Team:Cambridge-JIC/Safety

Cambridge-JIC

SAFETY

Safety is at the centre of everything that we do.

It was critical to ensure that we could integrate safe practices into both our project, and our working environment; and we achieved this using a wide variety of safety approaches and frameworks

Overview of Safety Strategy



Safety by design

Safety by design was implemented in various parts of our project, in order to 'design out' hazards that may pose a risk as a result of the project. This section will explore how we approached this implementation, with a particular emphasis on: Operator safety & Biological Containment

Safety Design in the Gene Gun

The operating mechanism of a Gene Gun carries inherent risks, which were considered in the design stage. Of course, no test runs were attempted until a full risk assessment had been conducted, and reviewed by qualified and experienced engineers.

Air Pressure Risks

Commercial Gene Guns typically operate at pressures of over 1300psi, and component failure at this pressure presents hazards with very severe consequences. In order to combat this hazard, the gene gun was designed to operate between 100-140psi, avoiding, or at the very least mitigating against, this hazard.
However, the risk of component failure and debris created by using pressurized air is not completely eliminated by design. A transparent protective screen was added, to provide an extra layer of protection for the user. This lowers the risk to the operator, and is considered a vital part of the design.