Since 1996, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz, ArbSchG) has required all employers in Germany to systematically assess working conditions within their organisations. The aim is to identify possible risks to employees’ safety and health, then use the results to devise suitable protective measures. The act follows a holistic approach and takes account of all relevant factors in the workplace, including physical and chemical agents and the bodily and mental loads to which employees are subject.

The latest edition of baua: Aktuell features an article by Sabine Sommer, the head of the Changing World of Work Division. In it, she explains how the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin, BAuA) supports businesses when it comes to risk assessment - a key element in workplace occupational safety and health (OSH). It is not uncommon for small businesses especially to face difficulties carrying out such assessments. BAuA addresses these challenges by conducting research, undertaking targeted knowledge transfer activities, and providing practical assistance. More details can be found on page 2 in baua: Aktuell 1/2025 (in German only).

One central concern is to narrow the gap that exists between the statutory requirements and their practical implementation in workplaces.

Risk assessment is the foundation for the preventive design of human-centred working conditions. baua: Aktuell 1/2025 (in German only) explores risk assessment as a central instrument for OSH provision from the perspectives of four of the Federal Institute’s specialist divisions, Changing World of Work (Division 1), Products and Work Systems (Division 2), Work and Health (Division 3), and Hazardous Substances and Biological Agents (Division 4). Brief statements by the heads of all four divisions can be found on page 3 of the publication.

BAuA presents cutting-edge knowledge in forms tailored for specific target groups and develops scientifically founded practical guidance documents that offer concrete support to those responsible for risk assessments. BAuA’s Key Indicator Methods are particularly well established in this field, and can be utilised to systematically record and evaluate physical loads like the stresses and strains placed on the body during lifting, carrying, and pulling operations or when carrying out repetitive activities.

The Handbook on Risk Assessment, which is made available by BAuA free of charge online, draws together comprehensive advice about every aspect of the subject. This standard work provides up-to-date information on the relevance and effects of risks, the foundations for their detection and assessment, OSH interventions, the applicable legislation, various bodies of rules and regulations, and scientific findings.