The Federal Council wants to improve security in the penal and correctional system with targeted measures. It should no longer be possible for detained offenders to take parole in closed custody. In the case of juveniles aged 16 and over who have committed murder, it should be possible to order custody directly following the juvenile criminal sanction if there is a serious risk of recidivism.

A detained offender who is in closed custody or is serving a previous custodial sentence should only be allowed to take legally prescribed vacations if accompanied by security personnel. Further selective adjustments concern the composition of the expert commissions for assessing the dangerousness of offenders and the automatic review rhythm of the detentions.

Source: Bund/Editorial

On September 28th, a first "Compliance Meet Up" took place at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Pratteln under the auspices of domeba Switzerland. A varied program of presentations was provided. For example, mentor and coach Christian Liechti modeled various trip and fall hazards with Lego building blocks. Also in attendance was former Weita category manager and self-employed PPE consultant Laura Dorman. "PPE is a pain in the ass and costs money," Dorman said. PPE is usually provided, she said, but most of the time there is simply a lack of proper training and good "fit testing." It is therefore increasingly important to create comprehensive dossiers in order to be able to evaluate in which areas training and adjustments to the PPE are needed.

One "Safety Day" per year is not enough

Ralf Jaschek, Managing Director of domeba Switzerland, spoke about the challenges of occupational safety. One "Safety Day" per year is certainly a good approach, but much more should happen "around it". For example, duties and delegation should always take place in the overall context of e-learning. According to Jaschek, 1.5 million users are currently working with the iManSys software. Among the references are well-known names such as Syngenta, AWD, Siemens and Unilever. In addition to online instruction, a short training course, for example, can be reported very easily and very quickly at any time. In addition, the topic of sustainability and the environment is specifically covered by the in-house solution.

"The feedback from the audience was very positive," Ralf Jaschek told SAFETY-PLUS. The long time many participants stayed at the stand-up lunch underscored the value of such events. A continuation of the event format is already being planned, according to Jaschek.

Source: Editorial office

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is defined by standards and regulations. In addition, the protective effects must remain guaranteed over the lifetime of the garments. In industries with high hygiene standards (e.g. food industry, social and health care, catering industry), hygienically prepared workwear also prevents the spread of diseases.

In order to be able to guarantee the functional and hygienic requirements for workwear as a company, it is advisable to have workwear washed and reprocessed by industrial laundries using validated processes.

Household laundry and its risks

Having employees wash work clothes at home is problematic because many factors must be considered that employers cannot control.

• Liquid, bleach-free detergents and low temperatures are increasingly being used. Bacteria are not effectively rendered harmless below 60 °C.
• Household washing machines often do not reach the required 60 °C or cannot maintain the temperature long enough - then disinfection and documentation is not possible. Likewise, the load quantity and thus the effect and the wash chemistry cannot be controlled.
• Certain bacteria (e.g. E. coli and S. aureus) can survive on cotton fibers for up to 21 days and on polyester fibers for up to seven days. These bacteria often survive the household washing process.
• If high-visibility clothing is washed too hot, reflective stripes lose their luminosity.
• The use of fabric softener can make personal protective equipment with heat and flame protection flammable (increased conductivity).
• If residues such as oil or grease are not completely removed, the clothing becomes flammable - and thus life-threatening!

Therefore, it should be in the interest of employers to have work clothes washed and processed according to professional standards in textile service companies.

Advantages of industrial laundry

Professional companies have process and quality management systems that ensure reliable, hygienic and safe textile services.

• The reprocessing of work clothes by an industrial textile service company completely prevents cross-contamination in the domestic environment and ensures that the clothes are washed according to the required guidelines.
• Standards which must be complied with (e.g. reflectivity, conductivity, etc.) must be checked and documented at regular intervals using special installations. Professional textile service companies have systems for recording the individual washing cycles and for measuring the parameters defined by the standard and documenting the results.
• The management of the amount of clothes in circulation by the textile service company guarantees that there is always enough time to process the clothes correctly.
• Competent advice in the selection of work clothes guarantees that the clothes can withstand the procedures necessary for safety and hygiene without damage and remain in optimal use.

Source: Swiss Textile Care Association 

The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has located a website used by cybercriminals to impersonate several different banks. The fake bank websites are primarily used for advance fee fraud. However, there are also other crimes where fraudsters use fake banking websites. In advance fee fraud, the existence of a supposed inheritance or a supposed lottery win is usually backed up via a fake bank account.

The modular website can be dynamically adapted to look like the logos of the major banks. In the case of Swiss victims, however, foreign banks are usually simulated, as inconsistencies are usually quickly noticed. In a recent case, however, it was a so-called "romance scam".

In the process, fake profiles are often created on social media and Internet partner portals in order to pretend, with large sums of money, that the supposed lover is wealthy. As proof of trust, the scammer gives the victim his "access data". However, when an urgent transaction is made, the login suddenly no longer works and the victim is asked to make the transaction from his or her account.

Source: NCSC/Editorial 

Data centers, which house a large number of systems and thus also store huge amounts of data, must be fully prepared for many emergencies and interruptions, including power shortages, and ensure seamless operation. At the Green, Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer gained insight into how the Swiss data center provider ensures business continuity and sustainable data center operations at the end of October 2022.

How data centers can become power plants

Switzerland as a data location plays a central role due to increasing demand from international cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft. According to Green, Ueli Maurer sees this as a great opportunity for Switzerland. Therefore, he said, politicians must do everything possible to continue to guarantee legal security and ensure the reliability of system stability. Ueli Maurer sees an interesting benefit of the extensive and expensive emergency power supply of data centers in connection with power shortages: "When we have a power shortage, we need everyone. That's where data centers can make a very important contribution. They have a lot of capacity that they could feed in."

Making the existing diesel generators available in the event of a power shortage is also a concept Green is positive about, he says. More than 80 percent of the total energy consumption in a data center is attributable to hardware operation, says Roger Süess, CEO of Green. Large data centers are already so highly optimized that they consume less than 20 percent of the total energy for cooling, security and equipment. The approach should therefore be virtualization, more efficient hardware, or outsourcing of systems.

Source: Green.ch/editorial office

The days are getting shorter again and the nights longer. At night, the risk of road accidents is three times higher than during the day. According to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU), road users who are traveling on foot or by bicycle are particularly at risk. This is because one in five of the 200 road traffic fatalities each year was on foot.

It is generally known that pedestrians dressed in dark clothing are less easily recognized at night. In the headlights, the recognition distance is only about 25 meters. For a car driver to be able to brake in time at a speed of 50 km/h, however, he needs a recognition distance of 40 meters. Bright clothing, however, significantly increases visibility on roads. Ideally, reflectors contribute to better visibility. This can increase visibility to 140 meters, according to the BFU. Cyclists and e-bike riders are also often noticed too late during the day.

The AAIB has therefore together with the police, the TCS and Pro Velo initiated a prevention campaign aimed primarily at pedestrians, bicycle and e-bike riders.

The most important tips for better visibility:

• On foot: wear light-colored clothing, reflective materials
• On the bike, e-bike or motorcycle: additionally wear a light vest
• Equip the bike with front and rear lights and reflectors
• For cars and motorcycles: keep lights on and headlights clean; reduce speed in darkness
• On scooter, skateboard and co.: use lights at night or when visibility is poor

Source: AAIB/editorial office

At dusk and at night, the risk of accidents is three times higher than during the day. In nighttime rain, snow or backlighting, the risk of accidents on the roads increases tenfold. According to statistics published by the Swiss Federal Roads Office (Astra), the autumn months up to December (from September) are the five most accident-prone months of the year. Add to this the fact that, in the wake of the energy crisis, many towns and villages have decided to reduce or partially switch off public lighting during the night.

According to the TCS, road users in the dark can take additional measures to be seen better at night. One way to increase visibility in traffic is to equip yourself with reflective clothing and equipment. This can include reflective materials for joggers, young people, dog owners, families and commuters.

Source: TCS/Editorial Office

Silvan Betschart takes over the function of "Sales Manager Products" as a new member of the management team at Minimax AG, headquartered in Dübendorf.

Betschart has a basic technical education and has 20 years of knowledge of the construction and ancillary construction industries from his previous professional activities, according to a statement from the fire protection consultant.

Betschart is a federally certified sales manager and succeeds Fredy Meier, who will retire at the end of December 2022.

Minimax AG was founded in 1902 and is active in a wide range of industries.

Source: Minimax AG/Editorial Office

Silvan Betschart takes over the function of "Sales Manager Products" as a new member of the management team at Minimax AG, headquartered in Dübendorf.

Betschart has a basic technical education and has 20 years of knowledge of the construction and ancillary construction industries from his previous professional activities, according to a statement from the fire protection consultant.

Betschart is a federally certified sales manager and succeeds Fredy Meier, who will retire at the end of December 2022.

Minimax AG was founded in 1902 and is active in a wide range of industries.

Source: Minimax AG/Editorial Office

The new Swiss passport is available now and can be ordered from cantonal passport offices or Swiss representations abroad. According to the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), the new passport series meets the latest standards for identification features.

As before, the biometric data is stored on the microchip, which is located in the booklet of the passport. According to the Federal Police, the chip data can only be read in each case with a device that guarantees encrypted transmission. According to the Fedpol, the fingerprints are specially protected and can only be read in countries with equivalent data protection as Switzerland.

In terms of symbolism, the new passport is intended to represent cosmopolitanism and a sense of home. The theme of mountains runs through all pages of the 26 cantons.

Old passport remains valid

In addition to the ordinary Swiss passport, the new passport series includes the diplomatic passport, the service passport, the travel document for refugees and a passport for foreigners living in Switzerland.

All existing passport documents will remain valid until they expire. In the first half of 2023, there will also be a new identity card. Anyone who wants the new passport must report to the cantonal passport offices or a representation abroad for an appointment to have their biometric data recorded.

Source: Fedpol/Editorial Office 

A current PwC study addresses the question of whether the boom in digitized healthcare solutions is already over. At the very least, the authors of the study conclude that the "investment appetite" has been restrained following a pandemic-induced surge in digitization.

More difficult market conditions are also becoming increasingly apparent in the start-up scene. Accordingly, 65 percent of the study companies are increasingly shifting their focus in product development to regulated digital health solutions.

Do not jump to conclusions

51 percent of respondents rank large healthcare providers as the most important partners for marketing new digital health solutions. Established tech companies are in second place with an importance factor of 46 percent. Only in third place, with an awareness of 36 percent, are pharmaceutical companies.

In its study, PwC Switzerland sums up that providers of digital healthcare solutions should define in advance what role they want to play in the ecosystem of the future. Particularly important and decisive is the reliable protection of patient data.

Furthermore, many companies (41 percent) are not yet clear about how comprehensively data can be used as a promising source.

82 percent of respondents also expect health insurance reimbursement for digital solutions to be a key business model.

Source: PwC/Editorial

As it gets darker more quickly in winter, potential burglary victims are often still at work during the twilight hours of the afternoon. The early evening hours therefore offer perpetrators optimal conditions for breaking into residential buildings under the cover of darkness.

Compared to recent years, the current burglary crisis has started at a significantly higher level. On the one hand, the residential sector is affected, in which burglary crimes have increased by 20 percent since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2021. On the other hand, burglaries in basement departments or private collective garages have also increased, in which mostly expensive e-bikes and high-quality bicycles are captured.

Increase in burglaries in industry and commerce

The shorter winter days hardly influence the crimes committed at night. However, burglaries in the commercial sector have already risen again. It can therefore be assumed that the cantonal police will increase their presence in view of the winter season with additional regional police forces and carry out large-scale manhunts.

Appeal to the population

By spring, for example, the prevention mobile of the cantonal police will also be stationed increasingly in several communities in Aargau. Simple measures help to minimize the risk of burglary. A timer, for example, can be used to set off the potential presence of an occupant earlier, since perpetrators usually prefer unlit properties. Additional mechanical security devices and structural measures make it even more difficult for burglars to break into patio windows. Suspicious persons and vehicles should always be reported to the police as soon as possible by calling 117.

Source: Kapo Aargau