Siemens Smart Infrastructure has introduced a new version of its 19-inch voice alarm and public address solution "Novigo," which can be integrated into fire protection and hazard management systems thanks to configuration software. The system is used in hotels, commercial offices and educational institutions, for example, and enables the gradual modernization of outdated systems, according to Siemens.

Professional sound quality and low delay time ensure clear communication for voice messages as well as emergency announcements and business music. Designed for multiple levels of redundancy, Novigo Core systems are available in two variants: Novigo Core 400 and Novigo Core 1000. The Core systems, with a power of up to 2000 watts, are suitable for wall mounting and comply with the EN 54-16 standard and all regulations of European countries.

Product flyer

Source: Siemens

With large article assortments, with hundreds or even thousands of articles, a clean, substance-by-substance assessment becomes very time-consuming. Aids and systems to simplify stock classification are therefore indispensable in the development of warehouse concepts. Such aids cannot be perfect - chemistry is too versatile - but they greatly speed up the organization of a hazardous materials warehouse. An established system for grouping hazardous substances for storage in Switzerland is the storage classes according to the cantonal guidelines. Closely related are the separation rules according to the VKF fire protection guideline 26-15 "Hazardous substances". A new tool is described in the Suva checklist 67201 "Electroplating", which was published in December 2020. Included in this checklist is the "Chemical Compatibility" table - a 9×9 matrix that contrasts the 9 GHS pictograms and specifies whether co-storage of products with each pictogram is possible, prohibited, or possible with additional safety measures. The system is impressively simple. With the GHS pictograms as a basis, it can be applied directly in the warehouse - a glance at the hazardous substance labels is enough. But how meaningful are GHS pictograms as a criterion for mixed storage and how suitable are the mixed storage rules?

One thing is clear: The pictograms according to GHS were not defined as compatibility classes, but they identify different types of physical hazards, health hazards and environmental hazards. If these criteria are compared with each other in order to derive storage regulations, inconsistencies inevitably arise. This is most clearly illustrated by the "flame" pictogram GHS02. It identifies highly flammable substances of all aggregate states (gaseous, liquid, solid) as well as substances capable of self-heating and self-ignition, organic peroxides and substances that form flammable gases on contact with water. Expressed in storage classes (LK) according to cantonal guidelines: LK 3, LK 4.1, LK 4.2, LK 4.3, part of LK 5 as well as part of LK 2. From 100 kg storage quantity, products of these storage classes are generally to be stored in separate fire compartments.

If we look at the other pictograms, the selected criteria according to the Suva checklist cover at least most of the classic incompatibilities in the field of electroplating: strong acids and alkalis, cyanide salts, flammable liquids and strong oxidizing agents. Here, the table therefore allows a useful initial assessment.

A possible advantage of the table according to Suva compared to the storage classes: A product can have multiple hazardous properties and be labeled with multiple GHS pictograms, all of which can be taken into account when assigning storage. This is in contrast to the storage class system, in which each product is assigned to a single storage class based on a prioritization of hazard properties. For example, highly flammable liquids that are also highly acidic or basic would be assigned to the same storage class, LK3 - the separation of acidic and basic products can then easily be forgotten. Based on the GHS pictograms, the corrosive effect of the products would be recognized on the basis of GHS05 - storage together is only permitted under certain conditions.

At the same time, contradictions arise very quickly from this consideration. Consider, for example, the storage together of the simple alcohols ethanol and methanol. Both belong to storage class 3, highly flammable liquids. In addition, ethanol is labeled as an eye irritant (GHS07 exclamation mark). Methanol is toxic and harmful to organs (GHS06 & GHS08): once flame and exclamation mark - once flame, skull and crossbones and harmful to health. From a chemical point of view, there is nothing to be said against storing them together; the two alcohols do not react with each other in a dangerous way. The alcohols are also comparable in terms of fire behavior. According to the Suva checklist, however, GHS 02 "Flame" and GHS06 "Skull and crossbones" cannot be stored together - so that the combined storage of methanol and ethanol would not be permitted. This is a clear contradiction to the storage class classification and makes little sense from a chemical point of view.

Other anomalies

According to the Suva checklist, storage of explosive substances (GHS01, exploding bomb) together with substances with the GHS exclamation mark is permitted. The storage guide of the cantons classifies explosive substances in storage class 1 and does not treat them further - storage together with other storage classes is not foreseen.
For compressed gases (GHS04, gas cylinder pictogram), the Suva checklist also indicates incompatibilities that are not clearly comprehensible - for example, the co-storage of gas cylinders with corrosive substances (GHS05) and with oxidizing agents (GHS03) is permitted under certain conditions - but co-storage with irritant (GHS07) or environmentally hazardous (GHS09) substances is excluded. The storage guide requires separate storage for gases weighing 100 kg or more - preferably in free-standing buildings without basements or in mesh crates.

Conclusion

The compatibility table in the new Suva checklist "Electroplating" should be used with caution. At best, it can serve as a rough guide for an initial assessment and it covers the most common incompatibilities that arise in electroplating. However, the table cannot replace the storage guide of the cantons to develop a hazardous material storage concept. And: With both systems for assessing the storage of hazardous substances together, a look at the safety data sheets remains necessary in the end. Product-specific incompatibilities according to chapter 10 and storage regulations according to chapter 7 of the safety data sheet must always be additionally observed.

Useful links: 

Electroplating checklist from Suva: suva.ch/67201.d

Camp Guide: kvu.ch/en/working-groups?id=151

VKF fire protection regulations: bsvonline.ch/en/regulations

Panasonic announced at a Linkedin online event a new tool called "I-Pro Multi-AI System" presented. The software captures and filters the best snapshots and metadata based on deep learning and integrates with existing CCTV infrastructures. The system works by using "I-Pro AI"-enabled cameras with real-time analysis and plug-ins on the Video Management System (VMS) on the server and client side.

Some of the applications are particularly suitable for urban surveillance and public safety, according to Panasonic. The "AI Face Detection" function, for example, enables highly accurate face recognition in dimly lit environments, backlighting and when faces are obscured by masks. "AI People, for example, recognizes features of the human face and clothing and assigns them to categories such as gender, age or clothing color.

https://youtu.be/3MCTYk1Oyf4

Another feature called AI Vehicle Detection classifies features of vehicles, for example by vehicle type and color. The purely visual level is supplemented by the classification of sounds recorded by external microphones. These include, for example, vehicle horns, gunshots, screams or broken glass as a standard function.

Source: Panasonic

depositphotos

The persistent and heavy precipitation in July also led to flooding in large parts of Switzerland. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) recorded new record values for Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Biel at its hydrological measuring stations. However, the flood protection measures taken by the federal government, cantons and municipalities have proven effective, the federal office wrote in a statement. There were no casualties and despite flooding, flood damage was limited according to initial estimates. At numerous Meteo Schweiz measuring stations, July was one of the five months with the most precipitation since measurements began. The events showed how important flood protection measures are, writes the Federal Office.

Especially against the background of climate change, but also with regard to the use of settlement areas, protection against floods and other natural hazards must be continuously adapted to new framework conditions - and is therefore an ongoing task for the optimization of organizational, planning and constructional flood protection measures.

Left:

• FOEN Webdossier: Floods July 2021: Intense precipitation led to widespread flooding 
• FOEN: Lake regulation 
• Canton Bern: Water regulation - Jura lakes 
• MeteoSwiss: Flood month July 
• NCCS: Hydro-CH2018 - Increasing hazard potential 

Source: Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

There is a risk of fire and electric shock with the XTORM AL 490 AC Pro power bank. The devices must no longer be used. The European importer Telco accessories is therefore recalling the powerbank.

What is the danger posed by the affected products?

The affected powerbanks have various serious safety-related defects. There is a risk of fire and electric shock.

Which products are affected?

The powerbank "XTORM AL 490 AC Pro" is affected by the product recall (see picture of the affected product).

What should affected consumers do?

The affected powerbanks "XTORM AL 490 AC Pro" may no longer be used. Affected consumers are requested to return the devices to the point of sale.

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a first visit to the Office of Intelligence Coordination (ODNI) since taking office, warned of a "real war" of great proportions as a result of cyberattacks.

The U.S. government and several allies had most recently accused China of "irresponsible malicious cyber activities." As summarized by the news agency DPA, the U.S. sees China behind the March attack on Microsoft's Exchange Server.

"If we end up in a war, a real war with a major power, it will be as a result of a cyberattack of major consequence," Biden said.

The United States is also looking at Russia: the hacker attackers are criminals with targets abroad, on the one hand, and Russian intelligence services targeting authorities, ministries and companies in the United States, on the other. The Russian government denies such attempted attacks.

Cyber threats, including ransomware, are increasingly capable of causing real-world damage and disruption. At the summit between Biden and Putin, the U.S. president handed Moscow a list of 16 areas of critical U.S. infrastructure that should not be subject to hacking attacks. These include food, the energy sector, banks, and healthcare facilities.

Source: German Press Agency (dpa) 

Bent concrete beams, cracks on the undersides of bridges, risk of rust for the reinforcement: In Switzerland, many structures are getting on in years. Take national roads, for example: According to the 2019 condition report of the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), a large proportion of bridges were built from the mid-1960s to the 1980s - with significantly lower traffic loads than today.

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) have long been used to rehabilitate supporting structures that are groaning under their loads: flat lamellae, bonded to the underside, counteract the load. In the "Ebrog" method (for "externally bonded reinforcement on grooves"), for example, which has only emerged in recent years, narrow grooves are milled longitudinally into the girder in advance for this purpose: more surface area for force transmission, which also acts deeper into the concrete. This method was used for the first time in 2018 for a bridge rehabilitation project in Küssnacht.

Now Empa researchers are developing the method further in an Innosuisse project with industry partner S&P Clever Reinforcement Company in Seewen. The team led by Christoph Czaderski from the "Engineering Structures" research department is testing prestressed CFRP laminates that "actively" reinforce concrete beams: they are bonded with epoxy resin under tensile stress. Once the bond has hardened, the ends are relaxed - and the strips, which "want" to contract, counteract the deflection even more.

Tricky in detail

What sounds simple at first is tricky in detail - especially at the ends of the strips, where enormous tensile forces of up to 14 tons act. To prevent them from tearing off, they have to be reliably fixed. Until now, this has been done with aluminum plates, glued and secured with dowels - but the Empa team has designed U-shaped stirrups made of CFRP specifically for the new method. The advantages: more precisely defined transmission of forces and, above all, a metal-free construction - immune to ubiquitous and dreaded corrosion.

"A solution made of a single material is always better than one made of two that behave differently," explains Czaderski, "especially for the anchoring, we did a lot of tests in the lab." The team benefited from experience at the Isfahan University of Technology in Iran. "A lot of basic research was done there," Czaderski explains. "Our postdoctoral fellow Niloufar Moshiri came to us with the idea of combining the Ebrog process with prestressing."

The potential is great, as tests in the laboratory show: The method with prestressing and CFRP stirrups increased the load-bearing capacity of a concrete slab by 77 percent compared with the "classic" reinforcement method without grooves and prestressing. Even without prestressing, the figure was still 34 percent.

Idea of an expert from Iran

To make the technology ready for the market, large-scale tests on concrete slabs with a span of six meters are to provide further findings before a real renovation project follows in 2021. Meanwhile, the industry partner is already working on practical aspects. The experts are developing an industrial process for the U-bolts, which were previously formed by hand from carbon profiles. And the equipment with which the lamellas have been prestressed up to now "has to be redesigned for the new process," explains Martin Hüppi, who heads the project at S&P and has been cooperating successfully with the Empa experts for a long time.

Efforts that could be worthwhile: Any structure that is rehabilitated rather than rebuilt saves not only costs but also CO2 emissions. In addition, the process would be easier and faster to handle during installation. "It would also be reasonably priced for building owners," says Hüppi, who sees good opportunities for applications - not only in aged large structures such as bridges, but also in residential renovations. "I absolutely see a market for it," says Hüppi, "and with prestressing, you're really exploiting the potential of the material."

Source: Empa

Hiking and mountain walking are more popular than ever as a leisure activity for the Swiss. However, according to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU), this is likely to further increase the number of accidents.

These are the three most important tips advised by the Swiss Hiking Association, the Swiss Mountain Guide Association SBV, the Swiss Alpine Club SAC and the Naturefriends of Switzerland NFS:

Plan hike carefully: Consider difficulty (trail category) and physical requirements, time needed, abilities of the hiking group, trail conditions and weather. Who is traveling alone, inform a third person.

Select suitable equipment: Sturdy hiking boots with a non-slip tread, warm and weatherproof clothing, sun protection, map, provisions, emergency first-aid kit and cell phone are always with you.

Stay alert on the road: Take regular breaks, drink and eat. Observe the schedule, weather, trail conditions and condition of the hiking group. If in doubt, turn back in time or choose an alternative route.

Studies: Sport Switzerland 2020, Hiking in Switzerland 2020

Source: BFA

The Low Flight Network (LFN) was originally created on the initiative of Rega and the Swiss Air Force. The aim: thanks to a nationwide network of instrument flight routes, helicopter crews should be able to carry out important flights, such as rescue missions or supply and evacuation flights in the event of a disaster, even in bad weather. The existing network will now be further expanded and supplemented over the next few years.

Thus, additional flight routes will be created, especially on the west-east route in the Jura and Valais regions or in western Switzerland. In the future, according to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, it will also be available to other air rescue companies as well as police forces, provided their helicopters are suitably equipped and their crews are qualified for the task.

In principle, it is envisaged that the federal government will assume the costs for the route network and those arrival and departure points that are in the national interest. In the case of regional requirements or special interests (for example, links to regional hospitals and Rega bases), the cantons or users are to assume the financing. In addition to Rega and the Swiss Air Force, other providers of rescue flights should also be able to use the LFN, provided that the missions serve national interests, their helicopters are suitably equipped and their crews are trained and approved for flights according to instrument flight procedures.

What is the Low Flight Network?
The Low Flight Network (LFN) can be compared to a highway network (albeit one that is rarely used). On predefined routes, helicopters can fly in instrument flight, for example from Ticino to Lucerne or Zurich, even in poor visibility conditions. What is new about the LFN is that these flights can also be carried out in lower airspaces, which are otherwise only intended for air traffic according to visual flight rules (VFR) and may only be flown in sufficient visibility conditions. Thanks to the LFN, medical rescue flights, as well as helicopter operations in the service of national security, are possible even in bad weather. To get from the "highway" to a hospital, the LFN has so-called PinS (Point in Space). These virtual points over a hospital or over an airfield allow a direct approach using GPS technology. From this virtual point, the helicopter can set off for landing, but sufficient visibility must be available for this final, short section of the route. It is therefore not a "blind landing system" as known from the large airports and fixed-wing aircraft.

Source: Bazl

Building designers of educational institutions are challenged. The report "Rethinking Education Facilities as Digital Entities." from the Honeywell series summarizes trends among building designers. According to the surveys, 64 percent in the U.S., China and Germany are more likely to invest in smart building solutions today than they were before the pandemic. Fifty-six percent say the ability to manage building systems from a single platform represents a key benefit of smart building management.

In terms of specific, digital solutions, the majority are very likely to invest in at least one of the following in the next 12 to 18 months: an app that provides real-time building information, software for better access and insight into fire alarm systems, and security products with higher cybersecurity protocols, contactless building access or remote building management.

Ninety-three percent of education facility managers surveyed report experiencing at least one emergency in the past 12 months. Forty-three percent report physical site or cybersecurity damage. And nearly half (45 percent) report that site security (video surveillance and access control) and fire and personal security systems were top priorities in the next 12 to 18 months.

Source: buildings.honeywell.com

In 2020, the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) was busy with 20,157 inspection hours for plan submissions. As summarized in the annual activity report, one focus was on the inspection of electrical installations of grid levels NE1-NE5 (extra-high to low-voltage levels). At the supervised parties, such as national grid operators and large distribution grid operators, it was checked whether the necessary inspections were carried out in accordance with the Heavy Current Ordinance and whether personal safety was guaranteed at all times during operation and maintenance.

No immediate and direct hazards were identified during the inspections carried out, but inaccurate access control was found at some installations, as well as unregulated and unearthed parts of the installation and a lack of climbing protection concepts (fall protection).

Precise instructions when using PPE

ESTI emphasizes that unambiguous instructions and knowledge are required when using PPE. PPE alone does not automatically and fully protect against electric currents and the effects of arcing. Of three planned professional development days, only one inspector's meeting was held. External speakers covered topics such as earthquake safety, EN 61439, standard terms and design, heating tests or transformer protection.

According to ESTI, on 98 examination days, more than 800 candidates for an installation license - including electricians or other specialists in the electrical field - were tested in a practical manner in accordance with the licensing requirements of Art. 12 of the Low-Voltage Installation Ordinance (NIV; SR 734.27). According to ESTI, 12 additional examination days offered at short notice were unfortunately not sufficient to accommodate all registrations and postponements. Therefore, 128 examination days will be held once in 2021.

To the complete ESTI Activity Report 2020 (PDF)

Source: ESTI

In March, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) issued a formal procedure against the operators of the platform www.meineimpfungen.ch. The platform was criticized by data protectionists in the spring. Hundreds of thousands of data records, including those of Federal Councilors, were accessible to hackers.

The web portal was then set. In addition, cases of incorrectly assigned vaccinations also came to light. According to the Foundation for Consumer Protection the verification of the requests for deletion of other documents was also time-consuming.

As the platform states on its website writesIn the meantime, 4,000 users have already received a refund. A claim for reimbursement would exist if the costs for the digitization of the vaccination card had already been paid, but the service could not be provided due to the closure of the platform.

Source: myvaccinations.ch