Important Infomation to Get Started
As an employee, you will support your employer in implementing accident prevention and health protection provisions.
You will follow the approved safety rules and instructions of your employer in relation to occupational safety and health protection and report any deficits that could impair occupational safety and health protection.
The Safety, Security, Health and Environment Department (SSHE) welcomes you to ETH Zurich. On this page, you will find information about the principles of safety and security at ETH Zurich and about behaviour in emergencies. We recommend that you read through the following documents carefully to best prepare for your employment at ETH Zurich.
With the help of the training module «Safety and Security at ETH Zurich», SSHE Training informs you about the safety and security principles and offers advice on how to react in the event of an emergency at ETH Zurich.
Download the emergency brochure
The Alarm Organisation comprises the Emergency Desk and the Uniformed Security Service.
Emergency Desk
The Emergency Desk is the contact point for all incidents connected to safety and security with regard to persons, buildings and equipment. If an alarm is triggered, the relevant internal and external intervention agencies are alerted and steps are taken to identify and resolve the problem. The Emergency Desk constitutes the link between the various intervening agencies and those responsible for the alarms.
Emergency Numbers
The Emergency Desk can be contacted 24 hours a day:
- from internal lines: on 888
- from external lines or mobile phones: on +41 44 342 11 88
- Fire brigade (and water pollution control): (0)118
- Accidents (ambulance): (0)144
- Poisoning (toxicology information centre): (0)145
- Police: (0)117
Uniformed Security Service
Out of office hours, the Uniformed Security Service are responsible for the enforcement of the house regulations in the buildings of ETH Zurich. They are the first to intervene by an alarm triggered by the technical or security systems in the buildings.
They are also the first to intervene if there is an incident, such as an accident, in case of fire , in the event of a break-in, an assault or damage to property.
The goal of occupational safety is to prevent injuries, accidents and illnesses at ETH Zurich. Whether in the laboratory or workshop, during practical student courses and excursions, in the service room or the office: Occupational safety is always based on teamwork. That means that supervisors, employees, lecturers, students, apprentices and SSHE have to work closely together.
These are the most important occupational safety tasks and responsibilities of ETH Zurich employees:
- Following instructions regarding occupational safety and respecting the recognised safety rules
- Wearing the provided personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Immediately reporting safety deficiencies to a supervisor
The CABS Section (Chemical Incident Response, Bio and Occupational Safety) supports and advises teaching, research and administration staff on all issues relating to safety in the workplace. Contact CABS whenever you have a question, be it about handling a substance, setting up an experiment, clarifying legal requirements, your protective equipment, etc. You are also welcome to contact CABS if you are unsure about a topic, for example “Do I need an official licence for this kind of activity?” or “Is wood dust really dangerous?”
CABS:
- Advises on questions of occupational health and safety and accident prevention in the planning, execution, maintenance and operation of workplaces, as well as on the procedures / work processes
- Identifies risks at the workplace through audits, inspections and checks and advises on the elimination of safety-related deficiencies identified in the process
- Participates in the assessment of workplace working conditions (e.g., ventilation, hazardous substances, biological material/organisms) and consults external experts if necessary
- Offers courses on various occupational health and safety topics
- Assists in the selection of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Investigates and evaluates occupational accidents and develops measures to prevent them
- Acts as your interface with authorities
Contact:
Tasks of the operational environmental protection include implementation of environmental laws, in particular with regard to water protection, air pollution control, avoidance and disposal of hazardous waste. The topics industrial (chemical wastewater, process / chemical exhaust air, hazardous waste, storage of hazardous substances, extinguishing water retention and protection of cargo handling areas are key tasks. Operational environmental protection is subject to numerous legal requirements. Important legal bases are the Environmental Protection Act, the Major Accidents Ordinance, the Waters Protection Act, the Ordinance on Air Pollution Control, the Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance and the Waste Ordinance, Ordinance for Handling Waste. In terms of content this means e.g. that hazardous waste is reduced to a minimum and the amount of radioactive waste is kept as low as possible or in principle, chemicals are not released into the environment via wastewater or exhaust air. All ETH members – specifically professors, workshop managers, institute directors, department managers, staff directors, employees, apprentices and students – make their contribution to fulfill that requirement.
Contact:
Hazardous waste
The DownloadETH Waste Disposal Concept (PDF, 307 KB) applies to all areas of ETH – excluding the cafeterias – and regulates the flow of materials and the responsibilities of all those charged with waste disposal. The aim is to use resources sparingly and to reduce waste.
Hazardous waste is any kind of waste that ‒ on the basis of its composition, its chemical, physical or biological properties ‒ requires special technical and organizational measures to dispose of in an environmentally compatible manner. Included in this category are, for example, paints, lacquers, adhesives, acids, alkalis, solvents, medications, mercury, mercury thermometers, chemicals, bleach, spray cans, pressurized gas cartridges, pesticides, wood preservatives, insecticides, etc. Hazardous waste must be collected and disposed of separately. Disposal in a dumpster or in the trash is prohibited.
Contact:
Transport of Dangerous Goods
Transporting dangerous goods requires special safety precautions that are regulated by law. Dangerous goods are substances and items that pose a threat for people, animals or the environment and whose transport is only allowed according to Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods on the Road (ADR). It is not permitted to transport dangerous goods via public transportation or bicycle.
Contact:
The film on correct conduct during evacuation details how you should react in the event of an evacuation.
Further Information
Fire and EvacuationSSHE cares for a healthy and safe working environment at ETH and advises you in health protection issues.
Consultation in Ergonomics:
Sitting for long periods at the office, working in front of screens and at computers, repetitive movements and one-sided stresses can sometimes lead to tension and pain in the musculoskeletal system. Headaches, neck pain or pain in the shoulders and arms are such symptoms. An evaluation of the personal work/study space and the associated adjustments according to ergonomic aspects can help to reduce such complaints or even make them disappear completely. A major effect can be achieved with only minor changes, for example adjusting the desk height or the office chair. Using the Download«Factsheet ergonomics at computer workstations» (DOCX, 373 KB), you can carry out an initial evaluation of your computer workstation and make small adjustments on your own.
For further information, you can find a course on “Ergonomics at computer workstations” at SSHE’s overview of courses. In this session, the experts from the Occupational Medicine and Health Protection Section teach the basics of ergonomics at computer workstations and explain how you can work in front of a screen in a healthy, fatigue-free way.
Personal consultation and/or workstation evaluation is carried out in individual cases and as required. For example, this is the case if employees suffer from complaints that cannot be reduced by adapting the existing ergonomic conditions. After consulting with your supervisor, contact SSHE Occupational Medicine and Health Protection via email.
Contact:
Maternity Protection:
As an expectant mother, you and your child have the right to special health protection. Please contact the Safety, Security, Health and Environment Department (SSHE) already if you plan to become pregnant, at the latest if you become aware of your pregnancy so that they can carry out an individual risk assessment of your work/study space at an early stage. The purpose of a risk assessment is to exclude any possible health risks for mother and child by taking the appropriate protective measures. Upon request, the risk assessment is carried out confidentially.
Health risks for mother and child
The SSHE Downloadleaflet on pregnancy and breastfeeding (PDF, 174 KB) provides detailed information on the possible health hazards and risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you are exposed to such a risk, contact the SSHE Department. You can also find a list of prohibited tasks in the external pagematernity protection brochure of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
Contact:
Further Information
Health ProtectionThe general house rules of ETH Zurich.
Accidents
Accidents happen suddenly and unintentionally. Rapid response is useful in any case. In the event of an accident, please immediately alert the internal emergency number 888 or +41 44 342 11 88 if you are calling from a mobile phone.
Reporting accidents
To report an accident to SUVA, please complete the accident report in the reporting portal under “employment and work”: link to the reporting form.
In the event of accidents in laboratories and workshops, SSHE carries out an accident investigation. This investigation is not about looking for culprits. Instead, its aim is to avoid similar events in future and to improve the operational safety system.
Damage management at ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich has concluded a property insurance policy that covers damage to moveables (moveable objects that are not considered part of a building or structure). This policy provides protection against massive damage or damage to expensive equipment, as the deductible of CHF 500,000 demonstrates.
ETH Zurich has an internal solution for minor property damage: submit a claim to the SSHE Department. SSHE then initiates investigations to assess the damage together with the Financial Services Department (FD). It is up to FD to decide whether the expenses will be reimbursed (the deductible is CHF 1,500) or not. A prerequisite for this, however, is that the damaged parties comply with the required safety regulations. If they act negligently, for example by performing potentially dangerous laboratory tests without prior risk analysis, or if they disregard the applicable regulations such as ETH Zurich legal bases, SSHE leaflets, etc., reimbursement may be refused.
Incidents causing damage
Investigating the reason for an incident causing damage represents an opportunity for all concerned: the aim is to learn from mistakes. As a result, measures will be implemented to improve safety at ETH Zurich.
It is important that SSHE is informed about incidents causing damage. Once it is reported, the incident will be recorded and may be investigated and analysed. Where appropriate, suitable measures may be recommended or guidelines drawn up.
Reporting damage
Incidents causing damage are reported using the relevant Downloadreporting form (PDF, 398 KB). The corresponding user Downloadmanual gives (PDF, 88 KB) important information regarding the whole process.
Contact:
Advice concerning threats
The security of all students and employees is an important concern for ETH Zurich. The Threat Management Team offers you advice concerning threats, stalking or violence.
It is important that you report any concerning behavior, even if you are not sure whether your observation is relevant – it's better to speak up once too many times than not at all. The Threat Management Team takes every report seriously and will advise you accordingly. Every contact is treated confidentially.
Further information is available here: Threats and violence
The Threat Management Team consists of members from:
- Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE)
- Personnel and Organizational Development Team from ETH Zurich and the UZH/ETH Psychological Counseling Services
- Academic Services
- Human Resources
- Corporate Communications
- Legal Office
Contact:
«The Respect Code of Conduct»
The «Respect» campaign is revised and relaunched regularly. With this campaign, ETH Zurich is setting a clear stand against inappropriate behavior such as discrimination, sexual harassment, mobbing/bullying, threats and violence at the university.
The campaign resulted from a collaboration between SSHE, Human Resources, the Psychological Counseling Services of the two universities, the Rector’s Office, the Legal Office and Corporate Communications. Members of ETH Zurich can find information on the topic and the points of contact at: www.respekt.ethz.ch/en
Further information (Swiss crime prevention): external pageSchweizerische Kriminalprävention (SKPPSC)