Occupational safety for notaries
The duties are the same for every office and administrative business. What differs for notaries is where the risk assessment puts its focus.
- Notaries
What is different here
Public access is part of the core business. Several people unfamiliar with the building arrive at once for notarisation appointments, often in emotionally charged situations such as inheritances, divorces or company sales.
The four points that matter
- Escape routes for people unfamiliar with the building. The number of people present at the same time follows the appointments, not the payroll. Escape route widths, signing and the number of first aiders are based on the worst case.
- The deed archive. Deeds are subject to long statutory retention periods. The paper holding grows permanently and rarely shrinks. Shelf stability and fire safety in the archive are therefore permanent topics.
- Notarisations away from the office. Notarisations in hospital, in a care home or at someone's flat are field work, with unfamiliar premises and commuting accident risk. That belongs in the assessment as its own point.
- Tense conversations. Inheritance disputes and separations are negotiated in the notary's office. Handling them, and a way to call for help if needed, belong in the assessment of mental stress.
What a walkthrough typically turns up
The archive and the waiting area are what stand out. In the archive, volumes of deeds sit above head height, the shelving is rarely inspected on record, and the aisle serves as interim storage. In the waiting area, seating and escape route width do not match the actual number of people on appointment days. First-aid supplies are usually sized for employees only.
What that means for safety training
Two points come on top of the office standard. First, dealing with the public: who directs visitors in an emergency, where the assembly point is, who the first aiders are. Second, appointments away from the office: conduct in unfamiliar premises, lone working, the reporting route after an accident while out. For the archive, lifting and the use of step aids are added.
Related
- External occupational safety specialist: the scope under section 6 ASiG, the three support models compared and how the number of hours is calculated.
- Regions: an occupational safety specialist on site in eight regions across Germany, with the responsible VBG district office for each.
- Occupational safety by sector: what sets law firms, IT, agencies, real estate, associations, financial services and other business types apart.
- Duties quick-check: which duties apply at your headcount, from the occupational safety committee through safety officers to the end of the Unternehmermodell.
- Support-hours calculator: your support hours under DGUV Regulation 2, including the split between specialist and physician. The cost logic is explained in What does a safety specialist cost?
- Risk assessment in the office and safety training in the office: the two duties that apply to every office business from the first employee.
- Services overview: the complete scope required by the ASiG and DGUV Regulation 2 in one contract, with every sector and location we cover.
Frequently asked questions
Do different rules apply to notaries?
Do we need a separate risk assessment per location?
From when do we need an occupational safety specialist?
What does support cost for a business our size?
Other business types
Worry-free occupational safety in 4 steps
A simple path from the first conversation to audit-proof documentation.
Free initial consultation
We set out what the law requires, what you don't need and what we deliver. Clarity from day one.
Contract signed
One contract, predictable annual costs, booked directly with us. First contact to signature: five working days at most.
Occupational safety specialist on site
Your specialist visits for the walkthrough, produces the risk assessment and checks: what is there, what is missing?
Audit-proof documentation in the portal
Every record sits in the client portal: digital, complete, current, easy to share.
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