EKAS Guideline 6508: When SMEs Must Call In ASA Specialists
Digital Airways·
EKAS guideline 6508, known as the ASA guideline, requires an employer to call in occupational physicians and other workplace safety specialists (ASA) when special hazards under Annex 1 occur in the business and the necessary expertise is not available internally. A business with special hazards and 10 or more employees must provide evidence of the measures taken and of its safety organisation, below that evidence by simple means is sufficient. Businesses without special hazards must define and document responsibilities and procedures from 50 employees. This can be implemented through an industry solution, a company group solution, a model solution or an individual solution. The version dated 23 October 2025 applies.
This article explains who is obliged to call in specialists, which routes are available, what the KOPAS does and who carries out inspections. How to identify the hazards yourself is shown in our article Hazard assessment step by step.
Legal basis, Art. 11a to 11g VUV
The guideline is based on the Accident Insurance Act (UVG) and the Ordinance on Accident Prevention (VUV). Under Art. 83 para. 2 UVG, the Federal Council issues rules on the involvement of occupational physicians and other workplace safety specialists in businesses. The details are set out in the VUV.
- Art. 11a establishes the obligation to call in specialists. It depends on the risk of occupational accidents and diseases, the number of employees and the expertise required. Calling in specialists does not release the employer from its responsibility.
- Art. 11b mandates EKAS to issue guidelines. Anyone who follows them is presumed to meet their obligation. Another route is permitted if the business proves that safety and health are ensured.
- Art. 11c allows the enforcement body to order the involvement of specialists by ruling.
- Art. 11d governs the qualifications of the specialists, namely occupational physicians, occupational hygienists, safety engineers and safety specialists, as well as people who have passed the federal professional examination ASGS, in their role as safety specialists.
- Art. 11e describes their tasks, from assessing hazards to advising on PPE, instruction and first aid.
- Art. 11f and 11g secure their independence, their access to workplaces and documents and their duty to provide information to the authorities.
The guideline itself specifies Art. 11a para. 1 and 2. In principle it applies to all businesses that employ staff in Switzerland. Independently of it, all employers identify hazards and take protective measures under Art. 3 to 10 VUV.
When the obligation applies
Under section 2 of the guideline, the employer calls in ASA specialists when two conditions are met together. Special hazards under Annex 1 occur in the business, and the necessary expertise is not available. According to Annex 4, a business has the expertise if it can systematically identify the hazards and define and implement the necessary measures.
Annex 1 lists nine groups of special hazards.
- mechanical hazards from moving, machine-driven work equipment
- falls from a height of 2 m or more
- electrical hazards from unprotected live installations
- chemical and biological substances hazardous to health
- fire and explosion, including storage of more than 100 litres of flammable liquids
- thermal hazards from hot or extremely cold media
- physical hazards such as noise from 85 dB(A), vibration and radiation
- special working environments such as construction sites, confined spaces, areas with vehicle traffic, shift and night work
- strain on the musculoskeletal system such as awkward postures, work above shoulder height and moving loads
The list is broad. Forklift traffic in the warehouse, shift work or frequently moving large loads are already enough for a special hazard. It only becomes an obligation to call in specialists if the business also lacks the expertise. All employees across the entire company are counted, including temporary staff.
| Section | Business | Calling in specialists | What must be documented |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | special hazards, 10 or more employees | mandatory under section 2 | measures taken as well as responsibilities and procedures |
| 3.2 | special hazards, fewer than 10 employees | mandatory under section 2 | measures taken, by simple means |
| 3.3 | no special hazards, 50 or more employees | voluntary | responsibilities and procedures |
| 3.4 | no special hazards, fewer than 50 employees | voluntary | no evidence under the guideline, general duties under Art. 3 to 10 VUV |
What counts as evidence
Annex 4 defines the evidence. It can be provided by implementing an individual or inter-company solution, by actually calling in specialists, through existing technical, organisational and personal measures such as barriers, safety rules and PPE, or by the business showing how the legal requirements are systematically built into its processes.
Evidence by simple means is intended to spare very small businesses the documentation effort. They show credibly that specific measures have been taken, for example with photos, maintenance contracts, minutes, training documents, invoices, a hazard inventory and completed checklists.
The four implementation routes
Instead of organising the involvement of specialists itself, a business can join an inter-company solution. These solutions are approved by EKAS, on its website EKAS refers to certified providers and lists the solutions in its directory of inter-company ASA solutions (in German). Inter-company solutions provide tools for the safety system, secure access to ASA specialists and offer training. The overview is based on the comparison by EKAS on the ASA system (in German).
| Route | Suitable for | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry solution | SMEs in one industry with similar hazards | industry-specific manual and checklists, collective access to ASA specialists, training, exchange of experience, low price | little individuality, implementation in your own business remains your task |
| Company group solution | companies with several sites and different activities | shared safety system, training across sites, collective access to ASA specialists | in practice only for larger groups of companies |
| Model solution | businesses without a suitable industry or company group solution | system from a consultancy, support, ASA specialists through the solution | higher price, little exchange of experience |
| Individual solution | larger companies, businesses with quality or environmental management, special risks | fully tailored to the business | higher price, the business organises specialists and further training itself, continuity depends on a few people |
For most SMEs the industry solution is the obvious route. Whether one exists for your industry is shown in the EKAS directory, or you can ask your industry association. Employee associations must be involved in developing an inter-company solution, or at least be given the opportunity to comment.
The ten points of the safety system
The guideline does not prescribe a list of ten mandatory points for the business. The ten points appear for the first time in Annex 2 of the revised version, as a framework for organising the typical tasks of ASA specialists. In practice they are still the benchmark. EKAS describes the ASA system with these ten elements, and the industry solutions structure their templates along exactly this framework.
- Safety policy and safety objectives
- Safety organisation
- Training, instruction and information
- Safety rules
- Hazard identification and risk assessment
- Planning and implementation of measures
- Emergency organisation
- Participation
- Health protection
- Audit and review
How these points work together day to day is described on our page EKAS 6508 and ASA.
The role of the KOPAS
The contact person for workplace safety, called «Kontaktperson der Arbeitssicherheit» (KOPAS) by EKAS, appears neither in the VUV nor in the guideline. According to the EKAS glossary (in German), this person is the link between management and the inter-company solution, advises management and is the point of contact for employees.
The KOPAS is usually an employee who takes on this task alongside their actual job. They are not an ASA specialist within the meaning of Art. 11d VUV. Which training they need you can find out from the inter-company solution you have joined. Responsibility remains with the employer, as Art. 11a para. 3 VUV expressly states. What the role means day to day is shown on our page for safety officers.
Effort and costs
EKAS does not state generally applicable prices for industry solutions, they vary from solution to solution. Annex 3, the subsidiary model, gives a documented indication of the effort. It sets out guideline values for the deployment time of ASA specialists that an enforcement body usually orders when a business does not meet its obligation. For particular activities it can increase these times.
| Net premium rate for occupational accidents, in % of payroll | Hours per employee and year |
|---|---|
| up to 0.5 | 2.25 |
| 0.5 to 1.0 | 2.50 |
| 1.0 to 1.5 | 3.50 |
| 1.5 to 2.0 | 4.50 |
| 2.0 to 3.0 | 5.50 |
| 3.0 to 4.0 | 7.00 |
| 4.0 to 5.0 | 9.00 |
| over 5.0 | 11.00 |
A business with 30 employees and a premium rate of 1.2 percent would therefore come to around 105 hours of specialist time per year. Occupational health check-ups are not included. This shows why joining an inter-company solution pays off for many SMEs.
Who carries out inspections
Supervision lies mainly with two enforcement bodies. Under Art. 49 VUV, Suva is responsible for preventing occupational accidents in the businesses listed there, such as construction, the metal and machinery industry, chemicals and transport, and under Art. 50 VUV for occupational diseases in all businesses. In all other businesses, the cantonal labour inspectorates carry out inspections under Art. 47 VUV.
If a business does not comply with the guideline and cannot demonstrate the protection goals in another way, the enforcement body orders the necessary measures under Art. 11c VUV. In doing so it takes into account the circumstances of the business, comparable inter-company solutions and the subsidiary model. Employees or their representatives must be involved in investigations and site visits by the authorities (Art. 6a VUV).
Where software helps and where it does not
No software replaces calling in specialists. It does help where inspections look, with complete documentation. The Safety App by Digital Airways is the standard solution of the IGHV industry solution, with more than 45 member companies using it in production. The hazard assessment runs on a phone with the integrated Suva checklists, every finding becomes a measure with a deadline and reminder, instructions and the emergency organisation are documented, and the legal register keeps the requirements up to date. The Safety App is not the Suva app and is neither tested nor certified by Suva or EKAS.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the ASA guideline and EKAS 6508?
None. «ASA guideline» is the short title of EKAS guideline 6508 on calling in occupational physicians and other workplace safety specialists. ASA stands for these specialists and in everyday use often also means the safety system that results from it.
Does a business with fewer than 10 employees have to call in ASA specialists?
Yes, if there are special hazards under Annex 1 and the expertise is lacking. Only the evidence is simplified. Very small businesses may provide it by simple means such as photos, minutes and completed checklists.
What happens without an industry solution?
Then you have to organise the involvement of specialists yourself, through a model solution or an individual solution with internal or external specialists. If none of this happens, Suva or the cantonal labour inspectorate can order it, usually based on the deployment times of the subsidiary model.
Is a KOPAS required by law?
No, neither the VUV nor the guideline mentions the KOPAS. In practice, however, inter-company solutions often work with a contact person in the business. What counts is the solution you have joined.
Does the guideline also apply to offices?
In principle yes, because it applies to all businesses in Switzerland. Without special hazards, the obligation to define and document responsibilities and procedures only starts at 50 employees. Below that, the general duties under the VUV apply, including the hazard assessment.
Where can I find the current version?
The guideline can be downloaded from the EKAS website (in German, French and Italian), the VUV on fedlex.admin.ch. This article is based on the version dated 23 October 2025.
Your next step
You now know whether your business is subject to the obligation and which route suits you. If you would like to see how hazard assessment, measures and evidence for your industry solution can be managed in one place, we will show you in a demo of the Safety App using your own areas.
This article gives an overview of the legal situation and does not replace legal advice. It is based on EKAS guideline 6508 as of 23 October 2025, the VUV and the UVG in the version published on fedlex.admin.ch and the EKAS pages on the ASA system, as of October 2026. For your individual case, please contact your industry solution, Suva or the labour inspectorate of your canton.
