In the forest, help is often far away: no mobile signal, a narrow access road, an accident site that is hard to describe. If you only then start thinking about the nearest meeting point and which number to call, you lose time. That is why the work order and emergency organisation should be settled before the first cut, not when the emergency happens.
This guide summarises what the Swiss EKAS guideline on forestry work says, what belongs in a work order and how the rescue chain works, step by step.
What the regulations require
The basis is guideline No. 2134 “Forestry work” of the Swiss Federal Coordination Commission for Occupational Safety (EKAS), as of 27 June 2025. The requirements described here apply to forestry work involving particular hazards. According to section 5.1.3, this includes work with a chainsaw, felling and processing trees, mechanised timber extraction, work with rope protection and operating construction machinery.
The key points:
- Work preparation (section 5.2.2): Before forestry work involving particular hazards, work methods, work equipment and workplace layout must be set out in writing, taking the risks into account. The guideline names organisation sketches, written work orders and emergency plans as examples.
- Emergency plan (section 5.2.4): According to the guideline, such work may only be carried out if a written emergency plan adapted to the conditions is available at the workplace. Working alarm devices must be available at every workplace.
- Rescue not guaranteed (section 5.2.4): If rescue by air or via footpaths and roads is not guaranteed (e.g. due to fog, snow, storm or at night), work must be stopped.
- First aid (section 5.2.4): Anyone carrying out or supervising such work needs first aid training. Instruction on what to do in an emergency must be given periodically.
- Working alone (section 5.2.5): Help must be guaranteed. Visual, voice or radio contact must ensure that a person working alone receives help in good time after an accident or in a critical situation.
- Radio (section 5.2.19): When felling and processing trees and during mechanised timber extraction, communication between workers must generally be ensured by two-way radio. Before work starts, the communication device must be function-checked and clear, unambiguous radio language agreed.
Suva (the Swiss accident insurance fund) provides form 88216 “Arbeitsauftrag und Notfallorganisation im Forst” (work order and emergency organisation in forestry; December 2021 edition, 2 pages, available in German, French and Italian). The guideline does not prescribe this form. It is a tool that covers the required points.
What belongs in a work order: checklist
The Suva form structures the work order as follows:
- What, where, why? Felling site, location, purpose
- How, with what? Work method and equipment
- How much? Felling volume
- When? Start and end
- Who? Team leader, workers, vocational trainer, apprentices
- Particular hazards: Fall from height, road/traffic, rockfall, third parties, deadwood, no mobile signal, power line, other
- Measures against these hazards and fallback work
- Organisation and felling sketch showing felling direction, storage areas, skid trails, cable lines, barriers and local features (rights of way, utility lines, nature conservation)
The form states: emergency organisation must be in writing, known to everyone and checked daily (weather, visibility, access).
Emergency organisation and rescue chain: step by step
1. Define rescue points in advance. The form asks for two details: for air rescue, the coordinates of the centre of the felling site; for ground rescue, a meeting point (“T-point”) with place name and coordinates. According to a specialist article on waldwissen.net (Wettmann et al., 2010), a good meeting point is easy to recognise, easy to find and has good access.
2. Note the nearest help. The nearest doctor and the nearest hospital are entered on the work order, along with the Swiss emergency numbers: Rega (air rescue) 1414, ambulance 144, European emergency number 112, fire brigade 118, police 117, poisoning 145.
3. Check you can be reached. Before work starts, a function check of the radio is required (section 5.2.19). Also check that your mobile phone has signal: “no mobile signal” is one of the particular hazards on the Suva form. If you tick it, enter in the “Measures” field what you will do about it.
4. Ensure first aid. Anyone carrying out or supervising forestry work involving particular hazards needs first aid training, and the necessary first aid equipment must be available. Instruction on what to do in an emergency must be given periodically (section 5.2.4).
5. Raise the alarm. The form guides the emergency call with seven questions: Who is calling? What happened? When? Where is the injured person? How many people are affected? Further hazards, dangerous substances? How can I be reached?
Rega (Swiss air rescue) recommends calling 1414 or using the Rega app when immediate help from a rescue helicopter is needed. Its examples include difficult terrain and cases where medical help is needed on site, such as a fall from a great height, several injured people or trapped patients. To describe the location, it lists coordinates (e.g. GPS or mobile phone), canton, locality, local place name and prominent landmarks.
6. Guide the rescuers in. With the meeting-point concept, one person looks after the injured person while another fetches the rescuers from the meeting point and guides them to the accident site (waldwissen.net). For a helicopter, Rega specifies an obstacle-free landing site of 25 × 25 m, about 100 m from the accident site, with no cables or lines.
7. Reassess daily. Fog, snow, storm or a blocked access road change the rescue situation. If rescue is not guaranteed, work must be stopped (section 5.2.4).
Paper or digital: pros and cons
| Paper (e.g. Suva form) | Digital | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Free, ready to use, works without battery or signal | Coordinates and meeting points directly on the map, easy sharing with those involved, reusable planning |
| Cons | Coordinates copied by hand, changes are tedious, filing and passing on is cumbersome, sheets get wet or lost | Needs a device and battery, time to learn and, depending on the solution, costs and signal |
A combination is also possible: plan digitally and take a printout as a backup. The guideline speaks of a “written” emergency plan at the workplace. In the sections reviewed here, it does not specify a format. If in doubt, ask your industry safety solution (e.g. SylvaTOP) or Suva whether a digital version is sufficient.
How ForstControl helps
The “Emergency and operations planning” extension brings planning and emergency information together on one map. According to ForstControl, it lets you, among other things:
- define emergency meeting points for ground and air rescue
- draw the operating area, hazard zones and barriers
- store and assign emergency contacts
- keep an acceptance report and an assortment list
- share the planning with another company
The extension costs CHF 276 per year (excl. VAT) and requires the Business licence.
Frequently asked questions
Is a written work order mandatory in forestry?
Section 5.2.2 of EKAS guideline 2134 requires work methods, work equipment and the layout of the workplace to be set out in writing before forestry work involving particular hazards. It names the written work order as one example, alongside organisation sketches and emergency plans. Under section 5.2.4, a written emergency plan at the workplace is a precondition.
Do I have to use Suva form 88216?
No. The guideline does not mention the form. It is a Suva tool that covers the work order and emergency organisation on two pages.
What belongs in an emergency call?
Who is calling, what happened, when, where the injured person is, how many people are affected, any further hazards and how you can be reached. This is how the Suva form lists it.
When do I have to stop work?
When rescue according to the emergency plan is not guaranteed by air or via footpaths and roads, for example due to fog, snow, storm or at night (section 5.2.4).
Am I allowed to work alone in the forest?
Under section 5.2.5, forestry work involving particular hazards may only be carried out if help is guaranteed. Visual, voice or radio contact must ensure that you receive help in good time after an accident or in a critical situation. A person may work alone if protected by a cab tested under product safety regulations (e.g. forwarder or harvester). Periodic monitoring must then be ensured.
This article is not legal advice. The applicable regulations and the information from Suva and EKAS are authoritative.
Sources
All accessed on 26.10.2026.
- EKAS guideline No. 2134 “Richtlinie Forstarbeiten” (forestry work), as of 27.06.2025, sections 5.1.3, 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 5.2.5, 5.2.19 – suva.ch
- EKAS announcement on the revision of guideline 2134, 20.08.2025 – ekas.admin.ch
- Suva, form “Arbeitsauftrag und Notfallorganisation im Forst”, 88216, December 2021 edition – suva.ch/88216.d
- Rega, leaflet “Alarmierung Rettungshelikopter” (alerting a rescue helicopter) – rega.ch (PDF)
- waldwissen.net, “Notfallsituation bei Holzerntearbeiten – schnelle Rettung ist lebenswichtig” (Wettmann et al.; original article in WaldHolz 2010, online 11.01.2011; older guideline numbering) – waldwissen.net
- Suva, “Gefahren bei Forstarbeiten im Wald erkennen” (refers to the forestry industry solution SylvaTOP) – suva.ch
- ForstControl, Emergency and operations planning – forstcontrol.com/notfallplanung
- ForstControl, Prices (extensions) – forstcontrol.com/preise
