Speaker
Description
The accelerator-driven spallation neutron and muon source at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom is manned 24/7 all year round. The key to the success of the accelerator is the operators, who ensure the safe and efficient operation of the machine, working around the clock in shift crews of 3 people. In 2018 a new system has been introduced allowing crew members to spend some of their time working outside their role as operators.
This presentation will highlight the benefits of the transition to a regime which gives the operators the opportunity to spend some time with other groups and further their training, and will consider how the first months after changing to this new regime have progressed.
The transition was gained by changing the shift pattern from 5 crews of 3-4 people to 6 crews of 3 people. Every operator could choose tasks they were most interested in to enhance their knowledge from a pool of different groups (e.g. RF group, Electrical Group, Controls Group, Performance Improvement). After several months of running this new regime and some bumps on the road it seems that mostly this additional work is indeed benefitting the operators and the groups alike.
