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The legal framework: EKAS and ASA
The Swiss Federal Commission for Occupational Safety (FCOS) has divided all types of companies into risk groups (FCOS guidelines 6508). Companies that belong to "dangerous" risk group 3.1, e.g. because they process explosive or harmful substances or there is a risk of danger from traffic (track construction) or heavy loads (stackers, construction workers), are obliged to be supervised by a safety specialist.
The ASA is a specialist unit of the FCOS and summarizes the most important requirements in the field of occupational safety. The abbreviation ASA stands for "Involvement of occupational physicians and other occupational safety specialists". The ASA guidelines act as a working tool for employers and safety specialists to enable them to carry out their responsible tasks and continuously improve.
Safety officer (SiBe)
Every employer is legally obliged to ensure occupational health and safety in the company; they can delegate certain tasks, e.g. to an employee, and appoint them with their consent as a safety officer, commonly known as a "SiBe".
The employer is responsible for training and equipping safety officers and must issue clear instructions (e.g. with function diagrams or mandatory booklets). There are both general and industry-specific courses for the training of prospective safety officers, which usually conclude with a school certificate. Unlike ASGS specialists with a federal certificate (BP), this is not a protected professional qualification.
Safety officers vs. safety specialists
Safety officers (SiBe) are employees of a company who take on safety tasks in addition to their main work. This is not the case for safety specialists (also known as ASA specialists or ASGS specialists): They are indispensable specialists for certain companies; occupational health and safety is their main task.
Safety specialists is a profession requiring further training. They have completed the further training and professional examination "Specialist for Occupational Safety and Health Protection (ASGS)" and have the corresponding federal certificate. They can be employees of the company or be called in from outside.
