Choosing an occupational safety specialist comes down to seven criteria: the qualification under section 7 ASiG, sector experience in office and administration, support hours derived openly under DGUV Regulation 2, on-site walkthroughs with cover arrangements, ownership of the documentation, price transparency with a notice period, and the ability to grow with the business.
| Criterion | Evidence or contract clause | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Qualification | proof of qualification for the person doing the work, written appointment | sections 5 and 7 ASiG |
| 2. Office sector experience | references in the same field, anonymised sample document | DGUV Regulation 2, support group III |
| 3. Support hours | derivation in the quote, split into basic and business-specific support | DGUV Regulation 2, Annex 2 |
| 4. Walkthroughs and cover | walkthrough schedule with reports, named contact, response deadline, cover | section 6 number 3 ASiG |
| 5. Documentation | release in a readable format, also after the contract ends, data processing agreement | section 6 ArbSchG, article 28 GDPR |
| 6. Price and contract | hourly rate, travel costs, term, renewal clause, notice period | service contract under civil law |
| 7. Growing with you | rule for thresholds, further sites and attendance at the safety committee | sections 10 and 11 ASiG |
One distinction matters throughout: the provider and the occupational safety specialist are two different things. The service contract is signed with a company, whereas the appointment under section 5 ASiG names a person in writing. What an inspection asks to see is that appointment, not the logo on the quote.
Criterion 1: Qualification under section 7 ASiG for the person doing the work
The qualification attaches to a person, not to a company. Under section 7 ASiG an employer may only appoint safety engineers, safety technicians or safety supervisors who also hold the required safety expertise. Ask for proof of qualification for the person who will actually look after the business.
The person in the sales meeting is often not the one who does the work. Two questions settle it: who looks after us by name, and what qualification do they hold? A serious provider names both and produces the certificate on request.
The appointment itself remains the employer's job. Section 5 paragraph 1 ASiG requires a written appointment stating the duties assigned; the catalogue of duties is in section 6 ASiG. A business holding only a service agreement and no appointment has not met the duty formally, even where the work is faultless.
Criterion 2: Sector experience in office and administration
Sector experience determines the quality of the risk assessment, not whether the arrangement is lawful. Office and administrative businesses fall into support group III of DGUV Regulation 2 and have a narrow but deep risk profile. Ask for references from that field rather than a promise covering "all sectors".
The most reliable check is a work sample: ask for an anonymised walkthrough report or one chapter of a risk assessment from a comparable office business. It has to cover screen work under Annex number 6 ArbStättV, mental stress under section 5 paragraph 3 number 6 ArbSchG, and working from home.
Skip that check and the difference shows only in the second year. What missing sector knowledge looks like later is described in Unhappy with your safety specialist: 5 reasons.
Criterion 3: Support hours under DGUV Regulation 2, derived in the quote
A sound quote sets out the support hours under DGUV Regulation 2 split into basic support and business-specific support. In support group III basic support amounts to 0.5 hours per employee per year for the occupational safety specialist and the occupational physician together, with at least 20 percent falling to each role.
An office business with 35 employees reaches 17.5 hours of basic support per year for both roles combined. That figure shows immediately whether a quote is in the right range or a flat fee with no link to headcount. Your own starting figure comes from the support-hours calculator.
Two quotes become comparable only on the same basis: same headcount, same scope, same split between basic and business-specific support. Which arrangement is permissible at your size is covered in Does an office need an occupational safety specialist?.
Criterion 4: On-site walkthroughs, named contact and cover
Section 6 number 3 ASiG requires the occupational safety specialist to walk the workplaces at regular intervals and report the defects found. A quote without a walkthrough schedule is incomplete. Ask in addition for a named contact, a response deadline for urgent cases and written cover arrangements.
The Act sets no fixed interval; it speaks of regular intervals. For a single office site a cycle of one to two years is common practice, plus walkthroughs after a move, a refurbishment or an accident. What counts for an inspection is the report, with date, findings and deadlines.
Cover arrangements are routinely overlooked at signing and surface only in an emergency: holiday, illness or a staff change at the provider. Settle in advance who steps in and whether they can access your records.
Criterion 5: The documentation belongs to the business
The documentation duty under section 6 ArbSchG falls on the employer, not the service provider. The service contract therefore has to cover release of all records in a readable format, at any time and after the contract ends, plus a data processing agreement under article 28 GDPR. Portal access alone is not enough.
The typical setup is a provider portal with no export function. Nothing looks wrong while the contract runs. After termination the access is switched off, and the business pays a second time for the initial work on the risk assessment and records. Ask before signing in which format you can download your own records at any time.
The duties quick-check shows which records accumulate. Knowing the list lets you write a specific release clause instead of agreeing to "all relevant documents".
Criterion 6: Price transparency, term and notice period
The cost of support is support hours multiplied by the hourly rate. A quote only becomes comparable once it states scope, hourly rate, travel costs, term, renewal clause and notice period. An annual price without those figures cannot be compared with a second quote and cannot be checked later either.
Travel costs and travel time are the item that most often appears afterwards, especially with providers without a presence in the region. Establish whether travel is included or billed per visit. The pricing logic is in What does an occupational safety specialist cost?.
On the contract, two numbers matter: the term and the notice period. Twelve months with automatic renewal is common; what decides things is how far in advance notice is due. A change of provider must not let the appointment under section 5 ASiG lapse without a handover, so that deadline belongs in your own diary.
Criterion 7: Growing with you, and working with the physician and the committee
Occupational safety duties grow in steps. Up to 50 employees the Unternehmermodell under Annex 3 of DGUV Regulation 2 is permitted, with no lower limit. Above 20 employees an occupational safety committee under section 11 ASiG is added.
A provider should know these thresholds and say in the quote what happens when one is crossed. The committee meets at least once per calendar quarter and the safety specialist is a member. Whether attendance is included or billed per meeting is a question of four dates a year. What it deals with is covered in the occupational safety committee.
Under section 10 ASiG occupational physicians and safety specialists have to cooperate. In practice both need the same risk assessment as their basis. Establish whether the provider works with your existing physician or only inside its own network.
Warning signs in a quote
Six formulations are a reason to ask harder before signing:
- No name. The person doing the work is named only after the contract is signed.
- A flat fee with no hours. The quote states an annual price but no support hours under DGUV Regulation 2.
- Support without a walkthrough. The service is described as remote, although section 6 number 3 ASiG requires the workplaces to be walked.
- Documentation in the portal only. There is no export function and no clause for the period after the contract ends.
- Templates from manufacturing. The sample records cover machinery and hazardous substances in detail, screen work and mental stress only in general terms.
- A promise to adjust professional assessments. Under section 8 paragraph 1 ASiG the occupational safety specialist is not bound by instructions when applying their expertise.
Questions for the first meeting
Eight questions are enough to judge a quote. What matters is not that every answer is perfect, but that it is concrete: names, figures and deadlines instead of "as required" and "of course".
| Question in the first meeting | How to spot a solid answer |
|---|---|
| Who looks after us by name, and what qualification do they hold? | name and qualification are given, the certificate follows on request |
| How many office and administrative businesses do you support? | a concrete number and examples from the field, not "all sectors" |
| How do you calculate our support hours? | arithmetic with headcount, 0.5 hours and the split between both roles |
| How often do you come on site, and what goes in the report? | a cycle in months or years plus a report with findings and deadlines |
| Who steps in during holiday or illness? | a named stand-in with access to the business's records |
| How fast do you respond in an urgent case? | a committed deadline in hours or days, in writing in the contract |
| Do we get all records after the contract ends? | yes, in a readable format, with deletion at the provider, as a clause |
| What changes if we grow to 25 employees? | the hours are carried forward, plus a note on the safety committee |
For office and administrative businesses Safety Club meets exactly these criteria: an occupational safety specialist on site plus digital, audit-proof documentation that belongs to the business. How the start works is shown in the process in four steps; we assess your case in an initial consultation.
This article is general guidance and does not replace legal advice on your individual case. What governs is the current version of the ASiG, ArbSchG and DGUV Regulation 2, together with how the accident insurance institution that covers you interprets it.
