Director's Notice

Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso

The Gran Sasso National Laboratories (LNGS), of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics, are playing a fundamental role in elementary particle physics and astrophysics. Their underground location, which is a necessary condition in order to conduct research in a low cosmic ray background, makes them almost unique of their kind, whilst putting them at the forefront in terms of size and technology.

The geographical location (inside the National Park of Gran Sasso - Monti della Laga) and the special operating conditions (largely underground, near a highway tunnel and in close proximity to water basins) demand that special attention is paid to the safety and environmental aspects of their activities.

To develop a knowledge of nature in its more detailed structure while respecting nature itself:this is one of the primary mission of the LNGS.

The Gran Sasso National Laboratories always act in accordance with current laws, paying attention to the environmental impact and safety of their activities. Now the LNGS Directorate has introduced also an Environmental Management System (EMS) complying with the ISO 14001 standard, in order to make the organisation more modern and efficient, to assure the conformity to current laws, and also to allow the continuous improvement of the environment performance, a necessary condition for "sustainable development”.
The system will be verified by an independent auditing authority, which will constantly check the conformity to the standard, in order to assure the Management, and also all the various involved parties (local authorities, citizens, members of the staff, collaborators and research institutes) of the adequacy of the Environmental Policy, the operating conditions, procedures, and checks.

To reach this important result, the LNGS Director has asked all the personnel, the collaborators, the research institutes, the external firms to actively collaborate in the realization of the Environmental Management System, providing all the necessary information and participation: everybody could be asked to change something in its operating routines or to document their current activity. But the goal to be reached is everybody's goal:
TO STUDY NATURE RESPECTING NATURE.

The Director
Lucia Votano