
(Version 4.0: Juan Cortina)
Fill up this page, break from document and deliver to GLIMOS:  I have read and understood this document, and will stick to the safety rules.
 I have passed a medical check in the past 12 months.
 I have passed a First Aid course in the past 5 years.
 I have received a guided tour of the MAGIC site and have been shown the areas which are restricted to experts.
 I am equipped with safety shoes.
 Shifters only: I have been given a flash light.
 Shifters only: I have been given a helmet with a flash light.
 Shifters only: I have been shown where the walkie-talkie and radio are.
 Shift-Leader only: I have been given the Shift Leader cell phone.
 Shift-Leader only: I have been given the Shift Leader car.
Name: ………………………………………… Institute: …………………………………………….
Job profile (expert/operator/visitor): …………………………… Signature: …………………………. GLIMOS received: ……………………….

Source: http://www.magic.iac.es/site/safety/general_safety_document.pdf