In a white paper published by TÜV-Süd in Munich, the Technical Monitoring Association illustrates cybersecurity in IoT products. However, it is primarily about IoT products for end consumers, yet the knowledge paper is also interesting for manufacturers. So-called smart home products are often conveniently integrated into home networks. However, potential dangers lurk in smart home gateways, home monitoring and lighting systems.

More than 30 billion wearables by 2025

As demand for IoT products grows, so do the security risks, and new vulnerabilities and design flaws are constantly emerging. According to TÜV, around 11.7 billion IoT devices were used in the year alone. By 2025, this figure is expected to exceed 30 billion. These include wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, as well as some children's toys and baby monitors.

Still many IoT threat scenarios

According to the EU Commission, more than 80 percent of all cyber attacks are currently directed against wireless devices. In terms of compliance, manufacturers must be guided by cybersecurity standards and regulations, as well as the respective national law. For example, in Europe and to some extent in the United Kingdom, there is ETSI EN 303 645, while in the United States, NIST IR 8259 comes into play, and in India or on other continents such as Australia, again, other guides apply. Also, different data protection laws and regulations apply in the United States than in Europe or Asia.

The whitepaper of TÜV-Süd can be about this page can be downloaded.

According to the German Society for the Prevention of Accidents (DGUV), around 70 percent of all deaths as a result of an occupational disease involve cancer. However, the cause is not always due to years of working with hazardous substances. In the modern working world, too, contact with carcinogenic substances occurs again and again every day.

Keeping the overview

According to DGUV statistics, there were 1754 deaths in Germany in 2021 as a result of cancer. However, in order to be able to deal effectively with carcinogenic substances at all, the legally required risk assessments must have taken place. As a rule, this is often a challenge for small and medium-sized companies. The motto is: help people to help themselves, because first there must be clarity as to whether such substances are involved and the necessary need for action must be evaluated.

The Portal can be a useful aid in obtaining information on the detailed descriptions of hazardous substances. For individual carcinogenic substances or groups of substances, the information is also well summarized in tabular form. Current figures and the exposure levels at workplaces are listed, for example. According to the DGUV, the existing content will be expanded gradually. A separate section also contains some tips on dealing with carcinogenic substances.

Source: DGUV/IFA, editorial office 

Private security services provided abroad declined sharply last year. Numerous activities fulfilled According to the current activity report of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) does not provide a new and more precise definition of private security services.

The impact of the revised regulation mainly concerned services for armed or security forces. For this group, the number of notifications in 2021 was still about one-tenth of the number submitted in the previous year.

A total of 157 reports were received. These mainly concerned three groups of activities: personal protection and the guarding of goods or properties, as well as support for armed and security forces and, most recently, private intelligence activities. The Export Control and Private Security Services Section (SEPS) initiated three investigation procedures but did not issue a ban.

Market observation

At the international level, the FDFA SEPS Section participated in the dialogue on standards for private security companies and on measures to control their activities, for example when new technologies are increasingly offered and operated by specialized private companies for the benefit of states.

Private military and security companies (PMSCs), for example, have also been the focus of public interest. Last year, for example, the presence of the Russian Wagner Group in sub-Saharan Africa regularly made headlines. The FDFA is following these developments closely as a matter of respect for international law, as it stated in its press release. writes.

The activity report was taken note of by the Federal Council at the end of June.

Source: DFA/Editorial Office 

The Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) informs in a safety warning about a possible electric shock hazard of the luminaires "LED T8" and "LED T5" of the distributor Induled GmbH. Affected are not only the luminaires, but also the connectors, so that a risk of electric shock can not be excluded. ESTI did not receive the information from the responsible distributor Induled GmbH. In the meantime, the GmbH has been officially deleted.

The following products are affected by the security issue:

LED luminaire, LED T8 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T806-9WI-TW

• LED luminaire, LED T8 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T812-18WI-TW
• LED luminaire, LED T8 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T815-23WI-TW
• LED luminaire, LED T5 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T506-9WI-TW
• LED luminaire, LED T5 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T512-16WI-TW
• LED luminaire, LED T5 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T512-18WI-TW
• LED luminaire, LED T5 integrated in strip, Art. No. CP-T515-23WI-TW

The associated connectors are also affected.

The products were sold until the end of 2021, possibly later, by the now-deleted company Induled GmbH, Kirchgasse 4, Bassersdorf. Consumers should stop using these LED lights and have them replaced by an electrical specialist, warns ESTI.

Source: ESTI

With the consolidation of a comprehensive risk and security culture, the canton of Zurich now also wants to establish its own cyber security center. The protection of official data and critical infrastructure is becoming increasingly important as a quality feature of a location, the president of the government and finance director Ernst Stocker was quoted as saying in a statement from the canton. Therefore, the canton wants to strengthen the location with a broad network and targeted measures. A newly adopted cyber security strategy is also based on the recommendations of the Swiss Security Network. The new unit is affiliated with the Office for Information Technology.

Own bug bounty program

The focus is on the levels of the administration. In addition to a campaign to raise awareness of the security culture among employees, transparent cyber risk management and a bug bounty program are to be launched. Intra-administration cooperation is to be intensified in this context, so that exchanges with partners such as operators of critical infrastructures can also be cultivated. The cantonal center also plans to collaborate with the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) to provide a training platform for cities and municipalities, according to the release.

It is not only the canton of Zurich that is pursuing a bundling of competencies for its cyber defense capabilities. The canton of Zug is also currently busy with it, to establish its own cybersecurity information and contact point. An independent test institute for cyber security is to be established there.

Source: Canton of Zurich/Editorial Office

One thing is certain: good daylight and large office spaces with workplaces close to windows are important, also for the natural bio-rhythm of humans. However, workplaces close to windows also have disadvantages. The sunlight can be blinding and the eyes have to strain more with reflective light. This can be particularly noticeable on computer screens. The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) summarizes some useful tips on how to avoid heat and glare at the workplace.

1. The correct position of the workplace: The closer you are to a window with your desk, the more likely you are to be blinded by the sun. However, a desk should also not be too far from the window. Workstations should also be positioned so that employees can see parallel to the window.
2. The technical glare protection: The different daylight conditions can be regulated by effective glare protection mechanisms. Window blinds and curtains should therefore always be easily accessible for all employees.
3. The right glazing: The type of window glazing reduces the thermal load. Solar control glazing can let in as much light as possible while keeping heat low and acts as an additional glare shield.
4. Antireflection screens: Directly incident light affects the contrasts of the screens and can cause strong glare. The contrasts and the screen background are greatly reduced as a result. In most cases, it is then hardly possible to see anything on the monitor. Those responsible for operations should therefore procure anti-reflective displays wherever possible in order to specifically counteract the dazzling effects. The anti-reflective coating can usually be found in the hardware's data sheets.

Source: DGUV/Editorial Office

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others can track up to 52 percent of the pages that Internet users visit. To do this, they load trackers via like, share or login buttons, evaluate the surfing behavior of their users and thus draw conclusions even about people who are not themselves logged on there. This is the conclusion of a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the universities of Zurich, Lausanne and Yale.

Data calculated from 5000 users

For the study, the economists calculated what data Facebook could theoretically store on the basis of user data from almost 5,000 people. Their result: around 40 percent of the time spent by users on the Internet could be tracked using the platform's technical capabilities.

"Because the companies hardly give any information about which algorithms they use, no one can say for sure what data is really stored and used," explains Hannes Ullrich, research associate at DIW Berlin. "But our research shows that the technical basis for monitoring a large part of Internet activity is available from online platforms."

Individual consumer profiles

The observed Internet histories are suitable for creating individual consumer profiles. According to the experts, it is attractive for companies to create such profiles because they can sell targeted advertising to providers of products and services.

In order to create consumer profiles, the platforms use so-called trackers, which are automatically loaded via Like, Share or Login buttons, for example - regardless of whether the person recorded is logged into the platform themselves or whether this button is clicked. In this way, Facebook could link the pages visited by its users with the user data stored on Facebook and draw conclusions about other visitors to these pages.

According to the study authors, this method can correctly estimate demographic characteristics such as age, gender or education level of non-users of the platforms with up to 65 percent certainty. "By comparing this with data from people who are logged in, consumer profiles can also be created about non-users, which the platforms or third parties can use for targeted advertising."

Source: pressetext.com 

Mr. Strässle, what were the most frequent industrial accidents last year?

Most accidents occur due to carelessness. They are usually typical accident incidents such as tripping and slipping. Last year we had one accident - resulting in a broken wrist, caused by careless walking backwards near the saddle stitcher. On one occasion, a person fell while climbing a flight of stairs and failed to support themselves on the hand knob. What also happens frequently in our company are finger injuries while tying or untying pallets.

Were there also so-called "near-accidents" here and there?

Suva is actually very satisfied every time during the plant tours. There was a near-accident once when an employee disposed of the cut plastic straps of a pallet in the trash container: The tight straps popped open again and the employee injured his eye, but was lucky not to lose his sight. A few millimeters in another place and he would have gone blind in one eye. Since then, we have taken appropriate precautions to always tape the dangerous tapes together when disposing of them in the future. As a result, our employees have been instructed to cut open the pallets in future - at a right angle to the barrier tape - so that the elastic tapes cannot burst open in front of the employee, but only next to him. During the actual inspections, usually only something small is found.

How are the heavy loads (printing plates, printed sheets, print products) moved?

When the stacks of paper need to be turned, we have an electric pile turner to lift and turn the load. For the transport from A to B we have lift trucks. For manual work we have electric pallet trucks, which transport pallets to the desired working height.

What is a typical working day like for a safety officer at Galledia in Flawil?

I perform my duties as a safety officer in addition to my normal 100 percent workload as a prepress employee. Once a month, I have to go on a major tour: This involves the production rooms, the chemistry room and all emergency exits, as well as the defibrillator. I also constantly check all the corridors and the first-aid kits.

Machine incidents such as sudden trickling of liquids are usually reported anyway. But there are many other safety aspects to consider. Pallets, for example, must never be stacked all the way up, even though LED lights are used on the ceiling. Special precautions are also required for external assembly work. For example, a welder must not weld on Fridays, as a fire can ignite over the weekend.

Anyone who joins us as a new employee is personally trained by me on the very first day. I guide the person through all emergency exits and explain the procedure in the event of a fire alarm.

I am also responsible for training and measures relating to occupational safety and hygiene. The measures for corona pool tests, for example, came from the management. However, the actual organization of the saliva tests took several days. When a pool test shows positive results, there are usually many unexpected administrative tasks.

Several tons of paper are stored at the Flawil site. What special challenges arise for fire protection?

All paper deliveries come to us "just in time": everything that arrives on one day is also processed on the same day. We have about 15 tons stored in the cellar. The daily rations for magazines amount to about 20 tons. In the event of a fire alarm, a large fire department is always called out.

Our fire detection systems have highly sensitive heat and odor sensors. The most dangerous part of our substances is stored in the chemical room, which will soon have its own fire door and be equipped with a code access system. In terms of chemicals for the machines, we only store what we actually need. An additional chemical storage cabinet in the production hall will last 90 minutes in the event of a fire before the fire department would intervene.

What protective equipment must employees wear on site? Is noise protection required in certain areas?

All our employees in production wear safety shoes and have personalized ear protection (an impression of the auditory canal was made of each ear), protective goggles are available at the locations where the chemicals are tied and filled. Our employees use plastic gloves for cleaning with chemicals, respiratory protection is not required. Protective goggles are available for filling so that no splashes get into the eye. If this should happen, we have hung up an eye shower for washing out.

Have any emergencies occurred in recent years?

Once, a battery exploded in a small floor cleaning machine. After that, the fire department ventilated the production hall with large fans. Fortunately, we have not yet had a real fire. Only once, eight years ago, a sheet of paper caught fire near a UV lamp. However, we were able to extinguish the fire immediately. However, the fire department still moved in. How is the Evak team organized in the event of a fire incident? An alarm usually means "continue working normally" in our company. We have different evacuation and deputy evacuation officers for each floor and department. They have their own emergency bags with green vests. In case of an emergency, they mark which floors may no longer be entered in the event of a fire.

In the event of an alarm, the Evak team arrives at the reception desk. The fire alarm system shows the location of the alleged fire. This is visited and checked and it is evaluated whether it is a fire or not. If there is a fire, the manual button is pressed. If a second alarm sounds, our evac team reaches for their handbags and all persons leave the respective floors. For this reason, we also keep an entry list at the reception desk, so that in the event of a fire, it is ensured that all persons, whether visitors or employees, leave our building immediately.

How are the necessary employees for an Evak team evaluated?

There is a kind of "collection box" of trained employees. The basic rule is: even if the biggest customer is visiting us and our CEO has a concern at the moment, the Evak team takes the lead on safety precautions in an emergency. We have also had false alarms during evacuation, but it really works very well and quickly for us. Handling a fire extinguisher may be unfamiliar to certain people in an emergency.So far, we have held an authentic fire extinguishing course every two years. In live scenarios, for example, cans were blown up and the reaction behavior was demonstrated when hot oil was supposedly extinguished with water. The handling of different fire extinguishers was also practiced.

Two hours of this were also allowed to count towards working time. However, the feedback was very good from all participants. A first aid course was held by the nearby Samaritan Association. This also included a defibrillator crash course and live practice scenarios in the pressroom, which were acted out. A simulation with dummies and wax blood was particularly authentic. One customer who visited us during the exercises and knew nothing about our exercise scenarios was a little taken aback at the moment when someone screamed loudly (grin).

What particular challenges did you face during the pandemic?

If you have less to do, a lot more mistakes happen. We also noticed this last year during the short-time working period. What was particularly challenging was regularly "keeping ourselves informed" about the applicable federal regulations. One issue that always puts pressure on us is maintaining production in the event of failures. If we always sent three to four of our printers home in the event of negative pool tests, things would quickly get tight at the Flawil site.

The last century was the century of concrete and steel, as most of our buildings and infrastructure impressively testify. Wood, on the other hand, eked out a niche existence for a long time - not least because of strict fire safety regulations. It may have been useful for roof trusses, or perhaps for atmospheric decoration or for a chalet in the mountains. But for large buildings, single-family homes and road bridges, concrete set the tone. In recent years, however, a clear trend reversal has emerged. Wood is celebrating its comeback and is being used in more and more buildings.

Advanced digitization

There are good reasons for this, explains Thomas Rohner, professor of timber construction and BIM at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH). "Building with wood is faster, more precise, and enables greater schedule and cost reliability," he says, citing some of the advantages that benefit clients and investors. Digitalization also contributes to this, because timber structures can be excellently planned with Building Information Modeling (BIM). The timber construction industry has been working with 3D modeling for decades and, thanks to this experience, knows how to implement production data in a BIM model.

Created in modules

Another reason is the modular construction method in which most wooden structures are realized. Instead of on the construction site, specialists can prepare the individual elements to the millimeter in dry, safe and well-equipped production halls. On site, the parts are then quickly assembled. The shell also does not have to dry out, as is the case with concrete. The construction process is thus shortened, the property can be occupied earlier and thus generates rental income sooner. In the case of large projects in particular, considerable cost savings and higher revenues are possible.

Convincing service life

Using wood as a building material is not only good for your wallet, but also for the environment. Swiss wood is CO2-neutral because only as much forest is cleared as grows back. In addition, the transport distances are very short, which also leads to a reduction in emissions. Unlike many other materials, the disposal of wood at the end of its life is also unproblematic: when it is burned, no more CO2 is released than was originally incorporated. "But you don't have to dispose of it that quickly," adds Thomas Rohner. "Among building materials, wood has the longest proven service life, with the exception of natural stone."

Fire protection guaranteed

Whereas in earlier times fires could reduce entire villages and towns built of wood to rubble, modern timber construction has become very safe in terms of fire protection. In the case of high-rise buildings made of wood, those responsible develop a fire protection concept that includes, for example, consistent encapsulation of the wooden elements. "This means that if a room or apartment catches fire, the fire cannot spread to neighboring rooms," Rohner explains. The spread of a fire across the façade, as tragically happened at Grenfell Tower in London in 2017, can also be prevented with appropriate structural measures - so-called fire barriers. Speaking of fire, wood can burn, but from a structural point of view it is still safer than steel. While steel loses its strength at low fire temperatures and the structure becomes unstable, wood does not lose its strength even in the event of a superficial fire.

Highest wooden skyscraper in Switzerland

The revised Swiss Fire Protection Ordinance, which has been in force since 2015, takes into account the new findings in the handling of wood. Specifically, the requirements for fire resistance and the materialization of building components have been separated. A fire resistance of 60 minutes now applies - regardless of whether the building component is combustible or non-combustible. The only decisive factor is that it does not lose the required properties for 60 minutes in the event of fire. With this adaptation, the construction of high-rise wooden buildings became possible in Switzerland. Already in 2018, Switzerland's first high-rise wooden building was completed on the Suurstoffi site in Risch Rotkreuz ZG. In the fall of 2019, "Arbo," which belongs to the HSLU campus, was added to the site as another wooden high-rise. With its 15 floors, it towers a proud 60 meters into the air directly next to the Rotkreuz train station. This makes "Arbo" the tallest wooden high-rise in Switzerland to date.

Extinguishing system and special staircase

Fire protection is ensured by a combination of technical and structural measures: The property has full sprinkler protection and full fire alarm monitoring. This allows certain wooden components such as columns, beams and ribs to be left visible. In addition, this so-called extinguishing system principle allows the required fire resistance to be reduced from 90 to 60 minutes. This optimizes the cost-effectiveness of the fire protection measures while maintaining the same level of protection.
A safety stairwell in the concrete core of the building provides access to all floors and offers users a protected exit in case of fire. The stairwell is connected to a fire alarm system with full monitoring and is protected against smoke. When the sensors detect smoke, the stairwell is pressurized, preventing smoke from entering. The users in the "Arbo" are thus just as well protected in the event of a fire as in a conventional high-rise building made of concrete and steel.

This technical article appeared in the printed issue SicherheitsForum 2-2022. You want to read the articles of this issue?

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The radioactive isotope carbon-14 (C-14) used for dating with a half-life of 5715 ±30 years is produced by the bombardment of atmospheric nitrogen-14 with cosmic neutrons. Therefore, in dynamic equilibrium, the atmosphere contains the tiny concentration of 1.25 × 10-10 percent C-14, which is assimilated by photosynthesizing plants like ordinary carbon and is taken up by herbivores and indirectly by carnivores. But after their death, the stored C-14 decays and none is taken up again for lack of metabolism. The now steadily weakening radioactivity of the sample is a measure of the time that has elapsed since the death of the organism under study.

Thanks to accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), which measures the ratio of C-14 to the stable carbon isotope C-12, the sample quantity required for reliable dating has been reduced to a few milligrams. In the case of a painting canvas, a short snippet of thread is sufficient. Even tiny samples of the paints can be dated if they contain carbon-containing compounds, i.e. mostly polymerized oil.

To reach the sensitivity of AMS with an ordinary radioactivity measurement, one would have to be able to detect a single decaying atomic nucleus every two months, which is completely unthinkable. However, the sensitive AMS variant of C-14 dating is much more complex and therefore more expensive than conventional counting of decaying atomic nuclei. But this method can reliably date samples that are up to 60,000 years old. This corresponds to more than ten half-lives of C-14.

Recently, radiocarbon dating has also been used to detect painting forgeries. Recently, forensic analyses of artworks were carried out at the University of Paris-Saclay in the case of one suspicious painting each of the Impressionist and Pointillist styles. Accordingly, they had to date from the early years of the 20th century and be over 100 years old. Radiocarbon dating of the canvases, however, revealed an age of no more than 70 years, when the imitated artists had long since died.

Too fresh colors

In this way, the two paintings were clearly identified as forgeries. They came from the workshop of a Paris restorer, where numerous other paintings by well-known artists were stored. Based on stylistic criteria, they had been created between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. However, experts found the colors too fresh for their age, so radiocarbon dating was performed using threads of canvas and a brush hair that had been operated out of one of the paintings.

Paradoxically, such studies are facilitated by the large, temporary increase in C-14 concentration in all fossil plant and animal tissues due to atmospheric nuclear weapons testing between the 1940s and the 1960s. If one finds such an increased concentration of the radioactive isotope compared to earlier times, the sample cannot be older than the bomb tests; it may even be younger. In any case, the above-mentioned forgeries could be detected purely physically without the chemical microanalyses of the colors on the canvas that were common until now.

The use of radiocarbon dating to detect painting forgeries is not entirely new. It was probably first used in 2014 on the basis of a suspect painting in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. In this way, the painting was identified as a forgery. Five years later, scientists at the University of Fribourg measured the radiocarbon age of a painting already known to be a forgery.

Source: Carolyn Wilke, Nature 603, 374 (2022).

The Swiss cantonal police are currently warning against cases of fraud involving fake computer support. Especially in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, many fake PC support providers are currently up to their mischief, as reported by the news agency SDA. According to the police, initial contact can be made directly by telephone or via a pop-up window that opens on the screen and contains a telephone number to call. In both cases, an old known scam of so-called fake supporters takes effect.

An old scam

Once the victims have been taken into the confidence of the perpetrators, who pose as help desk employees, the perpetrators are usually granted remote access. As part of the alleged repair, perpetrators grab passwords and personal data. The police recommend never accepting unsolicited calls from alleged operators of Microsoft or other computer helpdesks and terminating such calls immediately. Under no circumstances should you allow someone access to personal data or remote access to your home computer. If someone has gained access to your computer, you should immediately disconnect from the Internet and change all passwords or get help if necessary.

Source: SDA

Large parts of Europe are currently affected by a major heat wave. The heat wave reached its temporary peak in Switzerland on Tuesday with 38.1 degrees in Geneva. The city of Zurich alone calculates with up to 44 heat days per year by 2040. The sweltering heat is also plaguing construction workers. Prolonged physically strenuous work at these temperatures is no longer reasonable, as a spokesman for the Syna trade union explained in response to an inquiry from "20 minutes" says. This is hazardous to health. The activity would have to be stopped. Urban Hodel of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB) also reiterated to the commuter newspaper that employers must guarantee the health protection of employees in any case.

However, the Swiss employers' association, which is also quoted, is fundamentally opposed to a ban on work in high temperatures. With appropriate measures, employers could take the right measures for their employees on their own, according to other sources.

Drink a lot

Protection from excessive heat exposure can be avoided by using the Shifting certain activities to cooler times of day. Also, the reduction of the workload through appropriate tools already before an overload and reduce the internal heat production. Additional breaks and less heavy meals can also reduce the internal energy balance. Cooling can be achieved by headgear and sufficient sunscreen. Neck protection cloths can also be attached to helmets. However, it is always important to drink enough fluids and take regular breaks. What to do in case of heat symptoms is illustrated by Suva in a recent article.

Source: 20 Minuten/BG Bau/Suva