Here is the ergonomics legislation from
Germany
The information here was collated from publicly available online sources by Ergo Global ergonomist, Orlaith O’Neill. Some parts may have been edited for clarity or layout.
The Duties of
The Employer
- The employer must ensure that the risk assessment is carried out professionally. If the employer does not have the relevant knowledge himself, he must seek expert advice.
- The employer shall document the risk assessment before commencing the activities.
- The employer must assess all possible risks to the safety and health of employees, taking into account the effects of work organisation and work processes in the workplace. In assessing the risk, he must take into account the physical and psychological stress and, in the case of computer workstations, in particular the strain on the eyes or the risk to the eyesight of the employees.
- In accordance with the result of the risk assessment, the employer must determine measures for the protection of employees in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance, including its annex, in accordance with the state of the art, occupational medicine and hygiene. Other reliable ergonomic findings must be taken into account.
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The employer shall provide employees with sufficient and appropriate information on the basis of the risk assessment in a form and language that is understandable to the employees on:
1. the intended operation of the workplace
2. any health and safety issues related to their activity
3. measures to be taken to ensure the safety and health of workers
4. workplace-specific measures, in particular for activities on construction sites or on display screen equipment, and instruct them on the basis of this information. - The instructions (mentioned in point 4 above) must take place before the commencement of the activity. After that, they must be repeated at least annually. They must be made in a form and language that is understandable to the employees. Instructions must be repeated immediately if the activities of the employees, the organisation of work, the work and production processes or the facilities and modes of operation in the workplace change significantly and the change is associated with additional hazards.
- An eye examination must be provided before commencing work for the first time, on a regular basis thereafter.
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Employers must follow Section 6 of Annex: Measures for the design of DSE workstations:
6.1 General requirements for DSE Workstation
6.2 General requirements for display screens and display screen equipment
6.3 Requirements for display screen equipment and work equipment for stationary use at workstations
6.4 Requirements for portable display screen equipment for mobile use at workstations
6.5 Requirements for the user-friendliness of display screen equipment
Penalties
Employers who intentionally or negligently fail to arrange for mandatory healthcare or optional healthcare or to do so in good time, for example, can be deemed to have committed a regulatory offence and face a fine of…
The intentional endangerment of the life or health of a worker is a criminal offence under Section 26 no. 2 of the Safety and Health at Work Act and can, in serious cases, lead to…
imprisonment of no more than 1 yearLooking for professional
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