THE LYON-TURIN LINE: with the 10.5 KM BASE TUNNEL COMPLETED ON TIME AND ON BUDGET TELT presents Mission-S, the programme to improve safety at work
 

28 April 2022, Saint-Martin-la-Porte (France) — This morning at Saint-Martin-la-Porte in the Maurienne
Valley, excavation of the first 10.5 km of the Lyon-Turin base tunnel was completed.

At around 11:00 a.m., the workers broke through the last rock wall, connecting the 9 km excavated by the
Federica TBM with the kilometre and a half built using the traditional method in one of the most delicate
points of the mountain between France and Italy, marked by the presence of a long coal fault. This is the
second construction site of the project to be completed on time and on budget, following the completion
of the entrance at Saint-Julien-Montdenis, which was accomplished in autumn 2021. At the same time,
work has begun on the French section of the tunnel through which the trains will travel, with the contract
for this being awarded in July of last year. At the moment, more than 1,000 people are working in the 10
construction sites in the two countries.

This moment of transition coincides with the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, which TELT has
chosen to present Mission-S (Mission Safety). This is a programme which, together with the companies
working in the construction sites, reinforces the safety supervision of workers on the cross-border section.
Over the next few years, more than 4,000 people will be working in the construction sites and it is essential
to set up a rigorous safety strategy now, involving all levels of the production chain. The starting point is that safety can only be maximised if it becomes a shared responsibility, a dimension in which everyone has to play their part for the good of all.

The bar is set high: the goal is to minimise accidents at work and eliminate serious and fatal accidents. It is
an ambitious but achievable goal. History shows that working conditions have gradually improved over the
last two hundred years, thanks to technological and social innovations, medical and hygiene breakthroughs
and an awareness of the importance of human life and health. This has also been the case for underground workers, for whom the development of technologies during the 19th and 20th centuries has been fundamental. And the figures show that today the goal of zero mortality is achievable.
In order to achieve this goal, the public promoter, together with the companies involved, is deploying all
the latest cutting-edge tools available in terms of training, methodologies and technologies, drawing on
the world's best experiences in each sector.

The programme was presented to an audience of over 100 people. The day was opened by the general
director of TELT, Mario Virano, who was followed by the presentation of the balance sheet of the recently
completed construction site by the group led by Spie Batignolles (together with Eiffage Génie Civil, Ghella
SpA, CMC di Ravenna, Cogeis SpA). The managers of the public promoter then illustrated the Mission-S
programme, while the companies working in Italy and France talked about the innovations implemented for
tunnel safety in the construction sites: the group led by Webuild-CSC Construction (together with Vinci
Constructions France TP, CSC Entreprise de Constructions, Dodin Campenon Bernard) which is building the niches in the Maddalena di Chiomonte tunnel, the LYTO group (VINCI Construction Grands Projets (principal), Dodin Campenon Bernard, VINCI Construction France, Webuild and Bergteamet) which is working in the SSI-0 ventilation shafts of the Avrieux tunnel and the section of the base tunnel to be excavated between Saint-
Martin-la-Porte and Modane, and the group led by Implenia (Implenia Suisse (principal) / Implenia France /
NGE / Itinera / Rizzani de Eccher), which is working in the construction of the section of the base tunnel
between the entrance at Saint-Julien-Montdenis and Saint-Martin-la-Porte. The heads of Carsat (Caisse
d'Assurance Retraite et de Santé Au Travail) and the Occupational Safety Unit of the ILO also spoke.
MISSION-S, Sharing Safety

A shared culture and the commitment of the companies
The first step has been to include a high control of safety as an important criterion in the tender
documents for the project. The technical and organisational response, the propensity to innovate and the
attention paid to the people who will be working in the construction phase has become an object of
evaluation and contributes to the choice of contractors. To seal this commitment at the time of awarding
the contract, the companies sign with TELT the "Sustainability and Integrity Pact of the Lyon-Turin
Companies", which involves all the players present in the construction sites (Client, Works Management,
Safety Coordinators, companies, sub-contractors and self-employed workers) sharing and pursuing the
same objectives. In the wake of international best practices, an incentive mechanism is being worked on
with a reward system for those who distinguish themselves each year in the field of safety, encouraging
companies to do even better.

Smart construction sites and benchmarking
To build Europe's longest tunnel, the construction sites need to be 4.0, with software capable of sharing
and managing safety processes. For this reason, the objective is to integrate the information systems
increasingly for remote control (access, movement of materials and people, etc.) and continuous
monitoring of the working environment. This goes hand in hand with a constant comparison of
procedures, best practices and performance with other international clients engaged in similar works or
who have long experience in highly complex activities.

Continuous training
A fundamental step is to increase the perception of risks by all those involved: employees, managers and
workers' representatives. Everyone must be informed of the potential risks and dangers of the construction
site. In addition to the continuous training of its employees on health and safety issues in the various
operational areas, a constant monitoring of events in the construction sites has been put in place. This is a
tool that makes it possible to intervene promptly in critical situations with actions of investigation, warning
and focus on suppliers. Furthermore, starting from the assumption that every accident or incident is almost
never the result of chance or bad luck, but of small or large causes whose combination can generate one, it
becomes essential to be able to know the causal links in order to block the chain that leads to the