Machine protection of the Large Hadron Collider

This paper introduces the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), built and operated by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN); it describes the key elements of the LHC Machine Protection System (MPS), and some of the challenges faced in the realisation of that system. Machine protection is a core competency of the organisation, and can benefit from techniques and measures used in system-safety. This paper gives a brief outline of how machine protection compares with system-safety, describing the ongoing development of a protection system lifecycle, inspired by a system-safety approach, for high-energy physics experiments, facilities and machines, and by providing an overview of machine protection's position within CERN.