Global climate change also has an impact on the world of work and places special demands on occupational safety and health. A warmer climate leads to increased heat and solar UV exposure, especially for outdoor workers. The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) has researched the topic of "climate change and occupational safety" with a comprehensive analysis.

Heat

High heat effects such as those that occur during prolonged periods of heat can lead to stress on the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system and the water and electrolyte balance. Thus, individuals engaged in heavy physical labor, outdoor activities, and direct sunlight, as well as those wearing insulating protective clothing, are exposed to particular stresses during high temperatures. In order to prevent damage and create awareness of the interrelationships and dangers, educational measures are an important tool.

Studies must take into account the current distribution of employees in terms of age, gender, pre-existing conditions, and both measures in the work context and design options in the work environment. A key finding of the report is that primarily the application of structural measures of summer thermal protection (incl. external shading/glare protection), energy-efficient/regenerative cooling techniques and suitable urban planning measures (such as greening of facades and open spaces) should be applied.

Solar UV radiation

High heat effects such as those that occur during prolonged periods of heat can lead to stress on the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system and the water and electrolyte balance. Thus, persons performing heavy physical work, working outdoors and in direct sunlight, as well as wearing insulating protective clothing, are exposed to particular stresses at high temperatures.

In order to prevent damage and create awareness of the correlations and dangers, educational measures are an important means. In this context, studies must take into account the current distribution of employees in terms of age, gender, previous illnesses and both measures in the work context and design options in the work environment. A key finding of the report is that primarily the application of structural measures of summer thermal protection (incl. external shading/glare protection), energy-efficient/regenerative cooling techniques and appropriate urban design measures (such as greening of facades and open spaces) should be applied.

Infectious diseases

The influence of climate change on ecosystems as well as the globalized mobility of people and goods have an impact on the occurrence of infectious diseases. This makes it difficult to estimate the impact of climate change on human infectious agents that are relevant to occupational health and safety. However, it can be assumed that vector-borne diseases will occur more frequently in the future. However, the occupational safety measures currently in force provide employees with adequate protection against microorganisms and pathogens that cause disease. The technical rules and recommendations for action must be adapted quickly if new pathogens or situations arise.

Plant and animal allergens and toxins

The habitat of animals and plants is determined by climatic parameters. Climate change is altering these parameters, so that the habitats of animals and plants are also shifting. Another change brought about by climate change is the increasing pollen production of plants. An increase in pollen numbers and a change in the chemical composition of toxins can increase health responses. For example, the proportion of people affected by hay fever has increased in recent years. Therefore, the threat to human health from plant and animal toxins must be recognized as a problem and measures must be consistently implemented. These include monitoring and control of invasive species. When planting new species, it is recommended to pay attention to the allergenic potential.

To the detailed report "Climate change and occupational safety and health" of the BAuA (PDF)

Source: BAuA 

According to the city of Zurich, climate scenarios in the canton also showed that heat days will double in the future and the number of tropical nights will increase even further. According to a Communication up to 44 heat days per year can be expected in the city of Zurich alone by 2040, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.

Finest water particles are to extract heat from the environment

A huge cloud of water will continue to spray its foggy haze over Zurich's Turbinenplatz until September 2024. "At certain points, technical innovations such as this cooling cloud could be a useful addition to reduce the heat," said city councilor Simone Brander at the inauguration of "Alto Zürrus" in early July.

Federation warns of striking heat

The water vapor cloud is generated via an Alinium ring suspended at a height of five meters with nine meters from 180 high-pressure nozzles. The resulting water particles are so small that they can evaporate immediately on hot summer days and extract heat from the ambient air. This can cool the ambient air by up to 10 degrees Celsius.

The idea for the fog cloud came from an employee of Grün Stadt Zürich and was developed within the framework of the innovation credit "Smart City Zurich" supported. The costs amount to about 140,000 francs.

Update, 7/26/2022: The water consumption is 7.5 liters per minute, as it says at the city of Zurich on request: according to media spokeswoman Tanja Huber about one tenth of the annual consumption of a conventional drinking fountain. The cloud, controlled by appropriate temperature and humidity sensors, is expected to operate on 44 dry and hot days.

Since last Monday, several regions in Europe have declared their alert levels due to extreme heat. Still, maximum temperatures are expected to be reached in some places. Last Monday, the federal government also declared alert level 3 of 4 for almost all of Switzerland. The authorities expect temperatures of up to 37 degrees.

Source: City of Zurich

The two definitions of the terms SAA (voice alarm systems) and ENS (electroacoustic emergency warning systems) are encountered repeatedly in the SES guideline and it is important to understand the distinction according to SES (Association of Swiss Installers of Security Systems).

In general, both designations refer to electro-acoustic loudspeaker systems that inform people in the building via loudspeakers and/or other signal transmitters in the event of an emergency or during normal operation and encourage them to rescue themselves or to behave correctly in the event of an emergency. Only the normative and safety requirements distinguish these types of systems. SAA have the highest safety requirement. They must comply with the EN-54 standard series and are usually part of a fire alarm system (BMA). This means that an SAA takes over part of the BMA functions, specifically the function of the acoustic sounders (alarm horn). According to the SES guideline, a so-called security level must be defined for SAA, which specifies how high the failure safety must be.

The term "public address system" describes a system that does not have to meet any specific safety requirements and therefore does not necessarily achieve the protection objective. For this reason, this type of system is not dealt with further in the SES guideline.

First publication of the SES guideline for SAA & ENS in 2017.

The SAA and ENS security area has been part of the SES association since 2015. Originally, this area was part of the BMA working group, but it became more and more important. For this reason, a separate Technical Working Commission (TAK) was established, which took on the initial creation of the SES guideline for SAA & ENS. This was followed about two years later by the initial publication of the SES guideline for this area. The responsible commissions of the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers (VKF) approved and recognized the guideline shortly thereafter as a "state of the art" paper.

The introduction of a separate guideline for the trade provided great relief in the market. This meant that quality requirements could be met from now on.

Revision of the SES guideline after about three years

After publication, it quickly became clear that the guideline had great added value for the industry. It was increasingly used by planners and other companies involved in tenders and projects. It provides greater clarity on how systems are to be designed and implemented, and has since served as a guide for authorities, planners, specialists, installers and operators. However, it also became clear that certain points left too much room for interpretation or were not explained in sufficient detail, whereupon the TAK decided to revise the guideline.
Before the revision started, an SES acceptance protocol was published, which can be used as a guide when accepting systems. Since then, it has been easier for designers and installers to have the quality of systems checked. They can refer to the document without much effort or ask the installer to do so.

In June 2021, some three years after the initial publication, the time had come and the second version of the SES Guideline for SAA & ENS was published and recognized by the VFK as a "state of the art" paper. It is worth mentioning the close cooperation between SES and VKF, which resulted in the document having the desired content for all parties involved.

What has changed in the revised policy?

The guideline was structured better and the two plant types SAA and ENS were divided into separate chapters. In addition, individual points have been defined more clearly. Two changes are particularly noteworthy:

• The SAA asset type generally remained the same, but the ENS asset type was divided into two categories:
  "ENS according to SN EN 50849": corresponds to the original description of an ENS from the 2017 directive. Alarming in the event of fire is not permitted with this type of system.
• "ENS according to SES guideline": With this type of system, the alarming of a fire case is permissible, provided that this is not carried out automatically by the fire alarm system (BMA). The system must therefore not take over any functions of the fire alarm system. In addition, few safety requirements have been extended compared to the type according to SN EN 50849.

Two graphics were added to show which types of system should be used for which types of building. After consultation with the VFK, it was decided that this information should be reproduced in the SES guideline and that the VKF guideline (BR 12-15), which deals with the subject of Evak, should not be adapted.

Further procedure of the Technical Working Committee SAA & ENS

Since the publication of the revised version, this has gained further importance in the industry and is increasingly used in submissions as well as projects. It could also be noted that the circle of experts in this field is steadily increasing. During the past months, the TAK has collected a wide variety of very valuable feedback on the new SES guideline, which is now being carefully reviewed.

Following the evaluation, the most important questions are to be addressed in FAQ. It would also be conceivable to specify this in the guideline, provided that the scope of change is within the bounds of possibility.

Through these measures, the TAK would like to further increase clarity and comprehensibility in the area of SAA & ENS and establish the guideline even more as a standard.

Training at the STFW

Since 2020, the subject of "Evak and voice alarming" has been represented at the Swiss Technical College Winterthur (STFW) in the form of a one-day basic course. The course provides participants with the basic knowledge of this specialist area as well as further information in the area of planning, project planning, execution and maintenance of systems and refers in each case to the valid SES guideline of the area. The course is therefore ideally suited for all persons who come into contact with the specialist area of SAA & ENS in their work. Questions of all kinds will be answered competently and according to the current state of knowledge by the expert speakers.

SES fact sheet

A recently published leaflet on "Alarm and fault sequences of fire alarm systems" was prepared in cooperation between TAK BMA and TAK SAA and describes the extent to which an SAA can take over the functions of the BMA. The monitoring of the functions and the general communication between the two systems is also explained.

This technical article appeared in the printed edition SicherheitsForum 3-2022.

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Deficiencies in occupational safety burden the effectiveness of work processes in several respects. If we feel threatened by a hazard, we constantly check whether we are still adequately protected. Such diffuse fear distracts us from the actual task at hand. It may even cause hectic activity. Because we want to get out of this unpleasant feeling as quickly as possible, we speed up the execution of the work task. We are less attentive and simply omit certain necessary operations and checks.

Work errors are human

If work errors occur more frequently or if it is a serious individual error, we look for the causes. We then distinguish between systematic and human-induced deviations from the target. Systematic errors occur when they are due to non-compliance with standards or because work equipment was defective, incorrectly or inaccurately set. Systematically caused errors can be precisely limited and permanently eliminated. If, however, it turns out that all work equipment is functioning perfectly and that the organization and specifications are consistent, the only remaining explanation is what is known as human error. If this is not the result of inadequate skills, everything seems to have been conclusively clarified.

If we are satisfied with this simple answer and have not tackled the root of the problem, these or similar mistakes will be repeated. The bad thing about this is that human errors do not occur systematically, but rather occur differently in time and place. Regardless of the distinction made, systematic errors are also humanly caused, only at a different stage of the work process based on the division of labor or starting from external influences.

Work errors are problematic under labor law

The German Federal Labor Court (BAG), for example, has clarified: "The employee must do what he is supposed to do and do it as well as he can." He owes the "work" and not the "work" (BAG 31.5.1992 - 2 AZR 551/91; BAG, 17.01.2008 - 2 AZR 536/06). Even an error rate that is three times higher than the department average does not justify termination (BAG, January 17, 2008 - 2 AZR 536/06). Above all, however, it must be excluded that the problem lies in the operational process, for example in suboptimal work processes, poor working conditions, work equipment or errors in personnel management (BAG, January 17, 2008 - 2 AZR 536/06).1).

Workers are therefore never a priori responsible for work errors. It is always the conditions under which work is performed that are decisive. Consequently, any zero defect strategy must focus on working conditions if it is to be successful.

In the publications of Suva as well as in the regulations and guidelines of the EKAS and VUV (Ordinance on Accident Prevention) we find concrete approaches for the identification of causes of errors and their elimination. They offer themselves as a basis for a checklist with, for example, the following points:

• Noise in the working environment
• Vibration in the working environment
• Workplace and environment lighting
• Explosion and fire hazard in the working environment
• Maintenance and waste disposal
• Mechanical hazards, for example from equipment
• Risk of tripping and falling, e.g. due to slippery floors and stairs, thresholds, obstacles on traffic routes
• Substances hazardous to health, e.g. due to gases, liquids, vapors from chemicals such as cleaning agents or solvents
• Strains on the musculoskeletal system, e.g. due to load transport, poor ergonomics
• Stresses caused by working environments, e.g. indoor climate, heat, humidity, etc.
• Physical stress, e.g. from noise, UV radiation
• Psychosocial stress, e.g. due to poor work organization, high work pressure, hectic pace, irregular working hours, etc.

Deficiencies based on this can trigger eye complaints, cause overtiredness and a drop in performance. Lack of concentration, fatigue, unpunctuality, forgetfulness, aggressiveness or even digestive disorders and high blood pressure are then early warning signs of a triggering of work errors.

Psychological aspects of work errors

Often, the blame for work errors is prematurely assigned to a specific person or group. This is not infrequently accompanied by threatening admonishments and serious accusations. We should not dismiss a worker with a high error rate without further ado. Instead, we should accept her as she is, if possible. We can hardly change individual human nature. Undoubtedly, an apparently incompetent person also has strengths. As soon as we succeed in recognizing them, we may even be able to adapt the demands made to the potential of the person in question. This then results in a win-win success that helps to avoid a possible threatening labor dispute.

Attention, a rigid prevention strategy against work mistakes is not harmless. It can cause excessive ambition or even lead to strict prohibitions. Affected persons then want to avoid even the most minor work errors at all costs, like an accountant. Even more fatal is not being allowed to make a mistake under any circumstances, like a surgeon. Both motivations can trigger severe psychosomatic stress disorders. If they are not treated psychotherapeutically, various health damages are to be feared. They can also be the cause of new human errors.

Conclusion

The technical organization of work processes, including the management of work errors on the one hand and the responsibilities for occupational safety on the other, are the responsibility of operationally autonomous units. Here, we would like to encourage consideration of how the two structures can be more closely interlinked.

This technical article appeared in the printed edition SAFETY-PLUS 1-2022. Want to read the full article in this issue? Then close right away here a subscription.

Ms. Mansuy, why is "stress" (disstress) such a big risk factor for chronic diseases?

Because stress conditions are harmful to the body's cells and permanently alter their functions. A stress load leads to the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline/noradrenaline throughout the body - and if these are chronically present, e.g. due to frequent stress factors or stress from childhood, especially as organs and tissues are still developing, these messengers or hormones can permanently damage the cells and make the person more susceptible to disease.

How can causes of stress in long-term illnesses be diagnosed in the first place?

Stress states can be diagnosed by behavioral tests and questionnaires regarding a person's feelings, for example by means of a scale in perceived stress factors. Stress hormones can be detected in blood, saliva or urine. Blood pressure and vagotonia (the state in which the balance of the autonomic nervous system is shifted) are other useful measures. The avoidance of stress states can be difficult in some patients, these can be minimized for example by psychotherapy, meditation, acupuncture, psychoanalysis, but also by sport and yoga, the use of therapeutic plants and in the most severe cases, medication.

What are the long-term consequences of daily stressors such as high work pace, deadline pressure, interruptions?

These factors are not necessarily negative for health. Even if you are under a lot of pressure and work hard, you can do your work with joy and pleasure. It becomes pathological when people lose control, become anxious, overwork themselves and are under psychological pressure.

Where should employers start with possible workshops?

Important measures are prevention and paying attention to the daily well-being of employees. This is largely achieved through respect in the workplace, good communication, clear work objectives, a safe and pleasant working environment and conditions, and rewards for good work and career advancement, etc.

What keeps our brain "fit" in the long term with a positive "stress balance"?

It is a combination of factors such as a healthy diet, exercise, good sleep, life purpose, happiness in private life, job satisfaction and a good social network. This finding is not new per se and may even be quite trivial. One of the main reasons people are stressed and mentally ill is often due to a bad or traumatic childhood. A good health balance needs to be established early in life so that as an adult you are able to cope with stress and manage your life well. Prevention is also very important here.

Due to the war in Ukraine, the study "Security 2022" (SicherheitsForum reported) between May 30 and June 17, 2022, a follow-up survey was conducted by the Link opinion research institute. The study by the Military Academy (MILAK) at ETH Zurich and the Center for Security Studies (CSS) initially took into account the Swiss population's perception of security up to the outbreak of the war.

Neutrality vs. international conflicts

In general, according to the follow-up survey, neutrality is viewed as significantly more critical than in recent years. Only 58 percent instead of 68 percent of the Swiss are convinced that neutrality protects Switzerland from international conflicts. For many citizens, one obstacle to upholding the principles of neutrality is Switzerland's international integration.

European defense alliance instead of joining NATO

A clear majority (52 percent, up 7 percentage points) of the Swiss still do not want to join NATO. There is significantly more support than before the war in Ukraine for the view that membership of a European defense alliance would bring more security than maintaining neutrality. This perception has increased slightly since January 2021 by twelve points (35 percent).

The need for a secure army has gained further importance in the survey and has even increased by five points (80 percent), specifically the demand for a fully equipped army. Major changes due to the war in Ukraine can be seen in the survey on army spending. Whereas previously 42 percent were of the opinion that the army spends too much on defense, this opinion is now only supported by 30 percent of the participants surveyed (1003 eligible voters from all over Switzerland).

Source: Federal Government, Defense Group 

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an acute pump dysfunction of the heart that affects a majority of women and occurs mainly after emotional or physical stress events. The disease resembles a heart attack in the acute phase. Although the distinction is central for further adequate treatment, clear criteria based on a cardiac ultrasound examination are still lacking.

Does artificial intelligence recognize the difference?

In this collaborative project with ETH Zurich, the researchers investigated whether machine learning could help distinguish between the two cardiovascular diseases. As a basis for their study, they used data from the international Takotsubo Registry on the one hand and the Zurich Acute Coronary Heart Disease Registry on the other. In total, the cardiac ultrasound examinations of 224 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 224 patients with Takotsubo syndrome were included.

In a first step, a deep learning model was developed. Data from a total of 228 patients were used for training. The goal in such procedures is for the "artificial intelligence" to recognize patterns in the unstructured raw data and for these patterns to become continuously more precise as the volume of data sets increases. In this way, AI may be able to assign images or make distinctions that escape human attention.

AI was superior to cardiologists

In the future, as part of a digitization initiative with the ZHAW and universities in the canton, a place is to be created at the Dübendorf Innovation Park where experts from science and industry will shape the future of autonomous systems, such as independently navigating drones, in an interdisciplinary manner and educate society about civilian applications in this field. In a first so-called structure call, the canton and DIZH are funding four structures with 8 million Swiss francs. The amount is to be doubled to at least 16 million francs for the next five years, as the University of Zurich announced in a Communication writes.

Embedded in the innovation structures are several programs, including the Zurich Applied Digital Health Center, which researches digital health solutions in the hospital context. The center is intended to bring experts from hospitals, research, development and industry closer together. Furthermore, a new cyber-resilience network of the Canton of Zurich is to counter the increasing threats from the Internet. The goal is to increase the resilience of Zurich as a business location and its population against cyber risks. Finally, interdisciplinary research in the context of digitization, health, ethics and design at a dedicated "Digital Health Design Living Lab" is intended to increase the population's trust, awareness and knowledge of health literacy and digitization.

Source: UZH

For years, hackers have often used so-called Visual Basic macros (VBA) to infiltrate malware via Office documents. It is therefore an advantage if these are not activated for the general public as soon as documents are downloaded from the Internet. Currently, an activation button pops up at the top of downloaded Office files to enable macros on the user side for downloaded content.

Easier setting planned?

How "The Verge" writes, Microsoft has now its planned changes from last week, surprising IT administrators who had been preparing for Microsoft to prevent Office users from easily activating macros in documents downloaded from the Internet in the future. The planned security change was originally scheduled for June, before Microsoft reversed the lock on June 30.

However, Microsoft has not yet explained the planned changes to improve the usability in more detail. It is not yet entirely clear what the change will look like in detail. The initial plan was to force Office users to enable macros by clicking an unblock option in a file's properties. However, these additional steps will require user training. It is possible that this input from users prompted Microsoft to make the planned security setting simpler.

The tech portal points to a statement from Kellie Eickmeyer, principal product manager at Microsoft, from a Blogpost. This is a temporary change and the company is still determined to introduce the originally planned change for all users.

Source: The Verge 

Humans can become infected with so-called zoonotic pathogens through contact with infected animals or through consumption of contaminated food of animal origin. In the report prepared annually of the Federal Office for Food Safety (FSVO), the most common zoonoses are listed in summary form.

Selected zoonoses and their prevention

For example, after a decline in some diseases, the number of cases associated with zoonotic pathogens has increased. These had even reached the pre-pandemic level again. The most frequently recorded zoonosis last year was the diarrheal disease campylobacteriosis with 7000 cases. Humans are usually infected via contaminated or underheated food. Poultry meat remains the largest source of infection. Salmonellosis, the second most common zoonosis, recorded 1500 cases. Mostly eggs and meat, salads or raw vegetables are affected. However, the FSVO warns that direct infection via animals and humans is also possible.

The FSVO lists a number of measures that can be used to contain diseases associated with zoonoses. In the food industry, contamination should be prevented at all levels, e.g. by controlling maximum levels. However, consumers can protect themselves with simple measures.

• Washing Thoroughly wash your hands, work surface and kitchen utensils with soap or detergent before and after preparing food.
• Always fry meat Completely through: Hamburgers as well as poultry meat must not have any red spots left in the core.
• Separate Always separate raw foods from cooked foods. Avoid direct contact of raw meat, poultry, fish and raw seafood with other foods.

Source: BLV

A new, freely accessible web tool will help companies deal with shadow IT in the future. In the "Legitimise IT" research project, scientists at the International Performance Research Institute (IPRI) and by the Research Institute for Rationalization (FIR) at the RWTH Aachen developed a procedure that specifically supports SMEs in dealing with shadow IT.

Solutions included

According to IPRI, the web tool is aimed at decision-makers from the central IT area. It is useful for identifying shadow IT and provides a self-assessment for a risk and benefit analysis of identified applications. This characterizes and evaluates shadow IT applications according to specific criteria. Based on the analysis, solutions are proposed. According to IPRI, shadow IT harbors both risks and potential benefits for companies.

Shadow IT refers to software and hardware developed or used by specialist departments in companies outside the visibility, control or management of the central IT department. Such solutions are often established and sometimes process-critical components in companies. According to IPRI, the risks posed by the use of shadow IT are often underestimated by companies. Strict prohibition or prevention is not very effective, however. In order to remain competitive, it is particularly important for SMEs to deal with shadow IT in a controlled manner and to take advantage of the associated opportunities.

The web tool is available as of now at the following link for free disposal.

Source: pressetext.com

In cooperation with the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU), Minimax AG recalls the respirator "Smoke protection mask for self-rescue". According to the company, there is a possible health hazard because the respirators in question are not functional. Thus the protection duration of 40 minutes declared for the emergency is not reached. There is a risk of being insufficiently protected in the event of an emergency. Affected customers will be refunded the purchase price in exchange for the return of the respirator.

Consumers who own any of the affected self-rescue respirators are asked to stop using them and return them to the following address, according to a news release from the Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau:

Minimax AG
Stettbachstrasse 8
8600 Dübendorf