During an inspection of an office business, the inspector from the accident insurance institution asks almost the same things every time: the written appointment of an occupational safety specialist and an occupational physician, the risk assessment, the training records, the nominated first aiders and fire safety helpers, and the test and inspection reports. Having those five records at hand is what preparation means.
An inspection is a site visit carried out by an inspector of the accident insurance institution on the basis of sections 17 to 19 SGB VII. For office and administrative businesses the administrative accident insurance institution (VBG) is usually responsible. The visit has two parts: a conversation about how occupational safety is organised, and a walk through the premises. The conversation decides the outcome, because that is where the records come out. The BG visit forecast gives a rough read on how likely a visit is in your situation.
| Question | Record expected | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who provides your support? | written appointment of occupational safety specialist and occupational physician | sections 2 and 5 ASiG, section 2 DGUV Regulation 2 |
| 2. Where is your risk assessment? | documented assessment with measures and result of the review | sections 5 and 6 ArbSchG |
| 3. When did you last train staff? | training record with date, topics and participants | section 12 ArbSchG, section 4 DGUV Regulation 1 |
| 4. Who are your first aiders and fire safety helpers? | training certificates and a notice with names | section 26 DGUV Regulation 1, section 10 ArbSchG, ASR A2.2 |
| 5. Which tests are documented? | test reports and walkthrough reports | DGUV Regulation 3, section 5 DGUV Regulation 2 |
Question 1: Who provides your safety and occupational health support?
The first question targets the basic organisation. What is expected is proof that an occupational safety specialist and an occupational physician have been appointed in writing. The duty to appoint follows from section 2 paragraph 1 ASiG for occupational physicians and from section 5 paragraph 1 ASiG for occupational safety specialists, regardless of company size and from the first employee onwards.
The appointment of an occupational safety specialist has to be issued in writing under section 2 paragraph 1 DGUV Regulation 2 and must state tasks and support hours. A service contract alone is not enough: the contract governs the relationship with the provider, while the appointment transfers the tasks under section 6 ASiG to a named person. What belongs in an appointment is set out in Appointing an occupational safety specialist.
Inspectors often ask about the chosen support model in the same breath. Under the Unternehmermodell in Annex 3 DGUV Regulation 2, open to office businesses with up to 50 employees, ongoing standard support is replaced by the owner attending motivation and information sessions. The record is then the attendance certificate, not the appointment.
Both appointments belong at the very front of the occupational safety folder, together with the proof of expertise under section 7 ASiG. Both are the first thing requested during a site visit, and they are the records most often missing entirely.
Question 2: May I see your risk assessment?
The second question is the most important one in substance. The risk assessment is the systematic identification and evaluation of all hazards at a workplace required by section 5 ArbSchG. Under section 6 paragraph 1 ArbSchG the result of the assessment, the measures set out and the result of their review have to be documented. What must be produced is that documentation, not a statement of intent.
During an inspection it is rarely the structure that is checked but completeness in three places: is mental stress assessed as a separate item under section 5 paragraph 3 number 6 ArbSchG? Are working from home and mobile working covered? Does every hazard carry a measure with a responsible person and a deadline? The typical gaps are described one by one in 7 risk assessment mistakes in offices.
Structure and minimum content for office workstations are covered in Risk assessment in the office. For the appointment itself the date matters too: an assessment whose last update predates a move or a substantial increase in headcount counts as not adapted under section 3 paragraph 1 sentence 3 ArbSchG. File it wherever the list of measures sits, because the two are read together.
Question 3: When did you last train staff, and where is the record?
The third question checks whether the organisation actually reaches employees. Under section 12 paragraph 1 ArbSchG employees must be trained on recruitment, when their duties change and when new work equipment is introduced. Under section 4 paragraph 1 DGUV Regulation 1 the training must be repeated at least once a year.
What is expected is a training record with four entries: the date, the topics covered, the names of the participants and the name of the person who delivered it. A participant list without topics carries as little weight as a topic list without names. A shorter cycle applies to young people: under section 29 paragraph 1 JArbSchG young employees must be trained before starting work and at six-month intervals thereafter.
The training-interval calculator calculates which deadlines are running and when the next repetition is due. Content and sequence of office safety training are covered in Safety training in the office. File the records chronologically rather than by person, because inspections ask about the last session, not about an individual.
Question 4: Who are your first aiders and fire safety helpers?
The fourth question can only be answered with names. Under section 26 paragraph 1 DGUV Regulation 1, one first aider is required where 2 to 20 insured persons are present, and at least 5 percent of those present in administrative and retail businesses where more than 20 are present. Fire safety helpers have to be nominated under section 10 ArbSchG and are set at 5 percent of employees as a rule under ASR A2.2.
| Figure | 10 employees | 30 employees | 80 employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| First aiders (section 26 DGUV Regulation 1) | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Fire safety helpers (ASR A2.2, 5 percent) | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Safety officers (section 22 SGB VII) | none | none | at least 1 |
| Occupational safety committee (section 11 ASiG) | no | yes | yes |
The figures apply to employees present at the same time in an office business without particular hazards. Under section 22 SGB VII, as amended with effect from 29 May 2026, safety officers must be appointed from 50 regular employees onwards, and between 20 and 49 only where there is a particular risk to life and health. The occupational safety committee under section 11 ASiG, by contrast, is mandatory from more than 20 employees and meets at least once per calendar quarter.
What is expected are the training certificates of the nominated people and an up-to-date notice with names and emergency numbers. The first-aid notice generator produces the notice, and the first-aider calculator gives you the number of first aiders. During the walkthrough the first-aid kit is also opened and checked for expired material, as described in First aid in the office.
Question 5: Which tests and walkthroughs are documented?
The fifth question checks whether occupational safety is running or was merely set up once. Portable electrical equipment in office businesses is tested under DGUV Regulation 3 as a rule every 24 months, fixed electrical installations every four years. What is expected is the test report of the last test, with test date, result and the name of the qualified person.
The test-interval calculator gives the exact intervals per equipment group, and the distinction between fixed and portable equipment is explained in Testing electrical equipment in the office. It often emerges at this point that privately owned devices in the office have to be included in testing as soon as they are used for work.
Two further records belong to ongoing organisation. Under section 5 DGUV Regulation 2 the occupational safety specialist must report in writing on their activity at least once a year: that report and the walkthrough reports show that the appointed specialist was actually active. From more than 20 employees the minutes of the occupational safety committee, which meets quarterly, are added.
Preparing for an inspection in five steps
Preparation takes half a day in an office business and needs no new software, just a folder and an appointment. It is worth doing without a trigger as well, because the same records are requested after a workplace accident.
- Pull the five records together. Put the appointments, the risk assessment, the training records, the first aid and fire safety nominations and the test and inspection reports into one folder, digital or on paper.
- Check every record for a date and an owner. A record without a date and without a visible responsible person is worthless during an inspection, because neither its status nor its ownership can be proven.
- Name the gaps before the appointment. List missing records openly and add a realistic date for supplying them. A gap you name weighs less than a gap that is found.
- Involve the occupational safety specialist. Tell the occupational safety specialist about the appointment and agree whether they attend. Technical questions are then answered directly rather than through management.
- Walk the site yourself beforehand. Check traffic routes, escape routes, the first-aid kit, the notices and the electrical equipment once with the inspector's eye and fix obvious defects in advance.
If the announcement arrives in writing, the deadline in the letter comes first. How to structure a reply to the accident insurance institution, and what to do when the deadline is tight, are covered in A letter from the Berufsgenossenschaft.
Safety Club accompanies office and administrative businesses through exactly these appointments: an occupational safety specialist on site plus digital, audit-proof documentation that belongs to the business. We go through the state of your records together 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 SGB VII, ASiG, ArbSchG and DGUV Regulations 1, 2 and 3, together with how the accident insurance institution that covers you interprets it.
