Occupational Health and Safety at the Workplace
- Designing with Ergonomics -

Rüschenschmidt • Reidt • Rentel
1st Edition • May 2007
ISBN: 978-3-934966-68-0
140 pages • € 15,30

The corner stone of occupational safety legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz – ArbSchG) of 7 August 1996, which became effective on 21 August 1996. Article 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act (§ 2 ArbSchG) defines measures of occupational safety as follows: 

“Measures for the prevention of accidents at the workplace and of health hazards caused by work, including measures for creating a humane workplace design” 

In this way ergonomics has been codified as an occupational safety measure. According to article 5 Health and Safety at Work Act (§ 5 ArbSchG) the employer must, by way of an evaluation of the risks for the employees connected with their work, assess which occupational safety measures are necessary. 

As a guideline for such evaluation the lawmakers list the following five points: 
1. the arrangement and the facilities of the premises and the workplace, 
2. physical, chemical and biological influences, 
3. design, selection and the use of working media, in particular material, machines, equipment and installations and their handling, 
4. design of work and production methods, work procedures and working hours, and the interaction between these factors, 
5. insufficient qualification and training of employees. 

The hazards listed contain to a large extent questions to be solved through ergonomics. 

This brochure bears the mark of the “Ordinance Covering Safety and Health Promotion in the Manual Handling of Loads at the Workplace”, which laid new foundations that need to be observed when covering this theme. 

At the same time, on 7 August, the Act on the Integration of the Law on Statutory Accident Insurance into Book VII Code of Social Law (SGB VII) was passed. For the carriers of accident insurance the “prevention” section became effective on 21 August 1996, together with the Health and Safety at Work Act.

In article 9 Book VII Code of Social Law (§ 9 SGB VII) occupational disease was recognised as a fact on its own and article 14 obliges the statutory accident insurances to an extended commitment to prevention.

The revised brochure on hand “Occupational Health and Safety at the Workplace – Designing with Ergonomics” offers an update on the best available technology concerning ergonomics. The bottom line being that many laws and regulations with direct impact on ergonomics have been enacted. Exemplary are the laws on equipment and product safety, regulations on occupational safety and the Machinery Standard Directive (2006/42/EC). Basic safety and health requirements will, in future, require a hazard assessment from manufacturers (DIN EN ISO 12100). Further changes address, among others, requisitions in terms of ergonomics, controls and safety facilities, as well as noise and vibrations emission. The relevant requirements are considered in this new edition and examples given.

In order to offer the reader an overview on respective legal regulations, practical examples and ergonomic ratio figures and tables. The authors hope and wish that this revised brochure on ergonomics will not only serve as a practical aid but that in addition, “Designing with Ergonomics” will successfully help implement people-friendly workplace design. 

Ergonomics is an excellent way of combining the interests of the employees and the enterprise. 

This brochure is meant for the practical person who has the opportunity and the will to implement the findings of ergonomics for the benefit of the employees and the enterprise.