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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
