Risk assessment is a key instrument in occupational health and safety. The focus is on the basic principles of humane work design, which are strictly regulated by law in Germany to protect your employees. Ultimately, healthy and motivated employees help determine a company’s competitiveness. It is therefore also in your interest as an employer to take appropriate measures to prevent hazards and consistently comply with the basic principles.
Table of Contents
The 4 criteria for humane work design
- Freedom from harm:
Work must be feasible. Under no circumstances may it harm employees’ mental or physical condition. - Freedom from impairment:
Work must also be tolerable in the long term. This means that individual tasks must not adversely affect an employee’s health, for example because they are repeated too often or are monotonous. - Reasonableness:
Work must be reasonable. Tasks must be aligned with employees’ abilities; employees must be neither overwhelmed nor under-challenged. - Promotion of personal development:
Work must promote personal development. Employees must be given the opportunity to fulfil their potential and develop further.
Overview of the most important abbreviations relating to risk assessment
During a risk assessment in Germany, you will regularly come across the following German abbreviations. Here they are in alphabetical order with their meanings.
- ABGB = General Civil Code (Austria)
- AG = Employer
- AMED = Occupational physician
- AN = Employee
- ArbSchG = Occupational Safety and Health Act
- ArbZG = Working Hours Act
- BBergG = Federal Mining Act
- BetrSichV = Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health
- BetrVG = Works Constitution Act
- BGB = German Civil Code
- DGUV = German Social Accident Insurance
- GBU = Risk assessment
- GDA = Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy
- GefStoffV = Hazardous Substances Ordinance
- HGB = German Commercial Code
- JArbSchG = Youth Employment Protection Act
- MA = Staff member
- MuSchG = Maternity Protection Act
- PSA = Personal protective equipment
- SeeArbG = Maritime Labour Act
- SFK = Safety specialists (also called occupational safety specialists)
- SGB = German Social Code
- UVV = Accident prevention regulation
