According to the latest statistics on telecommunications surveillance, the number of real-time surveillance measures has fallen to 1055 compared with the previous year (1296). A decrease was also recorded in the number of retroactive surveillance measures. According to the 2021 report, a total of 6265 retroactive surveillance measures were ordered. This corresponds to a decrease of 896 retroactive measures compared to 2020.

9113 Information on copies of identification documents or contract data

The statistics also include emergency searches for missing persons. This number has increased by 39 percent since 2016. The federal government also mentions more complex information and telephone directory queries. In 2021, law enforcement agencies and the FIS obtained a total of 18 percent more information from the ÜPF service.

A total of 9113 requests for complex information, such as copies of ID documents or contract data, were received. The number of requests for this type of special information increased by 51 percent compared with the previous year. However, simple information such as telephone directory or IP address queries were also used more frequently. This figure rose by 17 percent to 298,342.

In contrast, the number of deployments using special IT tools such as GovWare remained roughly in line with the previous year (11 versus 13 percent). Most of these surveillance measures were used for money laundering and serious narcotics offenses. The number of deployments of so-called IMSI catchers also remained at the previous year's level (112 versus 107 percent). For the most part, these instruments were used in emergency searches for missing persons and narcotics offenses.

Surveillance of the NDB

In 2021, the FIS ordered 47 surveillance operations and issued 7781 requests for information. In the previous year, there were 18 surveillances and 7652 requests for information. It should be noted that the method of counting used by the FIS differs from that used by the FSP service.

Source: NDB

Despite all protective measures, many employees still have accidents at work. According to its own figures, the German employers' liability insurance association BG BAU alone records around 130,000 reportable occupational and commuting accidents and occupational illnesses every year.

"Every accident and every illness is associated with great suffering for those affected and their families," says Prof. Frank Werner, Deputy Head of the Prevention Department at the German BG BAU. That's why it's important to make everyone involved aware of safety and health protection. This must become as natural as eating, drinking and sleeping.

This year, Workers Memorial Day is focusing on mental stress in the workplace. These can also lead to health problems in the construction industry and in construction-related services: intense pressure to meet deadlines or to perform, simultaneous supervision of different tasks, a fast pace of work and constantly recurring work processes can stress employees just as much as noise, long travel times and absences from home, for example during assembly work.

More hazards for cardiovascular disease

As a result, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and depression or anxiety disorders can arise. Accidents can also result from mental stress, for example due to a loss of concentration. Since 2013, employers have therefore been obliged to take mental stress into account in the risk assessment and to implement measures to protect employees.

"Even though other hazards are often more visible, mental stress must not be lost sight of. The construction industry is a key sector in the economy. However, the high demand is also accompanied by stress for employees. This makes it all the more important to design work in a healthy way," says Werner.

Source: BG Bau

According to the activity report of the Federal Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), last year the commission dealt with various issues related to the safety culture of the plants. The main issues revolved around the perception of supervision in the area of people and organization. Another focal point taken up was the assembly deviation detected in the motor bearings of the emergency diesel generators at the Beznau nuclear power plant (KKB) at the end of 2020.

In the field of radioactive waste disposal, the NSC followed the geological investigations carried out by the National Co-operative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra) in stage 3 of the Deep Geological Repository sectoral plan (SGT). The focus was also on the results of a research project on the design and inventory of the pilot repository, for example on the question of the significance of microbial activity in the Opalinus Clay for a deep geological repository constructed there.

To the full activity report

Source: Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Commission

Sometimes the cameras already have infrared light on board. However, this is only suitable for close-up ranges of up to ten meters. After that, the power of the integrated light source is too weak to sufficiently illuminate the object in the monitoring area. The same usually applies to existing ambient or street lighting, which is why additional illumination must be planned. In order for cameras to capture images that meet the visual objectives at all times, the lighting must create the site conditions for optimal images.

We will look at how optimal lighting can be planned and implemented in concrete terms using a case study: The object to be monitored is a typical underground parking garage with an entrance and exit, an entrance and exit, and an elevator. The cars of a rental car company parked there have been repeatedly damaged.

The protection goals are prevention (prevention of damage), documentation of license plates and identification of perpetrators from the video images. Probably the simplest solution of optimal lighting in video surveillance would be to mount a light source near each available camera. All areas could be illuminated in this way.

However, the disadvantage of this solution is the unfavorable cost-benefit ratio. The best solution is therefore to plan or install additional lighting where it makes sense, i.e. where it achieves the greatest benefit.

For this purpose, the underground parking garage is divided into different monitoring areas. Depending on the protection goal, the cameras and lighting have different tasks. If you keep the goal in mind, namely the identification of persons on the basis of video images and license plate recognition, white light floodlights should be installed at the entrances and exits as well as in the elevator lobbies. This will enable the tasks to be performed. For prevention, it is advisable to illuminate the lanes and special parking areas, such as women's parking spaces and bicycle racks, the stairwells and the remaining movement areas so that no dark corners remain.

Again, it's not a case of "a lot helps a lot."

Optimal illumination can be designed by a lighting designer, for example. The same applies to a perpetrator pursuit through the entire underground parking garage. For person identification, spotlights are needed that illuminate the entire width and height of the area to be recorded. Depending on the installation and distance of the illuminant to the surveillance target, the illuminant must have sufficient scattered radiation and adequate luminous intensity (lux) at the object. The data sheets of the spotlight and camera models provide information here.

Determine optimal illumination

For video surveillance of a building apron or building exterior, other aspects and issues need to be addressed:

• Does the outdoor area provide sufficient illumination from public lighting to achieve the defined visual objectives? If the existing ambient lighting is not sufficient, the correct lighting must be selected and installed.
• How high is the acceptance of the residents or owners if white-light floodlights are used in the outdoor area? If white-light floodlights are not desired, infrared floodlights are an alternative if this is compatible with the protection objective. It may even be sufficient to use the light sources already installed in the cameras.

The cameras and the systems must be provided and used in such a way that high-frequency interference, glare and other disturbing influences are excluded depending on the lighting situation and illuminants. In order that the client can be sure that the installed systems monitor the viewing area optimally, tests should be carried out with the additional illuminants and the camera products to verify the image quality.

Network planning

Once the cameras, the illuminants and all locations are clearly defined, it's time for the power supply - the network connection via PoE (Power over Ethernet). The network always depends on the components to be connected.

Only when you know how many end users will be supplied via PoE and how many components will be connected to the respective switches, can the network planning begin. If one plans the network first and then the spotlights or cameras, this can lead to the network not being able to supply the required power for the spotlights. This reduces the power of the lights and thus the illumination of the monitored areas, which consequently has an impact on the protection goals and security.

The light sources must be connected to the existing IP network infrastructure via PoE and also supplied with power via this. This requires that the light sources can be connected to an IP network. Here, problems occur time and again. The connected PoE switches must be selected based on the power consumption of the fixtures. It is very important when configuring and selecting the switches that they use the same PoE protocol as the fixtures. It is often the case that the switches could draw the power per port that the fixture requires at full power, but the protocol in the switch stops this power draw. There is a throttling of power should the port reach a relative power threshold. This safety protocol protects against overloading the switches. If the protocols of both network nodes are coordinated with each other, the unwanted throttling does not occur and the spotlight can call up the full power.

Conclusion

For an optimal lighting design, attention must be paid to the positions, the required light intensity, the beam angle, the type of illuminant and the network connection. Beforehand, a risk analysis must also be carried out to determine the protection objectives, the protective measures and the over-
monitoring areas with the respective monitoring tasks must be defined. Depending on the installation location and illuminant, the acceptance of residents and neighbors must be taken into account. High-frequency interference, glare and other disturbing influences depending on the lighting situation and illuminants must be excluded by means of tests.

This technical article appeared in the printed edition SicherheitsForum 6-2021.

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Video conferencing is the most comprehensive communication tool because it combines the synchronization of conversations with the perception of non-verbal information that facilitates understanding between the conversation partners.¹ However, it is not flawless, and we will explain how the use of video conferencing can knock us out and what can be done about it.

Reducing the flood of information in the video conference

Our brain can only process a certain amount of information at the same time,² and video conferencing can put it in a state of mental overload, because due to the mosaic view inherent in the system that video conferencing presents us with, our gaze captures ten environments, faces and people in motion at the same time.

To prevent this overload during video conferences with numerous participants, you should select a display mode in which only the person who is currently speaking is visible; this reduces the amount of information you have to process. You can also switch off your own video window. This is because we tend to focus on our face and control what "image we give off".

Avoid multitasking

Video conferencing encourages multitasking because, unlike in physical meetings, our conversation partners cannot see what we are doing; we are tempted to do other things on the side. In multitasking mode, however, our brains are not able to process information efficiently; instead, it causes us to lose time and increases the error rate.To limit distractions during video conferences and improve your concentration, you should limit your means of communication. You can also create a to-do list to jot down your thoughts. Once the video conference is over, you can then continue working with it.

Reduce mental fatigue

If the brain is engaged in the same activity for too long, it develops what is known as mental fatigue, which in turn impairs our efficiency. Video conferencing can promote the development of this fatigue because, unlike in physical meetings, we don't have to move from one place to another between two meetings, we can simply string the meetings together.

There are ways to minimize the mental fatigue caused by video conferencing. Firstly, plan short sessions (45 minutes instead of an hour) so that all participants have the opportunity to take a break at the end of the session. Reject or postpone meetings that are sandwiched between two video conferences and no longer allow for a break.

Video conferencing ultimately knocks us out for the three reasons mentioned above - but there are plenty of good ways to counteract fatigue. Use the ones you can best adapt to your work and take back control of this essential tool for remote social interactions.

Sources:
¹ http://www.senat.fr/fileadmin/Fichiers/Images/opecst/quatre_pages/OPECST_2021_0061_Note_Visioconference.pdf
² D. Kirsh, "A Few Thoughts on Cognitive Overload," Intellectica, vol. 1, no. 30, pp. 19-51, 2000.
³ D. Kahneman, Attention and effort. Prentice-Hall, 1973.

Easter vacations, after the prolonged winter period, the free Easter days just offered to do the first work on planters at home. For many people, these activities are a pastime to escape from everyday life.

But Suva urges caution: No fewer than 10,000 accidents are recorded each year that occur during gardening. The serious accidents, which can lead to an inability to work for more than 90 days, account for around 270 cases per year, according to Suva, while an average of two people die from their injuries.

Affected are mainly men

Two out of three accidents while gardening appear to involve men (65 percent) and 94 percent of those involved in accidents are older than 30.

Gardening is not without its dangers: handling branches and bushes can cause serious injuries (16 percent), as can insect bites, which also account for 16 percent of reported accidents.

The top three causes include accidents involving equipment, which account for 12 percent of recorded injuries. Wearing protective eyewear, gloves and clothing with long sleeves are proven ways to avoid serious injuries, insect bites and sunburn.

These tips can help prevent gardening accidents:

• Eliminate fall hazards and trip hazards
• Put away dangerous and unused tools, lock scissors in closed position.
• Wear gloves, safety glasses and hearing protection.
• Wear long and light-colored protective clothing.
  - Protection against cuts
  - Protection against insect bites and tick bites
  - Sunshade
• When working at height, the ladder must be well secured.

Further tips from Suva

Around two dozen members of the Swiss Armed Forces Cyber Battalion took part in an international cyber exercise in Tallinn, Estonia. According to a report from the Swiss Confederation, together with 33 nations from around the world, various scenarios were played out as they could take place in a hybrid war.

Part of the exercise was to protect central information technology infrastructures of one of these nations from attacks by the other nation. This involves protecting IT infrastructures of the water and energy supply, the financial industry and national defense.

Fictitious scenario with more than 8000 attacks

During the exercise, the fictitious nations were confronted with more than 8,000 attacks, which they had to defend against or remedy. The focus was also on not only finding vulnerabilities in their own networks, but also actively exchanging information with partners about the attack gates. The "Locked Shields" exercise involved 42 participants from the army's cyber training course and militia members.

The large-scale cyber exercise also involved the strategic component, in which legal and public governance issues had to be clarified. According to a statement by the Federal Council, the Swiss Armed Forces are currently creating great added value for the cyber specialists from the militia as well as for the professional component.

Source: Confederation

Since May 15, 2021, limited pilot trials with controlled dispensing of cannabis for non-medical purposes have been possible in Switzerland. Since then, individual applications have been submitted to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). The first application from the canton of Basel-Stadt has now been approved, in which the legal sale of cannabis in pharmacies is to be investigated.

According to the FOPH, the pilot trials are intended to provide insights into the effects of controlled access to cannabis, particularly on the health of users, their consumption habits and the black market.

According to the FOPH, the cannabis pilot trials must meet strict requirements regarding the protection of health and minors. For example, only adults may take part in the study and their state of health must be continuously monitored. The cannabis products must also meet high quality standards and come from organic cultivation.

Surveys show that a majority of the population is open to fundamentally rethinking the approach to cannabis in the coming years. According to the FOPH, the attitudes of the population confirm the path taken by the Federal Council and Parliament in cannabis policy.

Source: BAG

Security researchers from ESET discovered three vulnerabilities on Lenovo laptops that leave a barn door open for attackers. It would theoretically be possible to inject malware via the vulnerability that can manipulate the firmware of motherboards. This would allow hardware information to be read during operation. Since the UEFI is booted before the operating system, the vulnerability is particularly dangerous. ESET speaks of 100 affected Lenovo models.

The security researchers advise Lenovo laptop owners to check the list of affected devices and look for the appropriate firmware for their model. If no update is currently offered, ESET advises using a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) solution for full hard disk encryption.

According to ESET, all UEFI threats discovered in the last few years had to bypass or disable security mechanisms in some way.

Source: ESET

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from heating, building more densely, rethinking mobility and transportation: these are the buzzwords that now come to mind for many contemporaries when they think of urgent questions about building culture and infrastructure. Some time ago, a small circle of experts from the project "Building Switzerland" apart.

Several aspects under pressure to adapt

In a new roadmap under the title "Building Switzerland is under pressure to adapt!" the team of experts specifies five segments that will be particularly affected by the upcoming challenges. These include the building stock, the infrastructure for goods and personnel transport, and the drinking water and wastewater networks.

In a matrix, the need for action and the impact potential for measures in passenger transport and buildings are classified as particularly high.

Three initiatives

The research team proposes three initiatives: First, increased research to expand existing knowledge; second, the necessary continuing education so that it quickly reaches professionals in the field; and third, an impulse program to make useful information available to all interested parties in the form of documentation and other tools. The goal of the roadmap is to demonstrate the importance of Switzerland as a building for society, to specify the need for action, and to raise awareness that a goal-oriented strategy can only be developed from an overarching overall view.

Link: Development Building Switzerland

The Security Network Exercise 2019 (SVU 19) examined how Switzerland can cope with a prolonged terrorist threat. The "Fides" exercise, which was canceled last year as a result of the Corona situation, is now scheduled for Aug. 15-19, 2022, in the city of Bern. As part of the exercise, the army will be faced with the task of protecting infrastructures critical to the functioning of public life.

Protection of critical infrastructure

Their guarding or monitoring is to be concretely planned on site and in part practically implemented on a one-to-one scale. The focus is on, for example, important distribution centers, major transportation infrastructures such as tunnels, bridges, viaducts, data centers for energy supply and traffic management, and important government infrastructures.

The protection of important transports is also conceivable. A possible subject of the exercise could also be the support of the police in the protection of embassies: This scenario has already been discussed and considered in the Corona crisis to relieve police forces in Bern, according to a statement from the canton. The concrete exercise scenario will be determined by the security directorate in the coming weeks together with the police and the army.

Vans are popular for good reasons and are used by many companies. Depending on requirements as a box van, with box body or flatbed, materials, tools, packages, objects, goods of all kinds can be transported and without the need for external freight forwarders or employees with special qualifications and driver's license C. However, the dangers of inadequately secured loads are sometimes underestimated.

When the hammer becomes a life-threatening projectile

There are three main reasons why unsecured cargo becomes a source of danger:

• Parts of the load fall off the vehicle and endanger following road users.
• Load slips due to centrifugal forces in curves and affects driving behavior, increasing the risk of accidents.
• Loaded objects are flung forward in the event of emergency braking or an accident and can - if
  there is no fixed partition to the driver's cab - injure the occupants.

The last point is particularly treacherous, because the laws of physics that apply here are merciless. According to the law of inertia already formulated by Isaac Newton some 300 years ago, every object strives to maintain its speed and direction of motion. This also applies to unsecured objects in a vehicle. The kinetic energy increases quadratically with speed and quickly reaches dangerous levels - for example during braking maneuvers or even a collision. Even at just 50 km/h, unsecured objects accelerate to many times their own weight.

There will be already one in the
A 300 g locksmith's hammer in the rear of the vehicle becomes a life-threatening projectile with a force of 10 to 15 kg. Crash tests with loaded delivery trucks show how unsecured objects fly up from behind and smash through the windshield. Incidentally, this also applies to PWs if, for example, the purchases from the hardware store are not stowed safely. Where employees do not take such risks seriously, the instructing managers are advised to search YouTube for "crash test load".

Loading, transporting and unloading must be safe

In short, securing the transported goods is indispensable, for all vehicle types and transport routes. The load must be secured against falling down, tipping or falling over as well as sliding or rolling away. This applies not only during transport, but also during loading and unloading. Here, too, dangerous situations can arise if, for example, the employee opening a hatch or door is confronted by the unsecured load.

It is often useful to think about the order of later unloading already during loading. It is precisely the moment when, at the point of arrival, the
If the load is not secured properly, there is a risk of injury. If the load is only partially unloaded, the remaining loads may have to be redistributed and secured. If there are signs during the journey that the load has come loose, for example as a result of rattling, clattering or even noticeable sliding, the vehicle must be stopped and re-secured.

Wide range of aids for load securing

If people or goods are injured due to inadequately secured cargo, the driver is quickly held responsible. However, employers and supervisors, as well as shippers and packers, are also jointly responsible. The employer must ensure that suitable load securing aids are available in sufficient quantity and quality. In addition to lashing straps, depending on the vehicle body and the load, these include chains, clamping and plug-in boards, separating grids, safety nets, anti-slip mats, wedges and edge protectors, as well as filling material and dunnage. Especially useful for craftsmen or on assembly are transport boxes, in which small parts, tools, cable drums, etc. can also be safely stowed. All these tools should be checked regularly. Worn elements such as torn straps or bent hooks should be consistently replaced and withdrawn from further use.

Responsible supervisors should keep an eye on whether the selected vehicle is suitable for the load and has the required fastening and anchoring options such as lashing eyes, lashing rails or anchor rails. The permissible total weights and axle loads should always be observed, as should the load distribution. The vehicle axles should always be loaded as evenly as possible and the steering axle should bear at least 20 percent of the vehicle's operating weight. The driver should also know what consequences a load has for the air pressure of the tires and the setting of the headlights.

Every employee who drives a delivery truck should therefore have been instructed on the subject of load securing and when to use which aids in which way. This also includes knowledge of the two most important principles of
Load securing

• Form-fit = load stowed without gaps, which hold each other
• Force fit = lashing down the load with tension belts

Even those who are confident in their PW should familiarize themselves with a delivery vehicle and its driving behavior if they are driving a van for the first time or only occasionally. The vehicle has different dimensions, the load influences the driving behavior, and crosswinds, speed bumps or potholes have a greater effect. Supervisors who assign an employee new to delivery driving should allow the person a period of acclimation without time pressure.

Dangerous goods in the van only after instruction

Some transportation situations typically handled by delivery trucks and vans involve special hazards, e.g.:

• Gas cylinders on the way to the construction site
• Cleaning agents brought to stores as corrosive concentrates
• Infectious linen from clinics in transit to the laundry

In such cases, and in all other dangerous goods transports, it is particularly important that all those involved are instructed on the respective special risks, regulations and protective measures. This applies not only to the driver but also to all those involved in packing, labeling, loading or unloading.

Conclusion: Consistent securing of the load, even in or on vans, is a basic requirement for participation in road traffic and should be a matter of course even for shorter transport routes. Not because the Road Traffic Act (SVG) or the Traffic Regulations Ordinance (VRV) prescribe this, but for the protection of the driver, passengers and other road users. In addition, inadequate securing often results in damage to the goods being transported. If you take consistent preventive action, you will not only save your company costs and fines in the long run, but also delays and trouble with customers and clients.