University of Queensland scientists find exceedingly dangerous side effects in the five drugs most commonly prescribed for depression. The five drugs most commonly prescribed for depression, sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (brand name Lexapro), bupropion (Welbutrin), duloxetine (Cymbalta) and agomelatine (Valdoxan), increase antibiotic resistance, say University of Queensland (UQ) researchers.

"While overuse of antibiotics is recognized as the main driver of bacterial resistance, we wanted to investigate whether other common drugs contribute to the problem," said Jianhua Guo of Australia's Center for Water, Environment and Biotechnology At UQ. "Sertraline, duloxetine, and fluoxetine had the strongest impact on bacterial resistance, even at very low doses."

This can affect a wide range of people, the researcher points out. In 2021, for example, around 42 million prescription antidepressants were administered in Australia alone. In Europe, between 8.8 and 14.8 percent of all people suffer from depression.

"Further studies need to assess the potential impact on the microbiomes of people given antidepressants, as well as their risk for gastrointestinal upset or disease," Guo advises.

Global measures needed

It is estimated that 1.27 million people die each year from infections that do not respond to drugs - and the number is expected to reach ten million per year in 2050 if no global action is taken. This includes, first and foremost, the development of new drugs against bacteria that have become resistant, such as phages. These are viruses that attack and destroy only dangerous bacteria.

Source: Press release

Today, the Swiss security market is worth around 800 million Swiss francs and is growing continuously. However, there is definitely not an oversupply of proven specialists in the security industry at present - on the contrary: As has been learned from association circles in the Swiss security industry, there is currently an acute shortage of experienced specialists in many respects. For the 25 young specialists who completed the "Project Manager Security Systems" course at the Technical College Winterthur (STFW) in cooperation with the Association of Swiss Security System Installers (SES), the chances are therefore quite good that they will be ideally qualified for their career prospects thanks to their well-founded further training and in view of this "oversupply". The additional training was first offered in 2009. Since then, more than 200 representatives of security system installers, planners and organizations have successfully completed it, according to SES.

The part-time continuing education program provides participants with extensive expertise in the planning, execution and maintenance of security systems, with a choice of either a fire or security focus. The perspectives are versatile. Whether you want to develop into a project-managing generalist or, for example, a product manager or sales engineer, the security industry is looking for the necessary specialists. Depending on previous knowledge, SES says that career changers are also welcome. Above all, IT specialists are urgently needed, as IT skills in areas such as video security and access control already account for 80 percent of the entire planning spectrum.

More complex projects - in the course of digitization

From a professional perspective, the challenges for the security industry will not be boring: The digital transformation will increasingly mean that security technology will have to change and, in some cases, reinvent itself in many areas, says Altorfer. As a result, security technology will become increasingly complex and thus significantly more demanding for all those involved: "You are now ideally prepared for these challenges and can optimally ensure the optimal protection of people and property," says the SES president.

Beat Amstutz, Head of Education Building Services and member of the STFW School Board, also congratulated the graduates. "Standstill is death," Herbert Grönemeyer sang in his song back in 1998. This definitely did not happen with regard to the graduates. Amstutz also stated that the shortage of skilled workers had already been discussed throughout the afternoon. Therefore, he said, the training to become a project manager for security systems is certainly an important career station and definitely a good investment in the future.

25 professional cards distributed

Martin Altorfer and Beat Amstutz were able to present the 25 newly qualified project managers for security systems with the federal certificate of proficiency.

Successfully passed the advanced training (in alphabetical order): Mancour Adam, Nico Brüngger, Francesco Cascio, Michael Christen (2. Rank), Micha Gasser, Maurizio Guglielmo, Joel Hauri, Dominic Kutil, Martin Liber, Cvijetin Maksimovic, Tobias Marani, André Maurer, Daniel Pacheco de Oliveira, Claudio Passafaro, Roger Pauli, Giulio Portone, Fabian Reller, Andreas Rohrbach, Marc Schwertfeger, Senad Suljkanovic, Fabian Weibel, Marco Aldo Weibel (1st rank), Brendan Aitchison, Reto Lendon, Reto Lendon (2nd rank). Rank), Brendan Aitchison, Reto Lendi, Adrian Sutter (1st rank).

The next course Project Manager Security Systems with Federal Diploma starts at March 14, 2023 and lasts until May 11, 2024. The course specializing in safety includes various training modules on central safety topics such as EMA, AC, VS, IT/control systems, but also basic management and knowledge topics such as business administration, self-management, law and project management.

www.sicher-ses.ch

The concept of "New Work" goes back to the 1970s. It was essentially described by Frithjof Bergmann. At the same time, it marks the transition from an industrial to a knowledge society. Various drivers are dramatically changing the way we work: Above all, this includes globalization. The fact that time and space are hardly an obstacle anymore means that production can take place anywhere in the world. This leads to more and more multinational corporations. At the same time, worldwide migration is on the rise. Around one third of all migrants worldwide live in Europe. This is forced by poverty, wars and other conflicts. From the point of view of occupational health and safety, this means that this has not been the last pandemic and that further epidemics will follow. Because of this, sustainable concepts should be developed to be well prepared for future pandemics.

Demographic change and more agile forms of work

Bergmann sees the end of classic wage labor coming and believes that we must not continue to subject ourselves to work, but that in the future it must be the other way around. According to the philosopher, the fact that work should be fun is actually only an intermediate stage on the way to much more meaningful and self-determined work. New Work organizes work radically differently and leads to more freedom for employees. Even though Bergmann conceded that few companies have implemented the New Work concept in his sense, there are now some that are applying many elements of his concept with spatial and temporal flexibilization of work performance, flatter hierarchies and agile forms of work.

The second trend is demographic change. The low birth rates in Europe are leading to imbalances in the social systems and also increasingly in the labor market. The consequence will be a further increase in the working life age, as flexible as possible from a health perspective. From the point of view of occupational health and safety, some professions are not compatible with a longer working life. An intensive care nurse over 70 years of age, a roofer or a garbage worker are hardly conceivable, whereas professors could well continue to teach well beyond the age of 70.

Changing job profiles

The most significant trend is toward digitization and virtualization. Technological progress is resulting in ever faster and shorter innovation cycles. Lifelong learning is the order of the day. It will no longer be possible to get through professional life with only an initial education. That is why job profiles will also change. Monotonous jobs will disappear, but new jobs will be created at the interface between man and machine.

The pandemic has dramatically accelerated the digitalization of the working world. New forms of work, such as the home or mobile office, will become increasingly prevalent, and video conferencing is gradually replacing real meetings. Before Corona, we in Central Europe had a presence fetishism; we drove to the office Monday through Friday, spent hours fighting our way back and forth through rush-hour traffic in the metropolises. Post Covid, however, nothing will ever be the same again. From the point of view of occupational medicine, this means that new stresses are emerging. Phenomena such as the "zoom fatique syndrome," the one-sided stress caused by many or long video conferences, are now appearing among employees.

New working models

Ultimately, there are two new settings for occupational health and safety. In the future, people will be working more on the Internet and in their home offices. The boundaries of work are being removed. The constant accessibility means that rest periods are almost completely eliminated. Employees tend to work more in the home office than in the office. However, top performers in particular often fear that their commitment will not be recognized because they hardly ever see each other in person.

Rigid regulations are not what Bergmann has in mind; rather, it's about flexibility to suit each individual. In other words, it's not in his spirit to turn off the e-mail servers in the evening so that employees don't work too much. This is especially popular among employees with children. After all, when the kids are in bed, parents can work undisturbed. The antiquated rigidity of the (German) Working Hours Act also does not fit in with New Work. HR policy must be life-phase oriented so that companies have a chance to counter the shortage of skilled workers in the "war for talents".

New focus on health protection

The classic fields of action in health promotion, exercise, nutrition, stress and addiction are also particularly relevant in the home office. We move significantly less in the home office. This has been proven by studies, e.g. by Fitbit. In the area of nutrition, too, the sale of ready-to-serve pizzas, for example, has increased considerably since the pandemic. However, mental health appears to be one of the most important areas for action. The intensification and dissolution of work boundaries under the conditions of the disruptive VUCA world is now a de facto burden on almost every second employee. In the meantime, the focus has shifted significantly in the area of addiction. For many decades, the focus was on tobacco and alcohol prevention, but now it is topics such as financial well-being and fashion drugs that are causing concern.

For the Internet setting, work is becoming increasingly flexible. However, technical challenges, from line speed to data security, are again reducing the freedom gained. It is alarming that there are now almost five million people in Germany who are addicted to the Internet and gambling. The dependence on social networks is also enormous for many.

Mental illness on the rise

Contemporary benefit packages are part of New Work. Here, aspects of a company's sustainability strategy are increasingly involved. Whereas company cars and technical hobbies used to be the preference of employees, today it is daycare centers, job bikes and gyms.

The concept of work-life balance is outdated and is changing into work-life blending. This allows for individual volumes and rhythms of work so that it doesn't get out of hand in stress for anyone. Some people need to be protected from themselves and slowed down in their work zeal.

Mental illnesses are on the rise in the age of New Work. However, they often arise from complex interactions between environment, work and private life. This is why more digital health interventions will be needed in the future to serve people in all settings at a low threshold.

Managers must continuously develop their skills

Central adjusting screw for healthy work of the future are the (lower) managers. They must lead hybrid teams and maintain creativity, team spirit and productivity. In addition, they are personally responsible for absenteeism and presenteeism among employees. If companies used to look at the sickness rate of the workforce, in the future they will have to shift their focus to the 95 percent who are present. If you sustainably maintain their performance, you can achieve great effects. Managers must be prepared for the challenges of the knowledge society with a kind of home office driver's license and must continuously develop their skills.

Appreciation, especially across hierarchies, is becoming the central management tool. Since most managers in Switzerland are selected according to professional criteria and not according to their soft skills, they have an urgent need for qualification. "No value creation without appreciation" applies across all industries. This means that leadership style correlates with performance, sick leave and employee productivity.

Employees in the duty

Employee participation is an important basis for the full realization of New Work. Workers should be able to articulate how they want their work to be structured. And they themselves also know best about the stresses and strains of work. As an outlook, it can be said that the knowledge society will establish itself much faster as a result of Covid-19. Many industries will face the challenge of recruiting qualified personnel. Especially in stressful, precarious jobs such as at the airport, in the hotel and catering industry or nursing, there will be massive staff shortages. Nevertheless, the nursing professions in particular will be doubly affected by demographic change: there are more and more older, multimorbid patients and fewer and fewer young workers because of the low birth rate. Even though Bergmann said it would not be a misfortune if many of these precarious professions disappeared, they are still indispensable to our civilized society. Not everything can be digitized, and stressful jobs will still have to be performed in the future.

Bergmann describes the necessary process thus: "The goal of new work is not to free people from work, but to transform work so that it produces free, self-determined, human beings."

In Switzerland, there are around 7200 sirens for the general alarm to protect the population. These are about 5000 stationary sirens and about 2200 sirens in mobile use. All stationary sirens are now connected to the uniform Polyalert control system.

Polyalert also serves as the core system for disseminating alerts and supplemental information through the Alertswiss app and website channels.

99 percent of sirens work successfully

According to the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP), 99 percent of the stationary sirens tested worked perfectly during the siren test on February 1, 2023. The cantons and municipalities are now required to repair or replace the defective systems immediately. Since the sirens are tested every year and any defects found are subsequently repaired, functional reliability can be maintained at a high level.

For the fifth time, the Alertswiss channels were also tested during the siren test. Parallel to the triggering of the sirens, an information message was triggered on the Alertswiss website, as well as on the Alertswiss mobile app.

Source: FOCP

In Switzerland, there are around 7200 sirens for the general alarm to protect the population. These are about 5000 stationary sirens and about 2200 sirens in mobile use. All stationary sirens are now connected to the uniform Polyalert control system.

Polyalert also serves as the core system for disseminating alerts and supplemental information through the Alertswiss app and website channels.

99 percent of sirens work successfully

According to the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP), 99 percent of the stationary sirens tested worked perfectly during the siren test on February 1, 2023. The cantons and municipalities are now required to repair or replace the defective systems immediately. Since the sirens are tested every year and any defects found are subsequently repaired, functional reliability can be maintained at a high level.

For the fifth time, the Alertswiss channels were also tested during the siren test. Parallel to the triggering of the sirens, an information message was triggered on the Alertswiss website, as well as on the Alertswiss mobile app.

Source: FOCP

There is no such thing as one hundred percent security in IT systems, and vulnerabilities are part of everyday life. Often, however, these contacts are not easy to find on websites or are not stored at all. The standard "security.txt" provides a possibility to publish the security contact of an organization or company in a uniform way and thus to find it more quickly.

The standard specifies that a text file with the name "security.txt" is saved in the predefined directory "/.well-known" on the website of the company or organization. This file contains at least the contact data that can be used to get in touch with the responsible security contact of a company or organization. In addition, other security-relevant information can also be stored there.

According to the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), the "security.txt" standard is technically easy to implement by the IT support of the company or organization and contributes significantly to improving security management. A survey by the NCSC showed that several thousand websites in Switzerland have already implemented the "security.txt" standard, it said. In relation to the total number of websites in Switzerland of several million, however, there is still "room for improvement".

The NCSC has a Guide for organizations and companies, which describes the exact procedure and provides further information.

Source: NCSC

The year 2022 was particularly deadly for members of the press. At least 67 journalists and media workers lost their lives. This is the highest figure since 2018 and represents an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2021, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This is due to a large number of deaths among journalists covering the Ukraine war. According to CPJ, at least 41 journalists and media workers were killed in direct connection with their work. The causes of the killings of 26 others are under investigation.

Many perpetrators go unpunished

More than half of the 67 killings occurred in just three countries. There were 15 deaths in Ukraine, 13 in Mexico, and seven in Haiti. This is the highest number CPJ has ever recorded in these countries. In Mexico and Haiti, journalists were the targets of brutal killings because of their work. However, the majority of the perpetrators were never brought to justice. Mexico continues to top CPJ's "Global Impunity Index," which lists countries where the killers of journalists go unpunished.

CPJ tracks three types of deaths among journalists related to their work: targeted killings in retaliation for their reporting are the most common. These are followed by deaths during combat operations or as a result of crossfire, and deaths during other dangerous assignments. CPJ also monitors killings of people who work as media handlers, such as translators, drivers, and security personnel. Last year, one such death occurred in Kazakhstan.

Ukraine particularly dangerous

Journalists covering Ukraine are at enormous risk. At least 15 journalists were killed in 2022. Most died at the beginning of the war. There have been no other deaths since the death of French cameraman Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff late in May. In 2022, 30 journalists were killed in Latin America. They were covering crime, corruption, gang violence and the environment.

At least twelve journalists were killed in a direct connection with their work. In Mexico, CPJ 2022 recorded three deaths of journalists in connection with their job. The causes of ten more deaths are currently under investigation. Thirteen deaths is the highest number reported since records began in 1992, the organization says.

In Haiti, triggered by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, journalists covering gang violence, the political crisis, and domestic unrest experienced an alarming increase in violent attacks. In 2022, at least five journalists were killed in connection with their work. The causes of two other deaths are under investigation.

In two of these cases, the journalists were killed by the police. In its report, the Committee to Protect Journalists points out that while Mexico alone has several laws and bodies that deal specifically with the protection of journalists, they have proven ineffective in other countries as well. However, they have proven ineffective in other countries as well.

Source: Press release

Despite publicly available research results, universities and research institutes are threatened by espionage. Since 2004, the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) has been running the Prophylax awareness program, which draws the attention of companies, business organizations and research institutions to the threats posed by proliferation and espionage.

The program is aimed at members of universities, colleges and research institutes and shows why they can be an interesting target for foreign intelligence services. The brochure (PDF) includes espionage examples and a catalog of concrete security measures.

Prevention film "In Sight" launched

In addition to the awareness talks and a brochure, a short film will now also provide information on the subject of industrial espionage. "Im Visier" was produced for educational purposes as part of Prophylax for companies, universities and research institutes. The film shows a selection of operational methods and means used by private or state actors to gain access to trade secrets.

Source: NDB/Editorial

The Swiss Armed Forces are not sufficiently protected against cyber attacks. Currently, there are problems with the video surveillance of army infrastructures such as weapon ranges or logistics centers. This is the subject of an internal IT audit report by the Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), which was reported on by SRF radio at the end of January.

Obsolete video cameras

The Keystone-SDA news agency, which also had access to the investigation report, summarizes the findings. Among other things, random checks had shown that IT security documents were not available or only available to an insufficient extent. The outdated hardware is also criticized. Most of the video cameras in use are more than ten years old. The Swiss Armed Forces in particular have numerous different video surveillance systems in use, most of which are not networked. Moreover, the operation and maintenance of the video surveillance systems and the management of the systems are decentralized.

Renewal of all video surveillance systems

The report also states that the systems are not regularly checked for IT vulnerabilities at all sites and that important updates have not been installed in some cases. The internal audit of the DDPS therefore identifies a need for action and also reprimands data protection requirements. Responsibilities in this regard are now to be clarified more precisely for each individual site. In addition, an inventory of all video surveillance systems is to be drawn up. Older, analog video surveillance systems would be replaced by digital systems. A uniform surveillance solution is to be implemented at around 30 sites by the end of 2026.

It is well known that vision deteriorates with age. Far less widespread is the knowledge of how early this process begins. It already starts slowly from the age of 30: color and depth perception diminish, and it takes longer to adjust to differences in brightness. To see well, a fifty-year-old already needs more than three times as much light as a twenty-year-old. Higher illuminance levels at work and at home help to compensate for weaker visual performance, advises the industry initiative licht.de.

For good visibility, "fixed lighting" does not have to be switched on around the clock, especially in times of energy shortage at home. But for certain activities, light sources with higher illuminance levels should be available - for example, for work in the home office, at the mirror in the bathroom or in the kitchen to avoid accidents with sharp measurements and hot pans. Dimmable lighting is ideal for a good working or cleaning light and a comfortable lighting atmosphere in the evening.

No glare

The older eye is more sensitive to glare. Obstacles are easily overlooked and the risk of falling increases. High-quality luminaire covers and a high proportion of indirect lighting reduce glare. When changing from light to dark, the eyes need longer to adapt with increasing age.

Work ergonomically

To recognize colors correctly at work, light sources with very good color rendering (at least Ra 80) are needed. For the workplaces of older employees, the workplace standard DIN EN 12464-1 recommends higher, modified values. They can be retrofitted quite easily with additional desk, workstation or floor luminaires. Good lighting design plans for these requirements from the outset. With a lighting control system, the design is implemented in an energy-efficient manner. For example, if not all workstations in an office with several networked free-standing luminaires are occupied, the luminaires that are temporarily not needed dim to a less bright, indirect light. This means that there are no excessive differences in brightness and employees can still find their way around.

Incidentally strengthen the biorhythm

If you have luminaires and lamps at home with several settings for brightness and light color, you can also do something good for your biorhythm. Bright, cool light in the morning gets the body going, and dimmed reddish light toward evening lets it rest. In this way, the internal clock is synchronized, well-being increases and night sleep can improve.

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is the proposed regulation on cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements. The act aims to strengthen cybersecurity regulations to ensure more secure hardware and software products. Euralarm welcomes some of the proposals, but has some suggestions for improvement.

Discussions with the "DG Connect" CRA team, for example, have shown that there is still room for improvement to ensure legal certainty for manufacturers and the proportionality of the scope and categorization, the unit writes. At the same time, it is important to preserve the overall goal of increasing the cyber resilience of European society, it adds.

Euralarm's paper summarizes suggestions for clarifying the text and improving the proportionality of the regulation. Copies of the new Euralarm position paper can be downloaded from the Euralarm website at be downloaded.

Source: Euroalarm

The nursing industry is facing greater challenges in light of population growth and maintaining working conditions. The Nursing Initiativewhich was approved at the ballot box on November 28, 2021, is now being implemented by the Federal Council in two stages. The first stage includes a training offensive by the federal government and the cantons, for which up to one billion Swiss francs have been earmarked over eight years. In addition, caregivers will increasingly be able to bill certain services directly to the social insurance funds.

According to a statement from the federal government, the criteria for federal education grants will be formulated by summer 2023 and sent out for consultation. The necessary law is expected to come into force in mid-2024.

The Federal Council intends to implement the remaining elements, including working conditions that meet requirements and better career development opportunities, as part of the new constitutional provision. To this end, the Federal Council instructed the Department of Home Affairs at a meeting on January 25, 2023. The new federal law will regulate new provisions that will apply to the entire nursing sector. These include, for example, stricter requirements for the creation of duty rosters, the plannability of assignments, which may no longer be determined two weeks in advance, but at least four weeks in advance. Short-term adjustments of duty assignments should continue to be possible: However, employers should then be obliged to pay wage supplements.

• Fact sheet 1st stage implementation care initiative

• Fact sheet 2nd stage implementation care initiative