40 years of Swiss Safety
To mark its 40th birthday, the Swiss industry association for personal protective equipment treated itself to a new exhibition stand - and met for a celebration at Lenzburg Castle.
A round birthday is a reason to celebrate. To mark its 40th anniversary, the PSA industry association invited guests to the general meeting followed by a gala dinner at Lenzburg Castle on April 15.
The highlight was the new exhibition stand, which will be used for the first time at the Occupational Safety Switzerland exhibition in June. The association can also report pleasing figures on the subject of growth: After 6 new members and one resignation in 2015, 47 companies are now members of Swiss Safety.
There was one change on the board this year: Robert Chandler stepped down after many years on the board. Roland Giddey from Workfashion was welcomed with much applause. The married family man is responsible for the protective clothing division at the company.
E-learning platform
The association wants to break new ground when it comes to e-learning. Georges Lobsiger of occupational safety and health training specialist Lobsiger & Partner presented a project idea for an e-learning platform that will provide employers in Switzerland with practical tools on the subject of PPE. This includes a PPE cadastre for industries, instructions for PPE by activity and interactive training for employees. In a collaboration between the company and the association, the platform is to be based on Lobsinger & Partners' proven tools and be available to customers as quickly as possible.
In return, the association receives exclusive distribution rights, offers added value for members, ensures rapid distribution, leaves competitors behind - and, thanks to the platform, can distinguish itself as a competence center instead of "just" offering products.
These arguments convinced the members present - there was a "go" for the preliminary project and the business plan.
Review
After the official part, the representatives of the member companies and the guests of honor showed that they not only know serious topics. In keeping with the medieval ambience of the castle, a quartet of wind instruments played and during a guided tour the guests learned about the history of the castle - and how deep the well in the castle courtyard is. Fortunately, the well was covered, so no one had to pull out a fall protection device. A lot of laughter was allowed during the review of the last 40 years - all kinds of anecdotes from past times triggered a smile even among new members.
