You calculate support hours under DGUV Regulation 2 for businesses with more than 20 employees in two parts: basic support equals employees times the support group factor, 0.5 hours per person and year in an office, for the occupational safety specialist and occupational physician combined. Business-specific support comes on top, its scope set by the business according to occasion.
Support hours are the annual scope, measured in hours, in which the occupational safety specialist and occupational physician support a business under annex 2 of DGUV Regulation 2. The duty itself follows from sections 2 and 5 ASiG and applies from the first employee.
Which annex applies: up to 20 or more than 20 employees?
Fixed support hours only exist in standard support under annex 2 of DGUV Regulation 2, meaning for businesses with more than 20 employees. Businesses with up to 20 employees fall under annex 1, which has no hour values. Under section 2(5) the annual average counts, and part-time staff are weighted for the threshold.
The weighting under section 2(5) of DGUV Regulation 2 is: part-time staff working no more than 20 hours a week count as 0.5, more than 20 and no more than 30 hours as 0.75, and above that as 1.0. An office with 24 people, 8 of them on 20 hours a week, therefore comes to 16 + 4 = 20 weighted employees and stays in annex 1.
Annex 1 vs. annex 2 is therefore mainly a question of method. Annex 1 requires support with the risk assessment from the specialist and physician, for support group III at least every five years according to the guidance in the model text, plus support on occasions such as a move or an accident. Annex 2 requires a fixed allowance of hours plus business-specific support.
Instead of standard support, smaller businesses may choose an alternative model: the employer model under annex 3 up to 50 employees, or the competence centre model under annex 4 up to 20 employees. The support-hours calculation then does not apply at all.
Which support group does an office business belong to?
The support group follows from the WZ code of the business type, the code of the German classification of economic activities 2008. Section IV of annex 2 assigns each code to one of three groups. Office and administrative businesses such as law firms, tax advisers, agencies and insurers are almost always in group III with 0.5 hours.
| Support group | Hours per employee and year | Examples from the model text (WZ 2008) |
|---|---|---|
| Group I | 2.5 | forestry, foundries, slaughtering and meat processing |
| Group II | 1.5 | telecommunications, employment placement (78.1), manufacture of plastic products |
| Group III | 0.5 | legal services (69.1), tax advice (69.2), management consultancy (70.2), advertising (73.1), insurance (65.1), public administration (84.1) |
The assignment follows the business type, not the individual workstation. Hazards from activities untypical for the business purpose are covered in business-specific support under annex 2 section III, not through a higher group. The version issued by your accident insurance institution is binding.
How is basic support calculated and split?
Basic support is the fixed part of standard support under annex 2 of DGUV Regulation 2: employees times the support group factor gives the hours per year, as a combined figure for the occupational safety specialist and occupational physician. At least 20 percent must go to each of the two providers. The business splits the rest as needed.
Basic support covers nine task fields, including support with the risk assessment, organising first aid, investigation after incidents, documentation and taking part in the occupational safety committee. Under annex 2 these tasks normally require a site inspection.
The new version has simplified the split. Previously there was an additional floor of 0.2 hours per employee and year for each provider, which in group III effectively meant 40 percent per side. That rule has been dropped, at the VBG since 1 December 2025. For 30 employees the minimum per side falls from 6 to 3 hours, according to the VBG.
Three further rules limit the calculation:
- Travel time cannot be counted as support hours under annex 2 of DGUV Regulation 2.
- Occupational health care is not counted towards basic support; it belongs to business-specific support.
- Digital support by video or phone is permitted under section 6(2) of DGUV Regulation 2 for up to one third of the services, provided the business is known from an initial inspection.
Three office businesses worked through
For three offices in support group III, basic support follows directly from headcount times 0.5 hours. A 60 to 40 split in favour of the occupational safety specialist is a common weighting in offices; only the 20 percent minimum per side is legally binding. Business-specific support comes on top in each case.
| Business | Employees | Basic support per year | Minimum per side (20 %) | Specialist at 60 % | Physician at 40 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax firm | 35 | 17.5 hours | 3.5 hours | 10.5 hours | 7.0 hours |
| Agency | 80 | 40.0 hours | 8.0 hours | 24.0 hours | 16.0 hours |
| Insurance administration | 240 | 120.0 hours | 24.0 hours | 72.0 hours | 48.0 hours |
The agency with 80 employees is moving to new premises this year. That is an occasion under task field 2.2 of business-specific support (new workstations, refurbishment). If the specialist estimates 8 hours for planning advice and an acceptance inspection (an assumption for this example, not a standard), the specialist's total rises to 32 hours this year.
The support-hours calculator gives your own figures with a freely adjustable split. How the hours turn into an annual budget is shown in What does an occupational safety specialist cost?.
How do you determine business-specific support?
Business-specific support is the variable part of standard support under annex 2 section III of DGUV Regulation 2. There are no fixed hours for it. The employer determines the need using five task fields, takes advice from the specialist and physician, and agrees the result in writing or electronically.
Basic support vs. business-specific support: basic support grows with headcount, business-specific support grows with change.
| Task field under annex 2 section III | Typical occasion in an office |
|---|---|
| 1 Regularly recurring occasions | rare in a pure office, for example special requirements in staff deployment |
| 2 Changes within the business | move, new workstations, introduction of remote work or new working-time models |
| 3 External developments | new regulations with extensive changes for the business |
| 4 Occupational health care | offered health care for work at display screen equipment under ArbMedVV |
| 5 Campaigns and programmes | introduction of workplace health management, focus programmes |
For an office business, task field 4 is the most reliable item. The physician provides offered health care for screen work under ArbMedVV on top of basic support. More in Occupational physician in the office: when is one required?.
Calculating support hours in seven steps
The calculation follows a fixed order: headcount first, then the annex, then the group, then the hours. If you are unsure about the group or how to count, clarify it with your employers' liability insurance association before agreeing anything.
- Determine the headcount. Take the annual average headcount and, for the thresholds, count part-time staff working up to 20 hours a week as 0.5 and up to 30 hours as 0.75.
- Determine the annex. Up to 20 weighted employees annex 1 applies, with no fixed hours; above 20 employees annex 2 applies, with fixed support hours, unless an alternative model is chosen.
- Look up the support group. Read the support group for your business type's WZ code in section IV of annex 2. Office and administrative businesses are almost always in group III.
- Calculate basic support. Employees times the support group factor gives the annual support hours for the occupational safety specialist and occupational physician combined.
- Split the hours. Divide basic support between the two providers, with at least 20 percent each, after advice from both.
- Determine business-specific needs. Check the five task fields of business-specific support against your own business and set the staff effort for each occasion.
- Agree and review. Agree basic and business-specific support in writing or electronically, and adjust it regularly and after significant changes.
Section 2(5) of DGUV Regulation 2 prescribes part-time weighting explicitly only for the thresholds. To be safe, calculate the hours per head and have any other counting confirmed by your insurance association.
Under section 5 of DGUV Regulation 2, the specialist and physician report regularly on their work. If you would rather not organise that yourself, you get an occupational safety specialist on site plus digital, audit-proof documentation. The obligations quick check shows which other duties apply at your size.
This article is general guidance and does not replace individual legal advice. It is based on the agreed model text of DGUV Regulation 2 as of 29 November 2024. The version put into force by your accident insurance institution and its assignment of business types are decisive.
