Safety First, Always!

General Mechanic Supervisor of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Engineering Group, Bernardo Ahumada, and Cerro Tololo Electric technician Nelson Ogalde, during a rescue simulation inside the Mirror Cell, as part of the training in confined spaces.

Safety First, Always!

To ensure that nightly observations at the Gemini telescopes in Hawai’i and Chile run smoothly our day crews perform an extraordinary range of jobs.

Sometimes that work involves potentially dangerous situations. This is why Gemini staff regularly attend mandatory safety training classes to provide the best practices and procedures.

Following the success of similar classes last year, the engineering group recently coordinated another workshop in this series, this time including training for work in confined spaces and for activities performed during maintenance procedures.

Gemini South also extended an invitation for staff to participate from other telescopes in Chile. In addition to Gemini, staff from Cerro Tololo (CTIO), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) joined in the workshop.

José Manuel Caracena José, a Spanish engineer with extensive experience in observatory safety coordination led the workshop.