The purpose of the workshop was to establish a forum where 4 radiation safety experts from European light sources could meet the staff of SESAME to discuss the safety and radiation protection issues specific to a synchrotron radiation facility.

Miguel Aranda, former Scientific Director of the ALBA synchrotron; Victor Garrido, Safety Officer at the ALBA synchrotron; Paul Berkvens, Head of the Safety Group at the ESRF synchrotron; and Adolfo Esposito, Radiation Protection Expert at INFN-LNF visited the SESAME laboratory and met the Directors of SESAME, the Safety and Radiation Protection Officers, the Beamline Scientists and other SESAME staff members to identify improvements needed in radiation measurements and shielding calculation methodology; to plan and initiate collaborative efforts in radiation protection; and to promote the exchange of scientific information on the design of SESAME’s radiation monitoring system and the SAFE operation of the facility .

Although forefront in the objectives of the workshop were safety and radiation protection measures, the meeting also served to enhance the staff’s understanding, awareness and knowledge about radiation and to boost general health and safety fundamentals.

During the three full-day workshop the following topics were discussed in depth:

• Radiation risk assessments and radiation hazards control;
• Safe work practices in a radiation facility;
• Active and passive radiation monitoring systems;
• Radiation protection system;
• Shielding simulations;
• PSS (Personal Safety System) strategy;
• Risk assessment procedures for external users;
• Biological and chemical safety;
• Basic health and safety fundamentals.

Safety and radiation protection are issues taken very seriously by SESAME, and the Directors and staff were fully satisfied with the workshop that created optimum conditions for the exchange of best practices and joint discussions with relevant experts in forefront synchrotron radiation laboratories.

The workshop was another event that was supported and organized in the framework of the OPEN SESAME project, funded by the EU's H2020 framework programme for research and innovation under grant agreement number 730943.