SVTI Group privacy policy

The SVTI Group is committed to handling personal data responsibly and protecting it.

The purpose of this policy is to provide transparent and understandable information about our data protection principles to data subjects and interested parties. Among other things, it explains how the organizational units of the SVTI Group use personal data and what personal data is collected and otherwise processed in connection with this website and/or the services offered, how, to what extent, and on what basis.

This privacy policy applies to the SVTI Group, i.e. to the companies and legal entities SVTI Switzerland. Association for Technical Inspections, Swiss Safety Center AG, SVTI Services AG, and the SVTI pension fund. When the term "SVTI" is used below, it refers to the SVTI Group and thus to the aforementioned institutions.

SVTI reserves the right to update and/or modify this privacy policy at any time as necessary. This policy was last updated on February 23, 2026.

Table of contents

1. The personal data collected

The SVTI collects personal data that arises in the course of providing services, that relates to employees and contractors, and that is made available to it when information about the services provided is requested, when our website services are visited, and when email notifications and/or a newsletter are subscribed to, as well as when inquiries are submitted via enquiry forms or helplines, when transactions are carried out, or orders are placed via the website.

This may include the following data:

  • Personal master data, identification and contact details such as first name, last name, date of birth, job title, telephone number, residential and/or postal address, email address, telephone numbers, and country,
  • information about courses attended and exams taken,
  • Personnel data arising in the course of the employment relationship,
  • Data in connection with correspondence,
  • location and traffic data,
  • Financial and transaction data such as credit card details,
  • audio and video recordings,
  • profile data or data on personal preferences (e.g., preferences regarding products or services)
  • all information voluntarily provided to us, such as feedback, opinions, and information disclosed via a helpline

The SVTI also automatically collects personal data generated by visits to the website. This may include the following:

  • Device information such as IP address, referring websites, SVTI pages visited from your device, or the length of time your device visited this website.
  • Internet protocol information and details collected via third-party providers such as Google Analytics, but which do not specifically identify you.
  • Information collected using cookies (for more information, please see our cookie policy).

2. Reasons for the use of personal data

SVTI uses personal data for the following purposes:

  • To fulfill contracts: In order to conclude and implement agreed contracts, it is often necessary to process personal data. This is the case, for example, with the online shop, course attendance, exams, and personal certifications.
  • For communication: In order to communicate with third parties, personal data often has to be processed. This may be the case, for example, when a contact form is used on our website, when an application is submitted, when contacting us by email, post, telephone, or other means, and for customer care.
  • Personal data may need to be processed in order to assert legal claims. This may involve different categories of personal data, depending on the case in question.
  • To improve our website with the aim of ensuring that the content is presented in the best possible way for visitors.
  • To send emails and communicate with third parties regarding our services and events.
  • To manage and administer an employment relationship with employees. 
  • To administer occupational pension provision and related activities.
  • To analyze website usage, observe trends, and for advertising purposes.
  • To respond to inquiries and comments and to provide support via communication channels.
  • To review and optimize procedures for needs analysis for the purpose of direct customer contact and to collect personal data from publicly available sources for the purpose of customer acquisition.
  • To operate our website securely and safely and to comply with our legal requirements and obligations.
  • To carry out or complete a transaction or order made on the SVTI Group's websites.
  • To create and manage user accounts.
  • For video surveillance for the purpose of enforcing house rules and other measures for IT, building, and facility security and the protection of our employees and other persons and assets belonging to us or entrusted to us (such as access controls, visitor lists, network and mail scanners, telephone recordings).
  • For internal data sharing within the SVTI Group for the purpose of providing services.
  • For all other purposes about which we inform you before collecting personal data.

Personal data in the application process
When processing applications for job advertisements posted by the SVTI Group, we process the personal data submitted to us by applicants (e.g., resumes, cover letters, references, diplomas, and other information provided during the application process) exclusively for the purpose of conducting the application process.

By submitting their application documents, applicants consent to the storage of their data within the SVTI Group for a period of two years. During this time, the data may be used exclusively for the purpose of referring to the application documents for future vacancies.

The transfer of application data to third parties outside the SVTI Group is excluded.

3. Disclosure of personal data

The SVTI shares or transmits personal data as described here. This is done exclusively in compliance with the applicable data protection regulations.

The following is a list of the parties to whom we may disclose personal data and the reasons for doing so:

  • The companies of the SVTI Group, whereby the SVTI pension fund is not permitted to disclose any health data or data on business transactions such as purchases, advance payments, etc. to the employer.
  • Third-party companies that perform certain functions on behalf of the SVTI, such as carrying out inspection orders, sending emails, processing customer data, analyzing data, and processing credit card payments, providing direct marketing services, and cloud hosting services. These parties only have access to the information necessary to perform their respective functions. They may not use this information for any purpose other than to provide services to us.
  • If SVTI, at its sole discretion, regardless of the reasons for doing so, including, but not limited to, compliance with laws, regulations, or governmental or legal requests for such information, in the event of a merger, sale, restructuring, acquisition, joint venture, or assignment, it deems it appropriate to disclose information necessary to identify, contact, or take legal action against a person who violates our business principles or other terms and conditions; or to otherwise protect the companies of the SVTI Group.
  • Under certain circumstances, personal data may also be disclosed to authorities in Switzerland and abroad if we are legally obliged or entitled to do so, or if this is necessary to protect our legitimate interests. The authorities process the data they receive from us on their own responsibility.

4. Protection of personal data

SVTI stores personal data securely and takes appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data from loss, access, misuse, or alteration, to ensure availability, and to prevent falsification of personal data. Our contractual partners and employees who have access to your personal data are obliged to comply with data protection regulations.

When storing and passing on information that it collects or that is made available to it, the SVTI complies with strict, state-of-the-art security measures to prevent unauthorized access, loss, or destruction of personal data. This may include the following:

  • Physical security measures, controlled access to our facilities, and the secure destruction of media containing personal data.
  • Technical security measures such as the use of antivirus and endpoint protection software and the monitoring of our systems and data centers to ensure that our security policies are being followed.
  • Organizational security measures such as training and awareness programs on security and data protection to ensure that our employees understand the importance and means of protecting your personal data.

SVTI does not generally collect sensitive personal data. However, if we do so, we always collect the data in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations. Individuals who choose to provide us with sensitive personal data unsolicited are asked to give their express consent for the processing of this data.

5. Duration of storage of personal data

The SVTI stores personal data for the period necessary to fulfill the original purposes for which it was collected, but in any case within the maximum permissible legal period, and in particular to enable the SVTI to pursue its business interests, carry out audits, comply with legal obligations, enforce agreements, or settle disputes.

The criteria we use to determine our retention periods include the following:

  • The length of time the data is needed to provide our products or services or to conduct our business activities.
  • Existence of a user account. In this case, we store the data for as long as an account is active or for as long as necessary to provide the relevant services.
  • The existence of a legal, contractual, or similar obligation to store the data. Examples include mandatory data retention laws, government orders to store data relevant to an investigation, or data that must be retained for contractual purposes or potential litigation.

6. Cookies and their use

In order to make our offerings user-friendly, effective, and secure, we use cookies and similar technologies on our websites.

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit or use one of our websites. Cookies contain an identification number that allows your browser to be recognized. They enable certain settings to be stored and information about the use of our website to be collected.

We generally distinguish between the following types of cookies:

Technically necessary cookies:
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly. They enable basic functions such as page navigation, shopping cart, or access to protected areas. Without these cookies, the website cannot be operated properly.

Functional cookies:
These cookies enable us to store your settings (e.g., language or login information) to provide you with a personalized experience on our website.

Analysis and marketing cookies:
These cookies are used to evaluate user behavior and measure the success of marketing measures. They help us to improve our offerings and analyze the reach of our content. In this context, data may also be transmitted to third-party providers (see section 7).

We use both temporary cookies (session cookies), which are automatically deleted at the end of the browser session, and permanent cookies, which remain stored on your device for a certain period of time and enable recognition during a subsequent visit.

The use of cookies that are not technically necessary and comparable technologies is only carried out with your consent, where required by law. You can revoke your consent at any time with future effect or adjust your preferences via the corresponding settings (e.g., via a consent management tool or your browser settings).

You also have the option of deactivating cookies in your browser settings, either completely or partially, or deleting cookies that have already been set. Please note that in this case, certain functions of our website may be restricted or unavailable.

If third-party providers are integrated into our website or provide services on our behalf, they may also use cookies or similar technologies, provided this is technically necessary or legally permissible. We have no influence on the use of such technologies outside our website.

By continuing to use our website and/or agreeing to this privacy policy, you consent to us setting cookies and thus collecting, storing, and using personal usage data, even beyond the end of the browser session (so-called permanent cookies). You can revoke this consent at any time by activating the browser setting to refuse third-party cookies. This only applies if no separate consent or preference management is used.

7. Use of tracking tools and server-side tracking

We use analysis and marketing technologies with the aim of designing our websites and online marketing measures in line with user needs, continuously optimizing them, and measuring their success.

For this purpose, we sometimes use what is known as server-side tracking. This means that certain usage data is not processed exclusively in the user's browser, but is technically recorded, filtered, and, if necessary, forwarded to analysis and marketing services via a server infrastructure controlled by us.

This technology enables us in particular to:

  • evaluate the impact of our online presence (e.g., on third-party platforms such as training portals),
  • analyze touchpoints along the customer journey,
  • measure the success of information events, course registrations, and inquiries,
  • improve data quality,
  • targeted data minimization before forwarding to third-party providers.

The following data in particular may be collected and processed as part of this processing:

  • IP address (truncated or pseudonymized if necessary),
  • Device and browser information,
  • navigation paths and interactions on our websites,
  • times of access,
  • Referrer information,
  • Information about campaign or marketing contacts,
  • Technical identifiers (e.g., cookie IDs or comparable identifiers).

Where technically possible and permissible, such usage data may be combined with other information (e.g., when using a contact form, registering for an information event, or booking a course) in order to evaluate the effectiveness of our marketing measures. As a matter of principle, no direct identification of individual persons takes place, unless this is necessary for the fulfillment of a contract or required by law. No profiling that entails a high risk within the meaning of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, DSG) takes place.
 
In this context, the following services and tools, among others, may be used:

  • Google Analytics
  • Google Tag Manager
  • Google Ads
  • YouTube (integration of videos)
  • HubSpot
  • and, where applicable, other marketing platforms such as Meta or comparable providers.

The information generated by tracking technologies may be transmitted to the servers of the respective providers. These may be located abroad, in particular in the USA. In such cases, we ensure that an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed by means of appropriate contractual guarantees or other legally recognized mechanisms. If data is transferred to countries with an adequate level of data protection recognized by the Federal Council, we rely on the corresponding adequacy decision.

Preservation of consent
When using server-side tracking, we also respect the consent given or refused by users. Where required by law, tracking and marketing technologies are only used with the appropriate consent. Consent that has been given can be revoked at any time with effect for the future.

You can prevent the storage of cookies by adjusting your browser software settings accordingly or delete cookies that have already been set. You can also adjust your preferences using any consent management tools.

By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

8. Newsletters and competitions

Our website offers the option of subscribing to a newsletter. We also plan to hold occasional online competitions. The data collected in this process (including your name, address, and email address) enables us to send you a newsletter with information about relevant offers and other details. By registering, participating, and providing your data, you give your consent to this. You can revoke this consent at any time and unsubscribe from the newsletter.

9. Possibility of access to and control of personal data by data subjects

We are committed to ensuring that data subjects can exercise their right of access and control their data.

We respond to requests in accordance with our internal procedures as described below. All requests must be submitted via an online data protection request form or by contacting us in writing (see section 11 below). Verbal requests cannot be processed. The following also applies:

  • Access to personal data: Data subjects have the right to request information about what personal data is stored about them. This right to access data only applies if it is justified under data protection law, but not if it is asserted for other reasons, such as under labor law. A copy of the data may be requested, whereby a fee may be charged in advance if the request involves a particularly high level of effort. The data protection officer has the final say on the amount of the fee.
  • Correction and deletion: Data subjects have the right to correct or update their personal data if it is demonstrably incorrect or demonstrably needs to be updated. They also have the right to request the deletion of their personal data, provided that there are no operational reasons or legal provisions regarding retention periods or other obligations to store such data that prevent this. If we are asked to delete data, we may continue to store some information in order to prove that we have fulfilled our obligation to delete data.
  • Right to data disclosure or transfer (Art. 28 DSG): Within the framework of the statutory provisions, data subjects have the right to request the disclosure of the personal data they have provided or to request its transfer to another controller. In cases where this involves a particularly high level of effort, a fee may be charged in advance. This right to data disclosure only applies if it is justified under data protection law, but not if it is asserted for other reasons, e.g., under labor law. 
  • Submitting a complaint: Complaints about compliance with the practices described in this statement will be handled formally and according to a defined procedure.
  • Marketing preferences: SVTI may send interested parties regular marketing communications about our services using various channels, such as email, telephone, SMS, postal mail, and third-party social networks, always in compliance with applicable legal regulations. Where required by law, we will obtain consent before commencing such activities.