Safety Rules for NRAO Employees on the ALMA 5000 m Site
 
 

Prepared By: P.Napier    Date: 2000-Apr-24
Approved By: M. Rafal   Date: 2000-May-26
 
 

Rules To Address High Altitude Medical and Human Performance Concerns

(1) Medical Examination: Before visiting the 5000 m site for the first time all employees scheduled to work on the site must visit their personal physician to verify that they have no medical conditions that make it inadvisable for them to work at this high altitude. NRAO will pay for this medical examination. NRAO will provide a suggested screening list for these medical conditions. Prescription medications are available to reduce the effects of high altitude distress; NRAO can provide information on some of these medications. Employees are urged to discuss the options with their physician.

(2) Altitude Medical Problems: Before leaving for Chile read the material and view the video provided by the NRAO Personnel Office which will familiarize you with the symptoms of the high altitude medical conditions that could be encountered on the site. Sign the form indicating that you have read the material and return it to the NRAO Personnel Office.  This written material is available using this link:  high altitude medical information

Do not visit the site if you are already feeling unwell because the stress of high altitude could exacerbate the condition. This is especially the case for any kind of chest infection or respiratory problem.

If any member of the party appears to be in distress with symptoms of high altitude illness, immediately drive them down to San Pedro de Atacama. Take one of the emergency oxygen bottles stored in the NRAO container with you in the vehicle and administer oxygen during the decent, but it is important to realize that administering oxygen does not reduce the need for immediate descent. If necessary, take the patient to the medical clinic in San Pedro.

It is very easy to become dehydrated at high altitude so take plenty of water with you to the site and drink regularly. If you are working outdoors remember that the risk of severe sunburn is increased at high altitude so use adequate sunburn protection.

(3) Two Person Rule: Do not visit the site with less than two people in the party. Prior to driving up to the site, establish a "buddy system" so that every individual has someone clearly identified to check them for symptoms of possible altitude illness and to catch possible mistakes in completing tasks.

(4) Reduced Mental Ability: Be aware at all times that, although it may not be obvious, the reduced oxygen in the air reduces mental ability and increases the likelihood of making mistakes. Take particular care when doing potentially dangerous work, such as working with hazardous voltages, to have all work checked by your "buddy". Before driving up to the site each day prepare a written check list of the tasks that you plan to complete that day, any special precautions that need to be taken to do the work safely and the checks that are required to verify that no mistakes have been made. Throughout the day items should be checked off, in writing, by you and your buddy.

(5) Workday Length: Always spend at least one night in San Pedro before visiting the site. For the first day or two, while your body is acclimatizing to the altitude, keep workdays short; less than 4 hours is a reasonable guideline. Later in the week limit your workday so that you are not excessively tired at the end of the day; 6 to 7 hours on the site is a reasonable guideline. Do not plan to be on the site after dark unless a particular task requires nighttime conditions. Never sleep on the site; always descend to San Pedro to sleep. The reason is that people breathe less during sleep and this exaggerates the severity of the hypoxia of high altitude

(6) Medical Training:

Visitors (no more than one day at the site): All NRAO personnel visiting the site are encouraged to have basic first aid and CPR training. In any group of NRAO visitors, at least one NRAO member must have basic first aid and CPR training.

Workers (more than one day at site): All NRAO personnel working at the site are encouraged to have specialized first aid and CPR training for high altitude and remote locations. In any NRAO working group, at least one NRAO member must have specialized first aid and CPR training for high altitude and remote locations.

NRAO will provide training courses.

(7) Fire Hazard: Take particular care not to start a fire in the container. Although, because of the reduced oxygen in the atmosphere, solids will generally burn more slowly than at lower altitude, the reduced oxygen also means that there is less time to exit a smoke filled enclosure before you become unconscious. Take particular care when working with volatile liquids. The reduced barometric pressure lowers the flashpoint of volatile liquids and increases their volatility. Volatile liquids may therefore ignite more easily and spread more rapidly than at lower elevations. Volatile liquids that are not flammable at lower elevations may burn at the ALMA site.

Rules to Address Site Remoteness Issues

(8) Vehicle Safety: Do not visit the site with less than two vehicles in the party. Take particular care when driving at high altitude; check that the vehicle has been correctly placed in 4-wheel drive. Maintain vehicle speed within safe limits when descending by keeping the vehicle in low gear. Take care not to get stuck in snow-drifts; remember that snow-drifts must be drivable in both directions. There are two access roads to the site: a shorter, but steeper  and rougher, route on the west side of Co. Toco and a longer and flatter  road by the Japanese container to the East of Co. Chajnantor. Early in your visit familiarize yourself with both routes so that you can judge which route is best if you have to drive at night or in poor driving conditions. Carry food, water, warm clothing, a shovel and a tow rope with you in the vehicle. Fill up the vehicle gas tank in San Pedro before driving to the site.
    Exceptions to the Two Vehicle Rule
Single vehicle travel between San Pedro and an established site (ALMA or NRO containers or CBI installation) is permitted under these circumstances:
(i) the weather is both stable and good,
(ii) on ascent (descent), the single vehicle is preceeded (followed) by a two vehicle party
(iii) both parties use the same access road, and
(iv) both parties check in by telephone before departure (for ascent) or after arrival (for descent).

(9) Bad Weather: The weather on the site can change rapidly. Be aware of the weather conditions throughout the day, particularly if you are working inside the container. Drive down immediately if changing weather conditions make hazardous driving conditions likely due to poor visibility, poor road conditions or any other reason. Prior to ascent to the site the NRAO group will designate daily an individual who will be the judge of when the weather conditions have deteriorated to the point that the group should evacuate the site.

(10) Getting Lost: Be aware that there are many poorly defined roads in the vicinity of the site and route finding can be difficult, especially in poor visibility. Although the two access roads to the site will be marked with poles, since these roads are not under our control do not rely only on these poles. Always carry the NRAO map of the site and access roads and an NRAO GPS receiver in your vehicle. Familiarize yourself with the use of the GPS receiver before going to the site. Do not walk out of sight of the NRAO container or your vehicle by yourself.

(11) Notification: So that activities at the site can be coordinated, when you are planning your visit to the site notify the Chile Site Manager in Tucson or the NRAO Manager in Chile of your planned visit. This notification is required for NRAO employees and strongly recommended for non-NRAO visitors.
Contact information:
Chile Site Manager in Tucson: Simon Radford, sradford@nrao.edu, NRAO, Tucson,  Ph 520 882 8250 ext 125
NRAO Manager in Chile: Eduardo Hardy, ehardy@nrao.edu, Telephone: 56-2-224-8083 or FAX: 56-2-224-8087, U. Chile, Cerro Calan, Santiago, Chile.

(12) Landmines: Visitors to the ALMA Site should be aware that there are landmines and  other unexploded munitions in the general vicinity of the Chilean frontier. For example, a gas pipeline installation machine hit a landmine at a site 6 km east of San Pedro in June 1998. The Chilean military have assured the ALMA Project that there are no mines or munitions on the Science Preserve which includes the ALMA site. However, no such assurance exists for other areas and it is strongly recommended that ALMA visitors stay on the established roads when visiting the surrounding area outside the Science Preserve.