The recent hot spell from 13–14 April was a reminder of the unpredictability of weather patterns and the challenge of anticipating them: a heatwave could occur at any time so CERN must always be ready to activate its Heatwave Action Plan, which was developed and first implemented in 2023. The CERN Heatwave Action Plan consists of a set of preventive and corrective measures designed to mitigate the effects of sustained high temperatures on members of the personnel during a heatwave. These measures, some of which depend on their compatibility with the needs of individual services, only apply during heatwave periods declared by official meteorological forecasts, which are monitored closely by the HSE unit. Heatwaves are declared by MeteoSwiss when average temperatures exceeding 25 oC are forecast for at least three consecutive days.

The activation and end of the Heatwave Action Plan will be announced on the home.cern and hse.cern websites, as well as on posters displayed on restaurant screens (shown below) and in messages on the site entrance screens. 

All details of the Heatwave Action Plan can be found on the dedicated webpage.

The following Beat the heat tips provide advice on how to cope with high temperatures in the work environment, even outside of heatwave conditions, and can help avoid unpleasant symptoms.

Safety comes first, whatever the weather.