Personnel Safety System - PSS

What is it?

The Personnel Safety System or PSS prevents accidental people exposure to the ionizing radiation generated by the high energy X-ray beam. It controls the access, operation permits, and radiation levels in the Linac bunker, Tunnel and Beamline hutches.

The PSS covers the accelerators, i.e. the Linac, Booster and Storage Ring in the tunnel. In addition, each Beamline has its own PSS in charge of granting or denying the permit to operate.

Equipments and signals, such as horns, loudspeakers, card readers, intercoms, panels, SCADA, etc., involved in the PSS are maintained on a regular and systematic basis. 

The PSS leans on a dedicated independent installation, including cables, cabinets, electronics and field devices, and implements Safety PLCs with SIL3 elements. It follows the strict rules described in the norm IEC 61508 on functional safety and is meant to be certified by TÜV, an independent auditing company. 

The PSS installation is outsourced to Pilz and Procon, following our specifications. And we closely follow the system installation, acceptance, and certification to ensure its overall quality, make sure it complies with our specifications and more important, make sure people are safe!