External occupational safety specialist for office businesses

What an external specialist does in an office

The scope follows from section 6 of the ASiG. In an office business it comes down to six tasks:

• Risk assessment, produced and kept current, including mental stress under section 5 paragraph 3 ArbSchG.
• Walkthroughs of the workstations: screen height, lighting, traffic and escape routes, storage, electrical equipment.
• Preparing the content of safety training and keeping the records (section 12 ArbSchG).
• Advice when things change: relocation, refurbishment, new work equipment, introducing remote work.
• Participation in the occupational safety committee once it becomes mandatory above 20 employees.
• Accident investigation and deriving measures.

How a risk assessment is structured in an office business is set out in Risk assessment in the office.

The three models compared

Office businesses have three options. The decision almost always comes down to the hours needed.

• Engage an external specialist. You pay only for the hours needed, the qualification and keeping it current sit with the provider, and cover is the provider's problem. For office businesses this is generally the cheapest option with the least administrative effort.
• Hire your own specialist. Only sensible once demand permanently fills at least a part-time role. At 0.5 hours per employee and year that would be a business with several hundred people. Add training costs, the duty to keep qualifications current, and the cover problem during holidays and sickness.
• The Unternehmermodell. Permitted up to 50 employees. Company management qualifies itself and brings in expertise as needed. Direct spending falls, your own time commitment rises. More in The Unternehmermodell under DGUV Regulation 2.

How the scope is calculated

DGUV Regulation 2 sorts businesses into three support groups. Office and administrative businesses sit in group III, the lowest level.

Basic support = employees × 0.5 hours per year
shared by specialist and physician, at least 20 percent each

Business-specific support is added on top, driven by actual events. Year one also carries a higher initial effort: the first walkthrough, the first risk assessment and setting up the documentation. Your own figures come from the support-hours calculator; the cost logic is explained in What does a safety specialist cost?.

Who this applies to: what differs by sector

The duties are the same for every office business. What differs is where the risk assessment puts its focus. What that means in practice for law firms, IT, agencies, real estate, associations, financial services and other business types is set out in the overview occupational safety by sector.

Which duties apply at which size

The duties quick-check shows what applies to you. Where we work on site is listed under regions, and the full scope under services.

How to recognise a sound quote

• Is the support group stated, and is it group III? Placing an office business in group II means three times the hours.
• Are basic support and business-specific support shown separately?
• Is it settled who owns the documentation and whether you can take it with you if you change provider?
• Is the occupational physician covered, or to be engaged separately?

Frequently asked questions