a. General - No employee or visitor is to work alone at the summit of Mauna Kea. Almost everyone at the summit experiences some form of altitude sickness at some time. (A summary page on high altitude health hazards is included at the end of this memorandum.) On some occasions, these symptoms can lead to a disorientation that is not readily apparent to the victim in question. It is imperative, therefore, that employees use a buddy system. We will allow employees who have previously visited the summit to drive individually, to or from the SMA, provided they use a 4-wheel-drive vehicle equipped with a mobile phone (as are all the SAO vehicles). The phone must be left on at all times so that an overdue vehicle can be called to determine its status.

Most workers at the site will be working a 10-hour day that includes the drive to and from the summit. All employees and visitors stop at the Hale Pohaku mid-level station for at least 30 minutes on each trip up to help adapt to the altitude change. (It is not necessary to stop on the way down.) The improved road to the summit has made this stop even more important, because it allows an altitude change of about 9,000 feet in the first hour, well beyond what can be normally tolerated without some stress. Employees on travel from Cambridge will be encouraged to spend at least two nights initially at Hale Pohaku to help them catch up with the level of acclimatization of the regular day crew. In addition, particularly strenuous or lengthy work periods should be preceded by a night at the mid-level facility, even by regular employees. New hires and visitors to the summit cannot be expected to maintain the same level of activity on the first few days as regular workers. Shortene! d wo rk hours should be anticipated until new arrivals have had time to acclimate to the summit. For some, this acclimatization process will involve nothing more than becoming accustomed to the techniques. Others may never acclimate well enough to work a full day.

b. Medical Exams - The SMA will require that all SAO employees who expect to work for any extended period at the summit take a medical exam to determine if any preexisting conditions limit his/her activity at the site. The extent of the exam could be determined by the likelihood that the employee will be expected to perform manual labor at the site, with a simpler test being envisioned for observers or for employees whose activities are more sedentary. Occasional visitors or the one-time visiting employee will not be required to take a test, but will be required to be in the company of at least one employee who is a regular worker at the summit.

c. Supplies and clothing - All visitors to the summit should anticipate a wide range of conditions on any given day. The summit of Mauna Kea can be extremely cold and very windy, even in the summer, and shirtsleeve weather the next day. The visitor should bring clothing appropriate to the quickly changing conditions.

Drink plenty of fluids. The necessity for the kidneys to make way for additional red corpuscles at high altitude can cause rapid dehydration on the summit. Many have found that sport drinks such as Gatoraid are very useful in maintaining proper fluid balance. Bring all the food you are likely to eat. Appetites tend to be high at the summit, with no nearby convenience store to supplement your lunch. It is thought useful to maintain high glucose levels with sugared snacks or candy. Lastly, even on the day before visiting the summit, restrict your intake of any substance, such as alcohol and excessive coffee, that might disturb normal kidney function when working on the mountain. Alcoholic beverages are never permitted above the mid-station

d. Sun Protection - Wear strong Sun protection at all times, SPF35 or greater. Even a fraction of an hour exposure to the sun at the summit can cause a painful and potentially dangerous burn. It should be noted that recent ultra violet energy levels at the site, as measured by the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Observatory, are at record high levels for any US site and are expected to climb in future years.

Use sunglasses with UV protection whenever the sky is clear. The summit is very bright, especially after recent snow. Coupled with the high UV levels, this makes eye protection mandatory.

e. Divers - Hawaii is a popular dive spot, but this activity must be approached with caution if you work or visit Mauna Kea. Nitrogen narcosis, commonly called the bends, occurs when excess nitrogen, forced into the blood stream during a dive, leaves the blood too quickly. The problem is exceptionally dangerous at 14,000 feet, since the reduced atmospheric pressure greatly speeds up the process. No one who has taken a deep water dive in the previous 48 hours is permitted to go the summit .

a. Driving - A very high proportion of the injuries on Mauna Kea occur on the roads. The path to the top involves seven miles of dirt road with close quarters in some locations and poor traction. All drivers are to use 4-wheel drive on the dirt portions to avoid damaging the road surface. Trips down the mountain are to be done in a low enough gear (often 1st) that you gain full benefit from the engine braking on the vehicle. If you are not familiar with the use of the four-wheel drive option for a particular vehicle, ask directions or consult the instructions, usually under the sun visor. Heavily loaded vehicles are always to be driven by an experienced employee. ( Driving during a mandated evacuation due to weather will be covered by the Emergency Response Plan.)

The speed limit on the portions of road above Hale Pohaku is 25 miles/hour. All observatories have been asked to report any violations of this rule and to take disciplinary action against any violators on their respective staffs. All SAO vehicles will adhere to the posted speed limits.

Another common cause of accidents happens when the tired worker or visitor drives off the Saddle Road on the return trip due to excessive speed. Keep in mind that, by the time a driver has reached the Hilo area on the return drive, he or she will have driven almost 4 hours on a demanding road, in addition to whatever time was scheduled at the summit. The trip is often accompanied by fog and rain at the lower elevations of the Saddle Road, making the traction even more treacherous. The drop in elevation throughout this part of the trip requires constant use of the brakes to maintain a safe speed. The infamous turns at Mile 12, Mile 8 and near the cave about Mile 2, are particularly ready to snare the speeding and tired driver.

Another common accident is for the vehicle to hit a cow on the lower portions of the summit road. This is open range land and animals are free to wander the roads at all times. These animals, especially those that are black, are extremely difficult to see, if the conditions are not good. Young calves are particularly unpredictable.

During the winter, it is not uncommon for the road to the summit to be closed by the Mauna Kea Support Services. The condition of the road will be posted on an answering machine at 969-3218. The message is targeted at the general public. This message is normally updated by 6:30 AM each day.

b. Transporter - The transporter that is used to move the antennas is a very interesting vehicle to watch and to film. However, the unit is heavy, noisy, not very maneuverable, and has a number of blind spots to the driver. All SAO employees are to observe the proper protocol for working with the transporter. Currently, this protocol calls for the antenna moves to be performed by four people: the Move Supervisor on the ground; the Driver; the Driver's assistant on the transporter; and an Assistant to hookup the wires and affect the mechanical hookups on the ground. All motions are directed by the Move Supervisor, who can observe the foundation and foundation interface and is in eye contact with the driver. It has been recommended that the Driver use supplemental oxygen for the duration of the move to heighten mental awareness. Those four persons should have ear protection available.

All other personnel are to stay clear of the transporter operation unless specifically asked to participate by the Move Supervisor. SAO employees should help insure that all other parties, such as tourists or visitors, are similarly informed. Those persons authorized to be as Transporter Driver or a Move Supervisor will be so designated in writing by the Station Manager after an appropriate training period. The other tasks can be performed by any available employee at the time of the move.

c. Crane and Fork Truck - Fork truck and crane operation will be performed only by those persons authorized to do so in writing by the Station Manager. These permissions may be qualified by the height and weight of the lift and the degree to which the lift affects personnel safety. Should the lift involve personnel, it is to be accompanied by the use of appropriate safety harnesses, per OSHA recommendations. In general, no one will be authorized to operate the heavy lifting equipment who has not practiced these skills on a previous job at sea level. (Mauna Kea is not the place to be practicing new skills.) It may be necessary to send some staff members for formal training, if their previous work experience is not suitably applicable.

d. Hot Operations - Hot operations, such as welding and cutting, reduce the oxygen content of the air in the immediate vicinity and thus are especially hazardous to personnel at high elevations. Particular care should be taken to insure adequate ventilation during all hot operations. Hot operations should never be done in the presence of oxygen equipment, since the affect of additional oxygen on the rate of burn is greatly accelerated at reduced atmospheric pressure. In addition, it should be realized that many materials and fluids are much more volatile at high altitudes than at sea level, in spite of the lack of oxygen, making preparation and protection of the hot work area especially important. Relatively safe substances such as diesel fuel or normal cleaning fluids can burn much more readily at lower pressures.

e. Protective Clothing - Visitors to the summit should inquire if at all in doubt about the need for protective clothing. Protective equipment available at the site includes: sun screen lotion, safety helmets, goggles, safety glasses, hearing protectors, respirators, gloves, coveralls, and insulated jackets. SMA personnel are expected to use protective clothing that is appropriate for all hazardous operations, especially those in the Antenna Maintenance Building that may involve machining.

Training in laboratory safety will be required for anyone whose job makes it necessary to employ hazardous chemicals. This training covers: Material Safety Data Sheets, how to get them and how to use them; the use of eye protection; gloves; lab coats; etc. Specific training is also required for anyone issued a respirator, such as to allow painting. (Respirator assignments would normally also entail a pulmonary function test; however this test is included with the general physical for the site.) Training for other materials, which may be specific to the SMA site, should be done by the supervisors on site or by the original manufacturer.

a. Altitude Sickness - Anyone demonstrating the symptoms of altitude sickness, such as shortness of breath or severe headache, should immediately be driven in one of the SAO vehicles to sea level, where they can be checked by a doctor if the symptoms do not immediately relieve. Do not stop at the Hale Pohaku mid-station unless conditions are such that you feel you require additional help with the transport. All employees should know the location of Hilo Medical Center Emergency Room and point it out to visitors on the way up the mountain. In more serious situations, the Mauna Kea Observatories maintain an ambulance near the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory which is equipped with a stretcher and oxygen. Each observatory has keys to the ambulance, should it be necessary to evacuate any individual from the summit who is under some type of severe physical stress. (See the MKSS-written document at the end of this report for high-altitude sickness symptoms.)

b. Evacuation - The evacuation of any individual under severe stress and obviously needing immediate medical intervention should be accompanied by a call to the emergency services (911). The call should be made immediately upon making this determination and followed up by progress reports from the phone in the ambulance. The first choice is to meet the EMS personnel with the affected individual at the parking lot at the turnoff from the Saddle Road, since this results in the shortest response time for the victim. The worst choice is to require EMS evacuation from the summit, which is not possible in all weather conditions. Alternate sites are located at Hale Pohaku, the lower parking lot above the 12,000 ft level, and the upper visitor parking lot, in order of decreasing suitability.

c. Fire - The first response to all fires, whether at the SMA or elsewhere will be to insure that all personnel are safely evacuated from the affected structure. Any consideration of attacking the fire should be deferred until all personnel are accounted for and then considered only with great caution. Rescue associated with evacuation from a smoky or involved structure should only be attempted by those persons trained and authorized to do so, using self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). (It should be assumed that all smoke contains highly toxic elements.) SMA will have four such units mounted near the outside door of the Antenna Maintenance Building. All regular members of the day crew will receive annual training in the use of these breathers so that they may perform search and rescue procedures if necessary. (Our response to the problem of extinguishing a fire has not been determined, and will be the subject of future discussions with other members of the Mauna Kea community. )

The SMA Control Building has its major electronic areas protected by an inert gas fire suppression system (Inert Gas IG-541, Inergen). Upon sensing smoke these systems will flood the second floor electronics room and the correlator room with inert gas. In addition, all outside vents are closed to these areas and the power is shut off to the affected modules. The effect of this gas may be present even though there is no longer any evidence of the smoke or fire that caused the incident. Although it is believed that the gas is of little danger to personnel, the understanding of its effects at high altitudes is poorly known. As a precaution, SMA personnel should assume these areas contain toxic vapors and enter only with SCBA units, until such time as all systems can be restarted and the modules recharged with fresh air.

a. Antenna Operation - The rule of thumb, which must be followed at all times, is that no antenna is allowed to move without being checked for the presence of nearby personnel. This is one of the measures for preserving the safety of the public that was included with our request for a sublease. The SMA antenna is very heavy and has tremendously powerful drive motors, allowing a robust slew rate. Should someone be caught within the slew path, the potential for serious injury is very high. Each antenna will issue a warning sound a few seconds before any slew operation. As an added precaution, all operations will be conducted with a warning fence around all the working antennas, requiring a deliberate action for anyone to move within the range of the antenna motions. SMA personnel will always use lockout procedures when working on any antenna. Lockout is particularly important at a working site, since the rest of the array may be continuing to observe while adjustmen! ts a re in progress on any one instrument.

The SMA will have surveillance cameras that will allow personnel at several locations to monitor all of the antennas, day or night. It is expected that, in time, we will also use computerized frame comparison techniques to automatically alert the operators if there are intrusions into the area. In the meantime, the array must have an alert operator who visually monitors the array and insures that the paths around the instrument are free of all personnel. Each antenna will have an outside intercom speaker to warn any intruder that he/she is being observed and that they are approaching or entering a restricted area. The operating software should include a simple mechanism to pause antenna slew operations, but otherwise continue to hold in observe mode, while any suspected intrusion is being investigated.

b. Antenna Moves - The previous comments regarding the transporter require that the area be continuously monitored for the public when the antennas are being moved. The antenna moves will also involve numerous fork truck operations and the connecting and disconnecting of the 480VAC power in the handholds. It would not be surprising if the tour operators learn of SMA move schedules and deliberately time their arrival at the peak of activity, since there is little other scientific activity at the summit visible to outsiders. The staff should anticipate a high level of visitor interest and be prepared to deal with their safety as a matter of course.

c. Visits to the Station - There may be large numbers of official and semi-official visitors to the SMA site, especially in the early operations. Entry to the building should be by appointment only. The staff should insure that visitors are guided away from hazardous areas by escorting them whenever practical. This is especially true in the assembly building. Visitors should be given safety goggles and hard hats upon entering the Antenna Maintenance Building if any machine work activity is in progress. Large numbers of visitors would call for a shut-down of normal work activity until the tour is finished. In general, we will not encourage casual visits due to the negative impact on work by the staff.

d. Parking - Employees should avoid parking close to the building whenever conditions permit icing on its side or roof. There are several parking spaces at the end of the SMA site along the road to Puu Poliahu that are designated for tourists. Appropriate signage will be used to differentiate between these parking spaces and those used by the staff. It may be necessary to close these tourist spaces when the transporter is being used near the inner ring of foundations. The SMA rest rooms are not public facilities. For the time being, tourists may be directed to the portable toilets near the concrete batching area.