Comments on: Tragedy at CERN

By: Ben L

Ben L — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 21:01:30 +0000

This really is awful news. As important as science is, this should never happen.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 19:53:06 +0000

Oh no!!! :’(

By: Kasper Olsen

Kasper Olsen — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:49:39 +0000

A very sad story – I have many friends from the Bohr Institute and other places, which are working on the ATLAS project and therefore in turn, also the LHC project, which could prove to be one of the most important science-projects of 20XY.

My heartfelt condolences to family and friends involved…

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 16:42:15 +0000

Lesson: it’s better to be a physicist than a technician.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 15:51:51 +0000

The CERN website now has a short message from the Director-General.

By: M

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 08:44:28 +0000

I think it didn’t happen in the ATLAS pit, but in the tunnel somewhere.

Doesn’t make it better for the victim and his family, but maybe will ease the minds of those who know ATLAS technicians.

By: Plato

Plato — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 06:30:04 +0000

There is a rule of thumb for suspended loads, even in high research areas like this one. It’s a safety factor that should be embedded, much like any enterprise that handles such large equipment.

Any tragedy like this one is awful, and my condolences as well.

By: Asher

Asher — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 04:40:52 +0000

Oh dear, that’s terrible.

In my experience–I worked in the LHCb (once Delphi) pit this summer–the technicians were very competent, so I hope this was just a terrible accident. There is so much that can go wrong down there. There was a plaque by the elevator at the LHCb pit that was in memorial of the seven (I believe) people who died on the construction of LEP and associated experiments.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 03:03:38 +0000

That’s awful news. I’ve been to the ATLAS pit, and it’s an awe-inspiring sight, but there must be a certain amount of danger in working with such huge machinery.