Anyone still have or know where that link is showing a number of swiss code violations? It was written in German btw and posted here but I cant find it.

Never mind, I found it!

http://www.kontrollbuero.ch/fotogalerie/fotogalerie.htm

WOW. That is one long, long collection of items!!

Makes me wish I could read German!

Some of the texts aren't that informative... a number of pictures are just labelled "Non-compliant substation. Has to be renovated."

Others are fairly obvious, e.g. loose connections or poorly maintained ancient wiring. Sockets too close to showers and tubs are another recurring item.

BTW, the site is worth regular visits! They keep adding new pictures!

Some of those pictures are scary! They don't improve my opinion of European electrics

Well, I'm sure the general standard is roughly the same in all civilised countries and you could find similar scary examples anywhere in the UK. In Switzerland they're uncovered more frequently than elsewhere because homeowners are required to have their wiring tested every ten years.

I can throw in the voice of experience here in New Jersey...

"You are not alone, we have some of the best qualified butchers in the world"

Never heard of this. How does it work?

Do you mean how it's done technically or how well it works?

The testing is done by various licensed testing companies such as this one (Waser) and there's a national agency (Starkstrominspektorat) that can do spot checks or step in if someone complains.
The testers can't enforce anything, unlike the Starkstrominspektorat and therefore some violations are just noted every ten years. The Swiss aren't all saints either
The STarkstrominspektorat can turn off your power in case of imminent danger and I think they can fine too.

http://www.esti.admin.ch/en/

How its done technically... and why to lol. Seems extreme.