A nursery risk assessment is the assessment of all hazards to teaching and housekeeping staff required by section 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG). Four focus areas are typical: lifting and carrying children, noise in group rooms, infection risk under the Biological Agents Ordinance and the outdoor area. The provider is responsible, regardless of the number of employees.
A nursery is not an office business. For the provider's administration, see Risk assessment in the office; this article covers the hazards of childcare.
Which accident insurance institution is responsible for a nursery?
For nurseries run by independent non-profit providers, the responsible institution is usually the BGW (Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege); for municipal nurseries, it is the state Unfallkasse or the municipal accident insurance association. The children themselves are insured under section 2(1) no. 8(a) SGB VII. What counts is the version of the rules issued by your own institution.
The BGW offers an online risk assessment for nurseries. DGUV Rule 102-602 "Branche Kindertageseinrichtung" from 2019 describes 16 typical activities with their hazards and serves as a reference across institutions. The difference from the Unfallkassen is explained in DGUV and Berufsgenossenschaft.
The four focus areas of a nursery risk assessment
A nursery risk assessment concentrates on four fields of activity that do not occur in an office: physical strain from lifting and awkward postures, noise in group rooms, infection risk from close contact with children and hazards in the outdoor area. Mental stress and maternity protection come on top as cross-cutting topics.
| Hazard | Typical activity | Measure | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifting and carrying | Picking up and carrying children, changing | Changing table with steps, height-adjustable furniture, training | Section 2 LasthandhabV, section 5 ArbSchG |
| Awkward postures | Working at children's tables, sitting on the floor | Adult chairs in every group, stools on castors, changing posture | Section 5 ArbSchG, DGUV Rule 102-602 |
| Noise | Group room, gym room, lunch | Room acoustics, quiet zones, measurement if suspected | Section 6 LärmVibrationsArbSchV, ASR A3.7 |
| Infection | Changing nappies, meals, caring for sick children | Hygiene plan, hand hygiene, disposable gloves, mandatory health care | Section 4 BioStoffV, ArbMedVV annex part 2, section 36 IfSG |
| Outdoor area | Supervising the playground, outings | Inspection of play equipment, sun protection, supervision plan | EN 1176-7, DGUV Information 202-022 |
| UV radiation | Regularly one hour or more outdoors per day | Shaded areas, avoiding midday hours, offered health care | ArbMedVV annex part 3(2) no. 5 |
| Mental stress | Staff shortages, parent meetings | Cover arrangements, break rooms, conversation guidelines | Section 5(3) no. 6 ArbSchG |
| Maternity protection | Contact with children, for example when rubella occurs | Standing assessment, clarify immune status | Sections 10 and 11 MuSchG |
Lifting, carrying and awkward postures
Lifting and carrying is the most common physical strain in a nursery, especially in toddler groups with children under three. Under section 2(1) LasthandhabV, the employer first has to avoid manual lifting that endangers the lumbar spine through organisation or work equipment. Training and technique only come after that.
A changing table with a step replaces hundreds of lifts a year: a 12-kilogram child changed six times a day means around 30 lifts per week for that child alone without a step. With ten children in nappies in a toddler group, it is around 300.
The second strain is awkward posture. Children's tables 50 centimetres high and chairs for three-year-olds force adults into a bent position. DGUV Rule 102-602 therefore names adult furniture in every group room where staff work for longer periods, such as stools on castors or ergonomic nursery chairs with a low seat height.
Noise in a nursery: what has to be measured
Noise in a nursery is first a strain on voice and concentration and only occasionally a risk to hearing. Section 6 LärmVibrationsArbSchV draws the line: the lower exposure action value is a daily noise exposure level of 80 dB(A), the upper one 85 dB(A). Whether a group room exceeds them only a measurement shows, not an estimate.
From a daily noise exposure level of 80 dB(A), the employer has to offer occupational health care under ArbMedVV annex part 3(2) no. 1. Below that, noise stays in the assessment, because under ASR A3.7 it impairs work even without hearing damage.
Sound-absorbing ceilings, felt pads under chairs, smaller meal groups and quiet periods work best.
Infection risk under the Biological Agents Ordinance
Infection risk is the hazard with the most follow-up duties in a nursery. Under section 4(1) BioStoffV, it has to be assessed competently before work starts and, under section 4(2) BioStoffV, reviewed at least every second year. Hygiene plan, mandatory health care, measles certificate and briefing follow from it.
Four duties follow directly from the law:
- Mandatory health care. For activities with regular direct contact with children in facilities for pre-school childcare, ArbMedVV annex part 2(1) no. 3(f) requires mandatory occupational health care regarding whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.
- Measles certificate. Staff in childcare facilities born after 31 December 1970 have to prove vaccination or immunity against measles before starting work under section 20(8) and (9) IfSG.
- Hygiene plan. Childcare facilities under section 33 no. 1 IfSG have to set out internal infection hygiene procedures in hygiene plans under section 36(1) IfSG.
- Briefing. Staff in community facilities have to be briefed under section 34(5a) IfSG before starting work and at least every two years after that; the employer keeps the record for three years.
The briefing does not replace annual safety training under occupational safety law. The training deadline calculator works out when each person's next training is due.
Outdoor area, UV radiation and supervision
The outdoor area is a workplace and a play area. Play equipment falls under the EN 1176 series of standards, whose part 7 provides for a visual routine inspection daily to weekly, an operational inspection every one to three months and an annual main inspection by a qualified person.
For outdoor activities with intensive exposure to natural UV radiation of regularly one hour or more per day, ArbMedVV annex part 3(2) no. 5 requires offered occupational health care. Shaded areas and headwear therefore belong in the assessment.
Under section 26(1) DGUV Regulation 1, childcare facilities need one first aider per group of children, not a percentage of employees as in an office.
Worked example: duties in three nursery sizes
Which duties apply alongside the risk assessment depends on the number of groups and employees. The table works through three nurseries. The risk assessment and support from a specialist and company doctor apply from the first employee.
| Nursery | First aiders under section 26 DGUV Regulation 1 | Health and safety committee under section 11 ASiG | Mandatory care for child contact | Briefing under section 34(5a) IfSG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 groups, 8 employees | at least 2, 1 per group | no | 7 teaching staff | all 8, every two years |
| 5 groups, 22 employees | at least 5 | yes, more than 20 employees | 18 teaching staff | all 22, every two years |
| 9 groups, 45 employees | at least 9 | yes, quarterly meetings | 38 teaching staff | all 45, every two years |
The number of teaching staff is assumed. For the health and safety committee, part-time staff count proportionally under section 11 ASiG, so a nursery with 22 people can fall below the threshold. For safety representatives, children count too under section 22(1) sentence 2 SGB VII, see Number of safety representatives. The duties quick check gives a first overview by headcount.
How to draw up the risk assessment for a nursery
The risk assessment for a nursery is built in six steps, from identifying the responsible institution to documentation with a review date. Separating the areas is decisive, because group work, kitchen, outdoor area and administration need sections of their own.
- Identify the accident insurance institution. Establish whether the BGW, an Unfallkasse or another institution is responsible and use its nursery guidance as the basis.
- Separate areas and activities. Record group work, kitchen, housekeeping, outdoor area and administration separately, because different hazards apply in each.
- Identify hazards per activity. Go through lifting and carrying, awkward postures, noise, biological agents, outdoor area, mental stress and maternity protection for every activity.
- Set measures in order of priority. First technical and structural solutions such as changing tables with steps and adult chairs, then organisational ones, personal measures last.
- Plan health checks, instruction and training. Schedule mandatory occupational health care under the ArbMedVV, the briefing under section 34(5a) IfSG, the measles certificate and annual safety training.
- Document and review regularly. Record results, measures, responsible persons and dates under section 6 ArbSchG and review the biological agents assessment at least every two years.
Under section 10 MuSchG, every activity has to be assessed in advance for pregnant and breastfeeding employees. Under section 11(2) MuSchG, a risk from pathogens is deemed excluded if there is sufficient immunity. See Maternity protection and Mental stress.
Typical findings are listed on Kindergartens and childcare. Safety Club supports providers with an occupational safety specialist on site plus digital, audit-ready documentation, for administration as well as group work.
This article is general guidance and does not replace legal advice on individual cases. The current versions of the regulations named and the interpretation of your responsible accident insurance institution are decisive.
