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Determine the priorities, dates, and responsibilities for the defined measures. In order to be able to efficiently execute the required occupational safety and health measures, you should define unambiguously:
WHO does WHAT until WHEN?
Don’t reinvent the wheel. If present, use the documents of risk assessments already performed in the company. For example, you may copy the
and include a reference to these in your risk assessment.
In order for the employees to be able to behave safely at their workstation, they must know the possible hazards. Furthermore, they should identify the purpose of the occupational health and safety measures and assume personal responsibility for their health-compliant behaviour.
Therefore, you as the employer are obliged to instruct your employees on safety and health protection at the workplace during their working hours in a sufficient and appropriate manner.
This obligation is based on
As a matter of principle, employees should be instructed
Initial instructions are necessary in case of
Recurring instructions must be performed at regular intervals of time, at least once a year. Furthermore, the legislator also specifies shorter intervals, for example 6 months pursuant to the Young Persons Employment Act.
Moreover, instructions must be repeated when
Please note: Among other things, good safety management is characterised by contents, target groups, as well as persons in charge being defined in an instruction schedule, for example monthly.
The employer is responsible for the instruction. He may transfer the obligation to conduct instructions to suitable executive personnel.
Normally, the direct line managers assume this task. This bears the advantage that they normally are always on site and capable of observing and possibly correcting the behaviour of the employees assigned to them. You should include occupational health and safety practitioners and/or company doctors in the preparation of the instruction.
Instructions should not be a necessary evil, but an interestingly designed instruction and motivation to adopt a safety- and health-compliant behaviour.
Successful instructions should be prepared carefully. The following approach is recommendable:
Instructions must be documented as certificate. The instruction certificates should be kept for at least 2 years.
Please note: This chapter is based on the contents of the brochure Instruction hazard-related – supplement to guideline risk assessment.
Structured according to the known hazard factors, the brochure exemplarily mentions content-related emphases of the instructions and instruction techniques, as well as auxiliary equipment. The documentation may be based on the template "Instruction – Documentation" appended to the brochure.
Tip: Executive personnel of small-scale companies can find tips and help regarding conversation techniques and information on instructing in the field of occupational health and safety in the brochure Practice instruction and communication published by the Verwaltungs-BG (VBG).