The Denios AG has moved to Lupfig. For no less than 14 years, the Swiss subsidiary of the North Rhine-Westphalian hazardous materials storage group was located in Wettingen. It was about time for the move: The specialist for environmental and occupational safety technology was bursting at the seams at its old location. Since the beginning of September 2022, Denios AG has now moved to the "Interpark" in Lupfig. Close to the freeway entrances to Basel, Zurich and Berne, the new location in the industrial area is well connected. The commercial property in the industrial area of Lupfig convinces with its large bright windows and spacious meeting and working rooms. In total, premises with over 6000 square meters were created on four floors in the new commercial landscape.

"There were many reasons why we moved," says Denios Switzerland Managing Director Titus Zimmermann. On the one hand, of course, to make room for our organic growth; on the other hand, also to be able to provide more space for product presentation. Not only the classic showroom, but also a separate seminar room for hazardous materials training required more space. As a result, it is now possible to invite several companies at once to Denios' specific training events.

Asked where Denios Switzerland sees itself in two or three years' time, Zimmermann says: "If we carry on like this, we will continue to grow and gain even more skills and employees." But working in compliance with the law also means always setting a good example, even if he thinks of construction site employees who had to be made aware of the necessary fall protection at the new site in Lupfig, says Zimmermann.

Denios SE was founded over 36 years ago in Germany and has been active in Switzerland since 2004 with its independent subsidiary Denios AG. The current product range in the area of hazardous materials storage, handling, occupational safety & industrial supplies includes over 16,000 products and various individual solutions.

The new address is: Denios Switzerland, Gass 5, 5242 Lupfig

More information: www.denios.ch

At the beginning of the year, the Federal Council commissioned the Federal Department of Home Affairs, together with the Conference of Health Directors, to design a specialist group for holistic data management in the healthcare sector. The Covid 19 pandemic in particular has demonstrated why more uniform standards are needed for exchanging data, so that it can be collected only once and used multiple times, for example. This will also allow for cost savings. According to the Federal Office of Public Health, more up-to-date information also guarantees efficient care for the population and more research opportunities.

The expert group is made up of representatives of the federal government, cantons, organizations and interest groups in the healthcare sector, as well as experts from the field of data science. Hospitals, pharmacists, health insurers and the research-based pharmaceutical industry are also represented. At a first meeting on November 19, the working group has now identified initial fields of action for improving data management in healthcare. These will be fleshed out and prioritized by the next meeting in November 2022.

According to the federal government's announcement, the Data Management Expert Group is to create a common overarching architectural understanding, agree on and ensure the development of standards, and adopt existing international standards. These standards are to be broadly supported and adopted as national recommendations after consultation.

Source: BAG/Editorial Office

Mewa has published a new brand catalog for occupational safety. The 316 pages contain a total of 10,000 products in the five categories "safety footwear", "work gloves", "clothing", "skin protection and hygiene" and "respiratory, eye, hearing and head protection". New models from the current collections of the manufacturers Elten, Puma, Toworkfor, Helly Hansen and U-Power can be ordered.

In work gloves, the selection has increased in the Korsar Kori-Dex family, and in disposable gloves, the Grippaz brand has been added. According to Mewa, the "E.Cooline" cooling textiles are an innovation. They are simply activated with water and thus act for up to 20 hours like an air conditioner to put on. The "cooling textiles" are available as cooling vest, T-shirt, bandana and headband from E.Cooline Powercool.

Fast delivery throughout Switzerland

Questions about the current range are answered by Mewa by phone or e-mail. Included in the service is a shoe management service that assists with size and material selection of the right work shoes, as well as a 14-day return policy. If you want to add a logo to your articles, you can also order this via Mewa's embroidery and printing service.

The Mewa "Brand catalog for occupational safety and health" can be obtained via buy4work.mewa.ch/ch/en.

The cloud provider Blackblaze is known for its regular statistics on hard drive failure rates in continuous operation. It was only in 2018 that Blackblaze started to increasingly use SSD drives. Since then, the storage provider has put various solid state drives under the microscope, including normal desktop drives like the Crucial MX500 and Seagate Barracuda. Furthermore, server SSDs like the Micron 500 were also examined under continuous operation. Most of the drives had 250 to 500 GB of storage capacity on board, but only about 20 SSDs with two terabytes of storage. Thus, only about seven failures resulted in the second quarter of 2022. One Micron SSD and six Seagate SSDs said goodbye.

The failure rates of SSDs in the second quarter amounted to 1.15 percent, in the first quarter this was still a bit higher with 1.23 percent. The number of early failures is interesting, which even tends to zero in most cases in the first year. This makes it clear that SSDs have benefited from a significantly better manufacturing technology in the last few years. Age-related failures are also low in continuous operation compared to conventional hard disks. Hard disks can usually already be characterized by higher failure rates after four to five years, whereas SSDs are still affected by significantly fewer downtimes in the statistics.

Source: Blackblaze/Editorial

If you own a Lenovo computer, you should make sure that the BIOS firmware is up to date. Attackers could target several vulnerabilities and compromise PCs. The Chinese PC manufacturer classifies the severity of the vulnerabilities as "high" overall. Five security vulnerabilities were already closed in mid-September.

If attackers successfully exploit a gap, they could access the system management mode memory (SMM), among other things. This controls system-wide parameters such as hardware control and energy management.

It is not clear from the article how attacks could take place. Not all gaps affect all computer models. However, it is recommended in any case to Manufacturer page for the latest firmware updates. Countless models like the desktop, Smart Office and ThinkPad series are affected.

A high-visibility jacket is mandatory when working outdoors and on the road. Those who want to be optimally protected opt for fluorescent high-visibility safety clothing with the certification EN ISO 20471. The reflectors and bright colors of your high-visibility jacket or vest ensure the best visibility.

With many manufacturers you have the option to combine this high-visibility protection with protection against heat, flames and chemicals. For example, if you need exceptional protection, you need multi-protection, which is certified according to many safety standards.

The editors of SAFETY-PLUS, the Swiss trade journal for occupational safety and health protection, will be offering the following special features in the upcoming issue of November 9, 2022 both manufacturers and decision-makers the possibility of a USP-compliant market overview.

Participation free of charge

We would like to invite all market participants to present the occupational safety solutions you manufacture or distribute to an interested target audience. The listing of your products in our market overview is for you free.

How it works

You can present max. two products from your range per PPE category. If you have products from both areas (jackets and vests), you can present max. 2 products per area. in the corresponding form enter. Please also send us two high-resolution images (each approx. 1-3 MB, 300 dpi print quality).

We are looking forward to your participation and kindly ask you to send the completed form at the latest by
October 6, 2022 to the following e-mail address: marktuebersicht.safetyplus@galledia.ch

Premium entry

To enhance and optimally present your entry and product information, we offer you until 19 October the additional possibility to use your Company logo in a separate overview for CHF 350. This short description may have max. 550 characters incl. spaces, including your web address or your phone and mail contact.

With a Public report or Display you reach your core target group without wastage.

For promotional activities, our Tanja Ruckstuhl is at your disposal.

Tanja Ruckstuhl will be happy to advise you:
tanja.ruckstuhl@galledia.ch
058 344 98 66

The market overview is published on 9.11.2022 in the output SAFETY-PLUS 4/2022.

Since 2009, Switzerland and the Russian Federation have had an agreement to facilitate the issuance of visas for their nationals. This has so far simplified the visa procedure for certain groups of people and travel occasions and reduced visa fees. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union (EU) decided on September 9, 2022 to completely suspend its visa facilitation agreement with Russia. At its meeting on September 16, the Federal Council has now also decided to suspend the agreement with Switzerland.

It is in Switzerland's interest to support a common and harmonized European visa policy, according to a Federal Council statement. Otherwise, evasive movements could lead to a significant increase in visa applications by Russian nationals at Swiss representations, the Federal Council said.

Source: Federal Council/Editorial Office

The number of fatalities on Swiss roads increased significantly in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. A total of 116 people lost their lives. This compares with 87 people last year. The number of people seriously injured also increased from 1709 in the first half of 2021 to 1746 people in the first half of 2022.

Passenger car occupants

Compared to the same period of the previous year, the number of occupants of passenger cars killed in the first half of 2022 increased from 27 to 37. 346 occupants of passenger cars were seriously injured in accidents (2021: 293 seriously injured). By age group, there was a decrease in the number of people seriously injured in accidents (total of fatalities and serious injuries), particularly among 18- to 34-year-olds. There was an increase above all in the age groups 55 and older.

E-bike riding

With an e-bike, 15 people died in the first half of 2022 (2021: 9 killed); 220 people were seriously injured (2021: 254 seriously injured). With a fast e-bike, 43 people had serious accidents (no fatalities, 43 serious injuries); with a slow e-bike, 192 people (15 fatalities, 177 serious injuries). Among 55- to 64-year-olds, the number of serious accidents involving a slow e-bike increased from 38 to 47 compared to the previous year; among 14- to 54-year-olds, there was a decrease.

The half-yearly statistics of road accidents are based on the Astra road accident information system. It records accidents reported by the police on public roads or squares involving at least one motor vehicle, bicycle or vehicle-like device. The results of the semi-annual statistics are provisional. The definitive figures will be published in spring 2023.

Source: Astra

Mr. Müller, what is your job at Suva?

As an occupational safety specialist and ergonomics expert, I am in close contact with companies and advise them on a wide range of problems related to the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. Our ergonomists are always consulted when serious physical stresses are involved that can lead to serious occupational illnesses. In each case, we check whether health and safety is being implemented at the workplace.

Has the field of ergonomics gained in importance at Suva in recent years?

The ergonomics department has existed at Suva for 25 years. In recent years, however, we have registered an increase in insurance costs in the area of ergonomics, whereupon the topic has recently become somewhat more the focus of our prevention work.

What physical problems do most of the outages in plants have to do with?

One third of the days lost are related to musculoskeletal complaints. Occupational groups such as home delivery services, the finishing trade or nursing staff are frequently affected. But we also have other industries with risk factors such as highly repetitive activities, for example in vegetable growing.

What hazards occur in beverage logistics, which Suva also focuses on?

When delivering beverages, whether for home delivery or delivery to restaurants, the load is particularly heavy. During the day, the hand trucks are used to transport hundreds of 25-kilo barrels. Just imagine the city of Bern, for example, with its many narrow spiral staircases. The finishing trade, too, for example when working on windows and floors, records very high physical loads due to load transport. The typical physical stresses caused by forced postures and repetitive activities, on the other hand, are more likely to be observed in the industrial sector.

Why isn't construction at the top of the list?

A prevention project called "Optibau" already exists for load transport on the construction site. This principle was developed in 2015 and will be increasingly focused on again this year. We currently see very high risks of severe physical strain, especially in industries where general cargo is transported to a wide variety of locations. Following this prevention campaign, we also want to address other industries, for example companies involved in parcel delivery services.

Across industries, what are the most common physical load carrying mistakes?

One of the main mistakes is not questioning whether one should carry a load at all. This is where effective measures must always be taken. When it comes to transporting loads, people who are professionally involved in lifting and carrying loads usually have a good technique and also appropriate relief aids. On the other hand, we often find that untrained people often bend their knees too low because they confuse a "straight back" with an "upright back." However, having a straight back does not mean that you can no longer lean forward. If lifting is done with an erect back, it leads to very low squat positions and increased stress on the knees. Furthermore, many people are often unaware that a load such as a harasse, for example, can be pulled closer to them over a corner in order to be able to distribute the weight load - at close range - over the entire body.

There are various guide and limit values for the maximum loads. These are often misinterpreted. Why?

The 7 and 12 kg are guideline values for frequently moving loads for women and men, respectively. The 15 kg for women and 25 kg for men are guide values for occasional handling of loads. "Frequently" means four times per hour. If the guideline values are exceeded, a company must carry out hazard assessments, e.g. using our checklists. If hazards are present, the company must take appropriate measures. In addition to the actual load, the frequency of load handling, the execution conditions and the break design play a decisive role.

The prevention module "Handling loads cleverly" also addresses leg work. To what extent can legwork relieve the strain of lifting and transporting?

A straight back does not necessarily mean an upright upper body. We have the strongest muscles in our buttocks and thighs. If we carry loads close to us with a straight back and lift them with the strength from our legs, we make optimal use of these forces. Due to the anatomical characteristics of the human body, the leg muscles, as well as the supporting muscles of the upper body, can work optimally with a straight back. With a round back, some of these muscle groups are "turned off".

Repetitive lifting of smaller objects is also a common problem, from which incorrect postures arise. How can you counteract this problem?

Repetitiveness is a risk factor for physical discomfort regardless of the load. With rather light objects, it makes sense to make optimal use of the mobility of the back. If one wants to optimize the work technique, this should be done in the company with the concrete examples and means from the everyday work. There are various ways of doing this, for example by making notes or paying attention to how other employees perform the same activities. If bad routines have already crept in, a change in behavior requires a lot of time and effort. The same mistake is often made with new tools. For example, a new tool such as a scissor lift table may be introduced and employees are told that they will now work with this tool. One should not underestimate how much time it takes to train employees even with new tools. The failure of introducing a "stair climber" is a classic example. There were companies that purchased some of these aids, which then just stood around in the corner. But when we went around the companies and trained the employees, the employees were extremely satisfied and didn't want to give the aid away.

If employees are already affected by certain MSDs: How does a company deal with these employees?

Complaints can have different causes. In addition to occupational stress, there are also many risk factors from private life. If several employees have the same complaints, it becomes clear where a company has a problem and appropriate measures need to be defined. Risks for physical stress belong in the hazard portfolio. In this way, preventive measures can be taken and complaints avoided. Someone who already has complaints may not be able to continue working with their reduced resilience.

There are numerous options for designing access control (ACC) and access control (ACC). In order to be able to select the individually appropriate technology, intensity, scalability, the required user comfort and the desired cost-effectiveness, a comprehensive risk analysis is first required. The size of the property, the type of use, the number of people authorized to enter or access the property, the density of use, the value and need for protection of facilities, warehouses and specific operating areas, the local situation and the frequency of damage events and threat situations in the past, as well as corresponding police findings, must all be taken into account. A vulnerability analysis for the entire perimeter area is also necessary to rule out the possibility that the ZTK/ZFK can be circumvented. A security concept must define the protection goals to be achieved by the control system and the criteria according to which the control system and all its components are to be selected. The security concept must include all technical, structural and organizational security aspects and integrate the ZTK and ZFK functions into the operational process. To ensure that the ZTK and ZFK are accepted and supported by the employees, it is advisable to also involve the works council and the data protection officer.

Components of the ZTK

The ZTK must be secured by lockable doors and, depending on the need for protection, also by separation systems. The separation lock consists, if it is limited to the order function of the access in case of low security requirements, of a turnstile or a turnstile, in case of access to high security areas of push-pull locked doors, which prevent a simple passing through. In this case, the possibility of contacting a permanently manned control center by video and audio must be provided in front of and inside the lock, the interior must be video-monitored, and each lock door must be monitored for opening, locking, and breakthrough. The outer door of the lock must have the resistance quality RC3 according to EN 1627. The airlock system should be handicapped accessible and suitable for escape routes. In the case of electronic ZTK, wired wall readers are mostly used at the entrance doors, while doors at control points in the interior are usually equipped with wireless, battery-operated fittings. Data is transmitted either via a virtual network or via radio networking. The trend is toward wireless solutions. Here, Bluetooth is used as a universal interface. Further developments in the use of Bluetooth Low Energy are accelerating the trend toward mobile or virtual keys. This was also the result of a survey of security experts from several industries in Europe, presented in the study "Wireless Access Control Report 2021" by IFsec Global 400.

The electronic ZTK system eAccess from the Swiss company Glutz1 , for example, is installed without cabling, assigns access authorizations centrally via the software and networks the ZTK of several buildings and locations with each other via an online gateway. In a 2020 survey by HID Global and ASIS International, 57 percent called mobile access a "top trend" in ZTK, primarily because of the user convenience it provides. The personal, authorization and log data required for ZTK and generated during control must be encrypted in a central database. And data transmission during communication between the database and wall readers, as well as between the control hardware and the badges, must also be encrypted. RFID solutions with 13.56 MHz and AES 128-bit encryption are recommended for communication between the door components and the badges, so that data on the badge cannot be read by unauthorized persons. For ZTK to high-security areas such as data centers, research or development laboratories, and nuclear power plants, two-factor authentication should be used, i.e., identification by a biometric feature (facial recognition, palm veins, or fingerprint) in addition to authorization verification by card or smartphone. For example, the Swiss company TBS Biometric Systems offers contactless fingerprint readers, face scanners and iris scanners. High-security portals of the highest security level work with Stereovision, a recognition system embedded in the ceiling that analyzes shapes, size and volume in three dimensions thanks to the combination of optical sensors and infrared sensors and excludes light or reflection influences.2 The electromechanical locking on the server cabinets of the data center can be linked to the ZTK and the lock monitoring can also be coupled with an EMA.

Intelligent ZFK

Duplicity of entry barriers through gates or gates and authorization verification is also required for ZFK. Industrial gates should provide adequate breakthrough resistance to resistance class 4 and high closing speed. Retractable bollards prevent breaching of barriers or gates with an armored vehicle outside of access control hours. The IFC must record the vehicle's access authorization and the identity of the driver and any passengers in the vehicle. UltraHigh-Frequency (UHF) readers from the Stid company, for example, have a read range of up to 13 meters, so authorized vehicles and their crews can be checked smoothly.3 The ZFK with RFID uses transponders located on the vehicle for long-range detection. Wide-area readers are most useful where a high and fast flow of vehicles is desired. Simpler, but limited to the vehicle, is a ZFK with license plate recognition based on video analysis. When an unknown license plate is detected, an alarm recording is triggered. The driver can then be contacted via an intercom system.

Networking

The security value of the ZTK and ZFK is increased by integration into the higher-level hazard management system and by networking with other security and classification systems on the property. In the Physical Security Information Mangement System (PSIM), all data from such systems flow together. To avoid having to enter master data twice in a database of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and in the ZTK software, both systems should be synchronized. The visitor management system should be integrated so that the access authorization of suppliers and customers and external forces can be checked equally, including the specification and logging of the time duration and any specific local restriction on the authorization to stay. Working time control can be linked to the ZTK, as can a payment system for the use of the canteen. Integration of the ZTK into the classic building technology enables automatic switching on and off of lights and heating at the beginning and end of the use of premises. Elevator control can be combined with the ZTK. The released floors are defined in the access protocol of the card user. It also makes sense to network the ZTK with the escape route and evacuation system, so that in the event of an evacuation it can be determined how many people are in the property.

The ZFK can be linked to the parking management system so that a parking space can be automatically assigned to the incoming vehicle. It also makes sense to network it with the logistics system, in which the delivery and loading processes are documented. Increasingly, ZTK and ZFK and the associated IT infrastructure are being outsourced to a public or hybrid cloud. Market analyst Gartner predicts that the acceptance of identity management solutions provided as IDaaS (Identity Management as a Service) in the cloud will increase rapidly, initially especially among SMEs. The driver of this development is the increased scalability and security in the cloud. Such solutions offer the advantages of simple administration and the highest possible availability, location-independent access, professional data protection, high IT security and long-term cost-effectiveness. The costs are more clearly calculable than with on-premise solutions.

Industry-specific ZTK

The electronic ZTK and ZFK can take into account the special requirements of individual industries. In hotel operations, for example, the ZTK is linked to the elevator control system to ensure that each individual floor with guest rooms in the elevator can only be accessed by guests with access rights. In hotels in particular, it makes sense to link the ZTK with systems for escape route control and voice alarms to ensure that all hotel guests are warned and rescued in good time in the event of a fire. For ZTK in sports stadiums, the use of a facial recognition system linked to an image file of hooligans who have been banned from stadiums for aggressive behavior can identify such individuals when they attempt to violate the ban. For so-called coworking spaces, the ZTK can be integrated into the booking management system, giving users access rights to meeting rooms and access rights to work equipment. The Swiss coworking space provider Office Lab, for example, uses a central management tool for master data, bookings, access rights, contracts and payment.

The authentication process in higher education should cover as many student applications as possible, such as booking workstations in the library or using sports rooms. The cashier's room of a bank branch must be particularly well protected against robbery. A singling gate with integrated biometric access control system ensures that the singling gate door to the teller room only opens after successful personal identification. Hospitals are properties with a particularly high complexity of rooms that may only be entered by certain function holders, so the ZTK to these rooms must be geared to specific persons, function holders and shift times. In the ZTK, access to medicines stored under lock and key must be included in the record keeping. ZTK must also be particularly thorough in the food industry, for example. Only authorized persons are allowed on the respective premises. Critical areas are video-monitored. Delivery traffic must be documented in an audit-proof manner.

Conclusion

An intelligent and reliable ZTK and ZFK is indispensable for corporate security across all industries

Sources
1) Trade journal GIT Sicherheit, issue 5-2022, p. 22/23 2) Protector, issue 3-2022, p. 26/27 3) GIT Sicherheit, issue 5-2022, p. 28-30

This technical article appeared in the printed issue SicherheitsForum 4-2022. You want to read the articles of this issue? Then close right away here a subscription.

It is common knowledge that healthcare costs are exploding. However, this also affects the costs of medical and therapeutic services after an accident. Last year, Suva reviewed 2.5 million invoices, according to a press release. More than 300,000 of these medical bills contained errors, which corresponds to 13 percent of all bills. Most of the rejections were due to duplicate invoices, incorrectly charged services or services not covered by insurance. In some cases, the accident insurer also received invoices for services that were not provided at all, Suva writes.

Suva says it relies on the possibilities of machine learning to check invoices. About a third of all invoices, more than 110,000 in total, are automatically rejected without human intervention. For example, if services are billed at the wrong price or if service providers such as hospitals, doctors or therapists are not authorized to provide a certain service. Intelligent software can detect such discrepancies, which can then be corrected manually.

This amount will also benefit Suva's policyholders, who will pay lower premiums as a result of the savings, according to the accident insurer.

Source: Suva/Editorial Office 

According to the National Co-operative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), the Opalinus Clay in the siting area Nördlich Lägern has the best geological barrier effect. The Opalinus Clay here is also deeper and is better protected against erosion by hard rock layers above. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the announcement of the siting area and the location of the packaging plant is an "important milestone" in the ongoing site search. However, the announcement of the siting area is not yet equivalent to an approval.

The general licence applications for the deep geological repository and for the fuel element packaging facility, including all technical details, will not be submitted by Nagra for about two years. The review process leading up to a decision could take until the end of the 2020s. However, the announcement at the present time is necessary, as the Federal Office of Energy writes, so that the cooperation of the stakeholders with the affected parties can continue.

Nagra does not intend to build the fuel packaging facility in the siting area itself, but on the site of the existing interim storage facility in the municipality of Würenlingen, adjacent to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). According to Nagra, this has the advantage that synergies with the existing nuclear facilities there can be exploited and the space required is smaller.

The press conference of the Federal Office of Energy to follow: 

Source: Federal Office of Energy/Editorial Office