Highlights of Alumni Safety Day
The recent annual Safety Day at our university provided in-depth insights into current challenges in the areas of safety management, risk assessment and new technologies. The 92 alumni from the Security & Safety Engineering (SSB) and Risk, Reliability and Safety Engineering (RIW) programmes gathered on the Furtwangen campus with external guests and prestigious speakers.
Participants gained practical insights from four expert presentations. Markus Schiemenz from the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office spoke on the topic, “Drones: Between Toy and Threat — Real Dangers, Legal Boundaries and Police Measures.” He impressively demonstrated how the lines between private recreational fun and potential security risks are increasingly blurring — and the preventive and repressive approaches the police are developing to respond to new threat scenarios.
In addition, Rüdiger Hartmann, a well-known expert in environmental, health and occupational safety, spoke on the “Mystery of Risk Assessment – Errors, Misconceptions, Everyday Mistakes.” His presentation addressed common misunderstandings in occupational health and safety and presented practical solutions.
Michael Schmidt of the Schwarz Group provided a particularly practical perspective; in his presentation, “Drones in Corporate Security: Possibilities and Limitations” he not only outlined current applications, but also demonstrated two drones live — including a remote connection to the control centre.
Finally, Eric Fischer of Heidelberg University addressed the topic “Threat Management: A Response to Workplace-Related Violence and Rampages.” He demonstrated how interdisciplinary threat management can contribute to the early detection and prevention of serious violent incidents.
The participants’ keen interest and the lively discussions clearly highlighted the relevance of the topics of security, prevention and crisis management. The event offers an excellent opportunity for knowledge transfer and practical exchange among experts from various disciplines.
Further impressions
