Important Infomation to Get Started
As a student, you will support your lecturers in implementing the accident prevention and health protection provisions.
You will follow the approved safety rules and instructions of the lecturer in relation to 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 studies 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 film on correct conduct during evacuation details how you should react in the event of an evacuation.
Contact:
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:
Measles Vaccination
The measles virus is five to six times more contagious than seasonal flu. Contrary to popular belief, measles is not harmless for adults. Measles can cause serious complications in adults, such as pneumonia or meningitis.
The general conditions at colleges and universities, with large gatherings of people in a confined space, favour virus transmission: an infected person who has not yet developed symptoms can expose everyone gathered in an auditorium to the virus.
The measles vaccination (two doses at least one month apart) is recommended for everyone who has never been infected with the disease. On the one hand, vaccination serves to protect you personally, and on the other hand, it prevents transmission to persons who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (infants, pregnant women and persons with a weakened immune system).
It is worth checking whether you are at risk of infection. A blood test can determine whether you are immune. By assessing your own risk or by the vaccination you contribute to your own health and at the same time protect others, especially those who can’t receive the vaccination for the reasons listed above.
You can find information on the facts at external pagethe Federal Office of Public Health FOPHor at external pagethe Canton of Zurich, Directorate of Health.
Contact:
Further Information
Health ProtectionThe general house rules of ETH Zurich.
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)