Safety Office

Safety is of key importance to DETEC. The task of the Safety Office is to ensure safety across a wide range of areas. It supports the further development of safety in land, sea and air transport, in the use, transport and distribution of energy, and for communications infrastructures.

In 2003, DETEC created the Civil Aviation Safety Office (CASO) and mandated it to establish the highest possible safety standards in Swiss civil aviation. The mandate was later extended to rail transport and ship navigation.

At the beginning of 2021, the CASO became the Safety Office. Its main task is to exercise systematic oversight over all DETEC offices. That means DETEC ensures coordinated and systematic safety in all its federal offices, while safety oversight remains the responsibility of the individual specialised agency.

Vision

Systematic safety oversight by DETEC increases resilience. All DETEC administrative units should be resilient to internal or external incidents. They seek to utilise positive influences and offset negative ones successfully.

Systematic oversight at DETEC

The Safety Office views safety oversight at DETEC as an integral system which incorporates people, technologies and structures to ensure safety.

In regular meetings with internal and external bodies, the Safety Office identifies issues that need to be addressed. It also works with DETEC's federal offices to develop innovative solutions, evaluates the results against safety specifications and adapts DETEC's safety oversight in line with its vision.

Animated graphic with text: Regular meetings with internal and external bodies enable the Safety Office to compile a situational overview, evaluate the results against safety requirements, make systemically relevant improvements and adapt safety standards to policy requirements, leading to a revised situational overview.

Mission

As the Department's coordination, advisory and learning platform, the Safety Office focuses on the strengths of DETEC's safety oversight. The administrative units are also actively involved in the process; addressing problematic issues and finding successful solutions helps to strengthen resilience in the Department.

Values

The Safety Office values good relations with the various federal offices and a culture of transparency. The administrative units are directly involved in the ongoing process and are encouraged to openly discuss problems and identify systemic oversight issues that need addressing. The focus is on exploring various options for action and the impact the options have on the people, technologies and structures belonging to the system.

Contact

Federal Department for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC

Safety Office

Federal Palace North
3003 Bern

SafetyOffice@uvek.admin.ch

Print contact

https://www.uvek.admin.ch/content/uvek/en/home/detec/organisation/specialised-agencies/safety-office.html