Every business with employees must know which hazards can arise at work and take the necessary protective measures. The procedure for this is called hazard assessment: identify hazards, estimate the risk, set measures and review them regularly. This guide shows what Swiss law requires, when an SME must call in occupational safety specialists and how a hazard assessment can be built with simple means.
What the law requires
Under Art. 6, para. 1 of the Labour Act (ArG), the employer is obliged to take, to protect the health of employees, all measures that are necessary according to experience, applicable according to the state of the art and appropriate to the conditions of the business; in addition come the measures required to protect personal integrity. The employer must design facilities and work processes so that health hazards and excessive strain are avoided as far as possible (Art. 6, para. 2 ArG), and involve employees in the process (Art. 6, para. 3 ArG). Art. 82, para. 1 of the Federal Act on Accident Insurance (UVG) is almost identical for the prevention of occupational accidents and occupational diseases.
The Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (VUV) applies to all businesses that employ employees in Switzerland; a business exists even with a single employee (Art. 1 VUV). The following duties matter most in practice:
- The employer takes all protective measures that comply with the regulations and the recognised safety-engineering and occupational-medicine rules, and checks their effectiveness at appropriate intervals (Art. 3, paras. 1 and 2 VUV).
- If buildings, work equipment or work procedures are changed or new substances are used, the employer adapts the protective measures (Art. 3, para. 3 VUV).
- Personal protective equipment is used when technical or organisational measures cannot eliminate hazards, or cannot eliminate them completely (Art. 5, para. 1 VUV).
- All employees must be informed about the hazards and measures and instructed, on taking up a job and on significant changes, during working hours (Art. 6 VUV).
- Employees or their representatives must be consulted early and comprehensively on all questions of occupational safety (Art. 6a VUV).
- Work with particular hazards may be assigned only to persons trained for it (Art. 8 VUV).
These provisions do not prescribe a particular form of hazard assessment. In its Guideline 6508, however, the EKAS states that all employers, as part of their general duties, identify the hazards arising in their businesses and take the necessary protective measures.
Hazard and risk: the terms
The EKAS guideline defines the terms briefly: a hazard is a potential source of harm. Risk is the combination of the likelihood of occurrence and the extent of harm of an undesired event. Hazard identification surveys the hazards arising from activities, work equipment and work substances at the workplace; risk assessment is the procedure, according to a recognised method, for assessing these risks. A risk assessment should be carried out at least for particular hazards without, or with only partly recognised, technical rules; for significant changes under the same conditions; for work equipment used for purposes other than intended; and for hazardous or strenuous work during pregnancy and maternity.
The current ISO 45001:2018 knows, in substance, the same steps: identify and assess hazards on an ongoing basis (clause 6.1.2), eliminate hazards and reduce risks (clause 8.1.2) and control changes (clause 8.1.3); the numbers refer to the 2018 edition, and a new edition is in preparation. The text of the standard is not reproduced here. As a rule of thumb for the order of measures, practice holds: first substitute, then protect technically, then organise, and personal protective equipment last. This is practice and is expressly anchored in the law only for protective equipment.
Calling in specialists under EKAS Guideline 6508
The employer must call in occupational physicians and other occupational safety specialists if this is necessary for the protection of the health and safety of employees (Art. 11a, para. 1 VUV). Calling them in does not release the employer from responsibility (Art. 11a, para. 3 VUV). The Federal Coordination Commission for Occupational Safety (EKAS) makes this concrete in ASA Guideline 6508. Anyone who follows it is presumed to have complied with the duty to call in specialists (Art. 11b, para. 2 VUV).
Under no. 2 of the guideline, the employer calls in specialists if particular hazards under Annex 1 arise in the business and the necessary expertise is lacking at the same time. The guideline summarises the consequences by business size in no. 3. The decisive figure is the number of employees in the whole company, including temporary staff:
| Business | Employees | Consequence under the guideline |
|---|---|---|
| With particular hazards | 10 or more | Demonstrate the specialists called in or the measures taken, settle responsibilities and processes, demonstrate the organisation |
| With particular hazards | fewer than 10 | Demonstrate the specialists called in or the measures taken with simple means |
| Without particular hazards | 50 or more | Settle responsibilities and processes, demonstrate the organisation; calling in specialists voluntary |
| Without particular hazards | fewer than 50 | General duties under Art. 3–10 VUV; calling in specialists voluntary |
Annex 1 of the guideline lists the particular hazards. Named are, among others, work on power-driven work equipment with crushing, shearing, cutting or drawing-in points, points with a risk of falling from a height of 2 m or more, substances hazardous to health, fire and explosion hazards (including storage of more than 100 litres of flammable liquids), noise from a daily noise exposure level of 85 dB(A), burdensome working hours such as shift and night work, and hazards to the musculoskeletal system, for example from forced postures or the handling of loads. The list is decisive for the duty to call in specialists, but expressly not a tool for systematic hazard identification. For working time itself, see the notes in the guide Working time recording.
Instead of individual implementation, a business can choose an industry, company-group or model solution approved by the EKAS. These provide tools for the safety system, secure access to specialists and offer training.
Step by step to the hazard assessment
- Structure work areas and activities. Workshop, warehouse, office, field service; for each area the recurring activities.
- Identify hazards. Mechanical, electrical, hazardous substances, fire, noise, climate, posture and lifting, psychological strain: go through the activities with the employees.
- Assess risk. Estimate likelihood and extent of harm, for example on a scale of 1 to 5.
- Set measures. In the order substitute, technical, organisational, personal; with persons responsible and dates.
- Assess residual risk. Estimate the risk again after the measures and decide whether it is acceptable. If it remains high, further measures or calling in a specialist are needed; the regulations and the recognised rules of technology are decisive (Art. 3, para. 1 VUV).
- Implement, inform, consult. Instruct employees (Art. 6 VUV) and consult them before decisions (Art. 6a VUV).
- Review. Check effectiveness at appropriate intervals and adapt on changes (Art. 3, paras. 2 and 3 VUV). The law names no fixed cycle; an annual rhythm is an operational rule.
Practical example: Muster Schreinerei AG
Muster Schreinerei AG is a fictitious business with 24 employees, including two temporary workers. It has a workshop with a circular saw, a planing machine and a spray booth, and stores 120 litres of flammable paints and solvents. Several particular hazards under Annex 1 therefore arise (machines, substances hazardous to health, storage of more than 100 litres of flammable liquids). Because the business has 10 or more employees, it must demonstrate the measures and the organisation under no. 3.1 of the guideline. For this it joins an industry solution and settles responsibilities in writing.
Together with the employees and the specialist of the industry solution, the managing director assesses three hazards on a scale of 1 to 5 for likelihood and severity:
| Hazard | Before | Measures | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut injury at the circular saw | 3 × 4 = 12 | Technical: blade guard and riving knife; organisational: instruction | 1 × 4 = 4 |
| Noise at the planing machine | 4 × 3 = 12 | Technical: enclosure; organisational: noise zone; personal: hearing protection | 2 × 3 = 6 |
| Solvent vapours when painting | 3 × 3 = 9 | Substitute: water-based paint; technical: extraction; personal: respiratory protection | 1 × 3 = 3 |
In each case the residual risk is below the initial risk. For the paints, the business creates a register with safety data sheets and writes operating instructions. It plans the next assessment for October 2027, earlier if a new machine is installed.
Checklist
- Work areas and activities recorded
- Hazards identified for each activity, including psychological strain and posture
- Checked whether particular hazards under Annex 1 of Guideline 6508 exist
- Business size including temporary staff determined and consequence under no. 3 clarified
- Specialists called in or cross-company solution decided and demonstrable
- Risk assessed, measures set in order of priority, residual risk assessed
- Hazardous substances recorded with safety data sheet, operating instructions written
- Employees instructed and consulted
- Review scheduled, adapted on changes
How KMU | base helps
QMS | base bundles occupational safety under Operations and records › Occupational safety. The notes are working aids and do not replace an assessment by occupational safety specialists.
1. Hazard assessment. You assess hazards by work area and activity in the register (Management system › Registers, tab “Hazards”, in the area “More”). You record the category, likelihood and extent of harm on a scale of 1 to 5, the protective measures in the order Replace (substitution), Technical, Organisational and Personal protective equipment, and the residual risk. The risk traffic light follows the risk matrix of your QMS; the residual risk must not be higher than the initial risk. You note the date of the next assessment and see when it is due in the list. There is no automatic reminder for this. You follow up actions in the actions area.
2. Safety organisation. On the overview page you record the safety contact person, the chosen solution (industry solution, company group solution, model solution or individual company solution), the last review and the emergency organisation. A checklist on calling in specialists is QMS | base’s own tool: ticked items indicate that calling in specialists should be checked. It is not identical with Annex 1 of Guideline 6508 and does not decide on the duty to call in specialists.
3. Hazardous substances register. You keep hazardous substances with safety data sheet, pictograms, H and P codes, storage location and substitution check. Outdated data sheets are marked, and the register can be exported to Excel. The age from which a data sheet counts as outdated is a QMS | base default and can be adjusted.
4. Operating instructions. You create operating instructions from the substance data, approve them under the four-eyes principle and print them as PDF. Employees see the approved version; every approved version is kept unchanged.
If you would like to try it yourself, take a look at the demo or open a trial account. You will find current terms under Pricing; if you have questions, the contact page will help.
Sources
- Labour Act (ArG, SR 822.11), Art. 6, as at 1 September 2023: fedlex.admin.ch (German original), accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Federal Act on Accident Insurance (UVG, SR 832.20), Art. 82, as at 1 January 2026: fedlex.admin.ch (German original), accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (VUV, SR 832.30), Art. 1, 3–8, 11a–11b, as at 1 May 2018: fedlex.admin.ch (German original), accessed on 27.10.2026.
- EKAS: Guideline No. 6508 (ASA Guideline) (in German), as at 23 October 2025, preliminary remark, nos. 2, 3 and 5, Annexes 1 and 4, accessed on 27.10.2026.
- ISO: ISO 45001:2018 (Edition 1), accessed on 27.10.2026.
- ISO 45001:2018 clauses 6.1.2, 8.1.2 and 8.1.3 are cited only in substance and with the clause number of this edition; the text of the standard is not reproduced.
This guide does not replace legal or tax advice. Information as at 27 October 2026.