Freelance occupational safety specialists: what they do and what they cost
A freelance or self-employed occupational safety specialist supports your business as one fixed person, usually within their own region. That suits offices with one site that want a fixed contact. They almost never bring the occupational physician along, and cover for illness or holidays is rarely arranged. Settle both before signing, otherwise two contracts and the organisation stay with you.
This page is part of the overview of occupational safety providers. The figures come from the 2026 market study of 1,037 providers; we do not name providers.
How this provider type works
A freelance specialist usually bills by the hour or as a monthly flat fee. Hourly rates partly come with surcharges for preparation and follow-up plus travel and travel time; published rates are around 100 € per hour. Most, however, only state their price in the quote.
You usually find the physician yourself and sign a separate contract. Coordination between the two, filing the records and cover in an emergency are therefore up to you.
What surcharges do to an hourly rate
A freelance specialist quotes around 90 € per hour, plus a quarter of service time as a surcharge for preparation and follow-up, kilometre allowance and travel time. For an office with 25 employees (10 specialist hours a year, two on-site visits with 40 kilometres each way) that comes to around 1,250 € a year, effectively more than 120 € per specialist hour.
The physician is not included. With 2.5 hours at the market median another 368 € comes on top, under a separate contract and with separate coordination.
Strengths and limits for offices
Strengths
- You have one fixed person from the start, who knows the business well after the first year.
- Most work in their own federal state and are on site quickly.
- Converted to the same required hours, hourly rates are within the market range.
Limits
- Only a few also offer the physician, and physicians are scarce: just over a third of practising specialists in occupational medicine are 60 or older.
- Cover for illness, holidays or retirement is rarely arranged. The duty to provide support stays with you.
- Many small providers are fully booked and take new clients only by referral; we heard this in several conversations with specialists.
- Prices and records of hours rarely appear on the website. You can only compare with quotes.
Compared with Safety Club
Safety Club also works with experienced specialists from a network (300+ companies supported in the partner network). It adds what one person struggles to provide alone: the physician is part of the same contract, travel, risk assessment, safety briefings and committee are included, and records are kept in the customer portal.
| Point | This provider type | Safety Club |
|---|---|---|
| Offer | One occupational safety specialist. Scope varies widely from person to person. | Occupational safety specialist on site and physician in one contract. Risk assessment, inspections, briefings, hazardous substances register, operating instructions and committee support. |
| Physician | Rarely included. A separate contract with a physician is needed. | Included. Same contract. |
| Price | Rarely public. Hourly rate plus surcharges, comparable only after a quote. | Predictable annual costs for the legal scope. Range shown upfront in the quote calculator. |
| Billing | Hourly rate or flat fee, plus travel and preparation time. The physician bills separately. | Fixed annual costs for the agreed scope. Travel, set-up and annual report are included. |
| Travel | Rarely included. Billed per kilometre, travel time or a fee per visit. | Included. |
| Risk assessment | Partly included. Preparing it is mostly billed as a separate package. | Included. Including mental stress. |
| Safety briefings | Partly included. On site mostly billed per session, digital rarely. | Included. Digital, with records. |
| Way of working | One fixed person, visits according to their calendar. Cover is rarely arranged. | Inspection and risk assessment on site, everything else digital. Measures, deadlines, briefings and coordination run through the customer portal, with a report after each visit. |
| Your effort | High. Find and coordinate the physician yourself, manage two contracts and two invoices. | Low. One initial call, one contract, one contact. Because we work very digitally, folders, paper and extra coordination meetings fall away. |
| Records | Rarely in a portal. Mostly by email and in folders. | All records in the customer portal. Complete, current, shareable. |
| Start | Depends on the person's workload. | At most five working days from first contact to signature. On-site support starts within ten working days. |
For 50 employees, Safety Club is 43 per cent below the median of individual specialists, for the same legal scope including physician and travel (market study, comparison). On-site support starts within ten working days. The page on the external occupational safety specialist describes the scope.
What does support cost for your office?
Your own quote in two minutes: the quote calculator shows the range for your company size and location, including specialist, physician and travel.
What the law requires
Only someone with proven safety expertise may be appointed as occupational safety specialist (section 7 ASiG): a qualification as engineer, technician or master craftsman, work experience and a recognised training course (DGUV Regulation 2). Since the new version, the specialist reports regularly in writing on the services provided.
In support group III, basic support is 0.5 hours per employee per year, shared between specialist and physician, each with at least 20 per cent. Travel time does not count as service time.
Five questions for the contract
- What expertise does the specialist have? Ask for proof of qualification and training course.
- Who covers a longer absence, who pays for it, and how long may a gap last?
- How many service hours per year are promised, and is each hour recorded with date and activity?
- How are travel and travel time charged, and how many on-site visits are planned?
- Who provides the physician, at what rate, and who coordinates the two disciplines?
More on providers
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Software without a specialist | Organises risk assessments, briefings and deadlines. Does not replace an appointment. |
| Regional service firms | Several specialists at one to a few sites. The largest provider type in the market. |
| Nationwide large providers | Many sites, specialist and physician mostly from one source. Prices rarely public. |
| Online and flat-fee providers | Monthly flat fees and packages online, plus brokerage portals. What matters are the hours included. |
| Pricing models | Hourly rate, flat fee, per-head price, packages: how each model works and what to check. |
| Market study 2026 | Prices from more than 1,000 providers, converted to the same required hours. |
Frequently asked questions
Our occupational safety specialist is leaving. Who can take over at short notice?
Any provider that supplies a qualified specialist: another freelancer, a regional or a nationwide service firm. What matters is that the new specialist is appointed in writing and takes over the existing risk assessment, minutes and records. Until then the duty to provide support stays with the employer.
What does a freelance occupational safety specialist cost?
Published hourly rates are around 100 € net, partly plus travel and surcharges. For an office with 50 employees that comes to around 3,236 € to 3,730 € a year including physician and travel. Most providers only state their price in the quote.
Does the freelance specialist bring the physician along?
Usually not; only a few individual specialists offer both disciplines. The physician is still mandatory and must provide at least 20 per cent of basic support. Before signing, clarify who provides the physician and who coordinates the work.
May the specialist also provide support by video?
Partly. Support takes place on site as a rule. At the VBG at most one third may be digital, and only after the specialist has seen the business during an inspection. Purely digital support is not permitted.
Is a specialist from another city worth it?
Only with a clear travel rule. Kilometre allowance and partly travel time appear on the bill without extending the support, because travel time does not count as service time.
How does working with a freelance specialist work?
After the appointment, the specialist arranges inspection dates, supports the risk assessment and briefings and attends the safety committee. Dates depend on their calendar; you coordinate the physician separately.
How much effort is a freelance specialist for us?
Usually more administration than expected: two contracts for specialist and physician, two invoices, coordination between them, your own filing of records and, if needed, finding cover.
How do I compare quotes from freelance specialists?
Multiply hourly rate and surcharges (preparation, travel, billing increments) by your required hours and add the physician. Only this total is comparable with a fixed price for the full legal scope.
Is Safety Club cheaper than a freelance specialist?
For the same legal scope, including physician and travel, for 50 employees, Safety Club is 43 per cent below the median of individual specialists, and 46 per cent for 25 employees. The basis is the published prices in the 2026 market study, which explains the calculation in its comparison section.
Sources
- Safety Club market study 2026
- Occupational Safety Act (ASiG), sections 1 to 7
- Section 7 ASiG: requirements for occupational safety specialists
- Section 19 ASiG: external services
- DGUV Regulation 2, VBG version
- VBG: the new DGUV Regulation 2 (German)
- DGUV Regulation 2, Annex 2: standard support for more than 20 employees
- German Medical Association: physician statistics 2025
- DGUV forum 6/2021: demand for occupational physicians in Germany
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