Occupational Safety Specialist - nice to have or a MUST have?
The employment of an occupational safety specialist is obligatory, according to various regulations and laws, such as DGUV Regulation 2, ASiG §5 and §6 or the EC Framework Directives. Here is an excerpt from the Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.
"There are still too many occupational accidents and occupational diseases. Prompt preventive measures must therefore be taken or existing measures improved, to ensure a more effective protection of the safety and health of workers."
"It is necessary to extend information, dialogue and balanced cooperation on safety and health at work between employers and workers or their representatives by means of appropriate procedures and instruments, in accordance with national laws or practices."
"Article 5: General requirements for the employer
(1) It is the duty of the employer to ensure the safety and health of workers regarding all aspects relating to work.
(2) if, in application of Article 7 (3), an employer calls in outside experts (persons or services), this does not relieve him of his responsibility in this respect.
Article 7
(3) In case the means available within the undertaking or establishment are insufficient for the organisation of these protective and preventive measures, the employer has to call upon the services of outside experts (persons or services)."
(Source)
Our Experts for your Occupational Safety
The areas of application of an occupational safety specialist (SiFa) are manifold. Therefore, special training and continuous further education are absolutely necessary. New laws are constantly being added, hazardous substances are being reassessed, machines are being further developed, and so on. Not every company is able to, or wants to afford such a specialist.
In order to be a strong and reliable partner for our customers, we provide you with specially trained specialists. In addition, you can rely on our broad network of partners operating throughout Germany. In doing so, we strictly adhere to the ASiG (Occupational Safety Act):
"Occupational safety specialists have the task of supporting the employer in occupational safety and accident prevention in all matters of occupational safety, including the humane design of work. In particular, they must
1. advise the employer and other persons responsible for occupational health and safety and accident prevention, in particular with regard to
a) the planning, construction and maintenance of plant facilities and of social and sanitary facilities
b) the procurement of technical work equipment and the introduction of work procedures and working materials,
c) the selection and testing of personal protection equipment,
(d) the design of workplaces, work procedures, the working environment and other ergonomic issues
(e) the assessment of working conditions,
2. carry out the safety inspections of the operating installations and technical work equipment, in particular before they are put into operation, and of working procedures, in particular before they are introduced,
3. observe the implementation of occupational safety and accident prevention and in connection therewith to
a) inspect the workplaces in regular intervals and notify the employer or the person otherwise responsible for occupational safety and accident prevention of any deficiencies found, propose measures to remedy these deficiencies and work towards their implementation,
(b) ensure the use of personal protective equipment,
c) investigate the causes of occupational accidents, record and evaluate the results of the investigations and propose measures to the employer to prevent such occupational accidents,
4. work towards ensuring that all persons employed in the enterprise conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of occupational safety and accident prevention, in particular to instruct them about the accident and health hazards which they are exposed to at work, as well as about the facilities and measures to avert these hazards, and to assist in the training of the safety representatives.“
(Source)