The Safety Prize
The Security prize winners and the jury © EPFL
The 7th edition of the Safety Prize has been awarded to members of the School of Basic Sciences (SB) in 2011. The jury was impressed by the way in which these individuals took the initiative, going above and beyond their usual job requirements.
How can we stay vigilant in our workspaces? When you regularly work with potentially dangerous installations, procedures or substances, it’s easy to let your guard down. The Safety Prize recognizes those who take individual or group initiatives in the area of safety. Thierry Meyer, Head of Occupational Safety and Health in the School of Basic Sciences, says 2011’s crop of awardees is not like past years.
What is the Prize based on? Is there a quotation scale?
No, there’s no ranking of even restriction based on job or classification. We make a point to reward initiatives that are undertaken outside regular job requirements and that have an impact on safety in a practical, theoretical and above all useful way. That’s why it’s the heads of units and lab safety delegates who nominate candidates, and not our service. This philosophy is applied throughout the process. That’s how Anne-Sophie Chauvin managed to win the prize for the second year in a row. Her online questionnaire to raise student awareness of safety issues is really original, and got a unanimous first-place vote by the jury.
Who were the other winners?
We were also very pleased to give the second prize to two PhD students – Jean-Baptiste Gualtierotti and Thomas Buyck – who have just started at EPFL and who are committed to implementing safety and health measures in their new laboratory. In doing so, they took on a big job in addition to their regular research load. The other awardees were technician Claude Amendola, mechanic Gilles Grandjean, and researcher Alok Rudra, for, among other things, building a safety committee together in the Institute for Condensed Matter Physics.
In addition to a monetary award, what is the value of the prize?
The prizes [CHF 1,000 for 1st place, CHF 500 for 2nd and 3rd] are intended to reward these individuals’ efforts. But the winners are really proud of the awards, and you can feel the impact of the recognition in their laboratories. That’s why the Prizes are awarded in the School’s General Assembly – to further underline their importance. It’s through this recognition that the Prizes have become truly encouraging, a proactive stimulation for promoting workplace safety.
What would you like to be able to reward in the future?
Mathematicians complain, partly in jest, that they’ve never won this prize. But even though they’re affected less by safety issues than chemists who work with hazardous materials, they can still make a contribution. Tackling issues like ergonomics, health, and statistical analyses could be very competitive. I also hope that we can recognize someone from the administrative staff, such as a secretary, a person who often works behind the scenes. Next year, candidates can also be nominated by safety representatives outside their own units, which will encourage discussions about safety issues between different units and laboratories in the School.
Links:
http://sb-sst.epfl.ch/
http://sb-sst.epfl.ch/archives-prix-securite