Regional occupational safety service firms: services, prices, contracts
Regional occupational safety firms employ several specialists at one to a few sites and are the largest provider type in the market. They suit offices within one region that want more than one person behind them. Check above all whether the physician is part of the same contract and how sites outside the region are supported. Prices are usually only available on request.
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
Regional firms usually work as an external service. A specialist from the team supports you, inspections take place on site, and partly there is a customer portal. Most only state a price after an assessment, as a flat fee by size, an hourly rate or a fixed hour bundle.
An hour bundle reflects the legal scope well if it covers specialist and physician. Partly it covers only the specialist; the physician then comes from a partner, or you find one yourself.
Hour bundle and package from the region
One regional firm multiplies the specialist's required hours by a rate of around 70 € and quotes the result as an annual flat fee: for 30 employees that is 12 hours and 840 € a year, with a record of hours. The physician is added through a partner.
Another sells annual packages from just under 900 € with a fixed hour bundle and travel included; additional hours cost 85 to 110 €. The smallest tier excludes safety briefings and the safety committee. Such packages are easy to calculate once it is clear which duties the bundle covers.
Strengths and limits for offices
Strengths
- Several specialists in-house make cover possible if the contract provides for it.
- Risk assessment, safety briefings and a portal are mentioned explicitly more mostly.
- Converted to the same required hours, this provider type is at the lower end of the market.
Limits
- Most offer only the specialist. Only about one in three smaller businesses under standard support has an occupational physician at all (GDA company survey).
- Sites in other regions mean travel costs or a second provider.
- Prices rarely appear on the website. What support includes is usually only stated in the quote.
Compared with Safety Club
At Safety Club the physician is part of the same contract as the specialist, and sites in several regions are covered by one contract with specialists on site from the network. Travel, risk assessment, safety briefings, committee and set-up are included.
| Point | This provider type | Safety Club |
|---|---|---|
| Offer | Several specialists at one to a few sites, mostly as an external service. | Occupational safety specialist on site and physician in one contract. Risk assessment, inspections, briefings, hazardous substances register, operating instructions and committee support. |
| Physician | Partly included. Mostly under a separate contract. | Included. Same contract. |
| Price | Rarely public. Quote after an assessment. | Predictable annual costs for the legal scope. Range shown upfront in the quote calculator. |
| Billing | Flat fee, hourly rate or hour bundle. Extra hours and travel outside the region cost extra. | Fixed annual costs for the agreed scope. Travel, set-up and annual report are included. |
| Travel | Partly included. Within the region mostly flat, outside it per kilometre. | Included. |
| Risk assessment | Mostly included. Preparing it may be billed separately. | Included. Including mental stress. |
| Safety briefings | Mostly included, on site or digital. | Included. Digital, with records. |
| Way of working | Inspections by specialists from the region, partly with a customer portal. | 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 | Medium. Several providers for sites in several regions, the physician is mostly coordinated separately. | Low. One initial call, one contract, one contact. Because we work very digitally, folders, paper and extra coordination meetings fall away. |
| Records | Partly in a customer portal, otherwise by email. | All records in the customer portal. Complete, current, shareable. |
| Start | After quote and depending on capacity. | At most five working days from first contact to signature. On-site support starts within ten working days. |
For 50 employees, Safety Club is 41 per cent below the median of regional firms, for the same legal scope (market study, comparison). Instead of a quote after an assessment there are predictable annual costs, and it takes at most five working days from first contact to signature. 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
A regional firm is usually an external service under section 19 ASiG. Responsibility stays with the employer, and the people deployed need the expertise required by section 7 ASiG and DGUV Regulation 2.
In support group III, basic support is 0.5 hours per employee per year for specialist and physician together, each with at least 20 per cent. With 40 employees that is 20 hours, plus company-specific support.
Five questions for the contract
- Which person will support us by name, and who covers for them?
- Is the physician employed, a partner or only referred, and is he or she part of the same contract?
- How many hours per discipline are promised, and is there an ongoing record of hours?
- What costs extra: preparing the risk assessment, safety briefings, safety committee, travel outside the region?
- What term, notice period and price adjustment apply, and is there a special right of termination if prices rise?
More on providers
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Software without a specialist | Organises risk assessments, briefings and deadlines. Does not replace an appointment. |
| Freelance specialists | One fixed person in the region. Physician and cover come from third parties. |
| 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
What does a regional occupational safety service firm cost?
Published hourly rates for the specialist are around 83.75 € net. For an office with 50 employees that comes to around 2,980 € to 3,520 € a year including physician and travel. Cheap entry flat fees usually do not cover the required hours.
Can I get specialist and physician from one source?
With a smaller share of regional firms, yes. The others refer a physician or leave it to the client. Ask whether the physician is employed, part of the same contract and who coordinates the two disciplines.
What if we have sites outside the region?
Then kilometres and travel time are charged, or you need a second provider. Service time applies per employee and site, travel time does not count. With several sites it is worth comparing providers that support on site nationwide.
How many hours must an office receive?
In support group III it is 0.5 hours of basic support per employee per year, for specialist and physician together, each with at least 20 per cent. Company-specific support comes on top. With 40 employees that is 20 hours of basic support.
May the provider raise prices during the term?
Only if the contract allows it, and individual regional providers state a price adjustment clause. Before signing, check the index, a cap and a special right of termination.
How does a regional service firm work?
A specialist from the team supports you, inspections take place on site, and individual providers offer a portal. Who exactly comes and who covers is set out in the contract; ask about it.
How do I compare quotes from regional firms?
Ask for hours per discipline, on-site visits, included services and the travel rule in writing. An hour bundle for the specialist alone is not comparable with a quote that includes the physician.
How much effort do several sites mean?
If sites are outside the region, travel costs or a second provider are added. That means two contracts, two contacts and separate records.
Is Safety Club cheaper than a regional service firm?
For the same legal scope including physician and travel, for 50 employees, Safety Club is 41 per cent below the median of regional service firms, and 44 per cent for 25 employees. The basis is the published prices in the 2026 market study.
Sources
- Safety Club market study 2026
- Occupational Safety Act (ASiG), sections 1 to 7
- 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
- DGUV forum 9/2025: company survey on the organisation of occupational safety
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