Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is the key element in workplace occupational safety and health (OSH) provision. It forms the basis for successful, systematic safety and health management.

A woman and a man with a laptop carry out a risk assessment in a warehouse
© iStock | AnnaStills

Since 1996 the German Occupational Safety and Health Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz, ArbSchG) has placed a duty on all employers to conduct assessments of working conditions and the risks associated with them in order to identify the measures necessary for the protection of their employees.

These pages supply information about the factors that have to be taken into consideration in risk assessments, as well as offering practical guidance.

BAuA makes the online version of its Handbook on Risk Assessment (Handbuch Gefährdungsbeurteilung) available free of charge. A Key Indicator Method developed at BAuA can also be used for the risk assessment of physical workload.

Research Projects

Project numberF 2498 StatusOngoing Project Consideration of psychosocial risks in Occupational Safety and Health. Fundamental revision of the BAuA specialist book

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Research ongoing

Project numberF 2483 StatusCompleted Project Simplified risk assessment of incoherent high-power spotlights

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Research completed

Project numberF 2399 StatusOngoing Project Project cluster: Physical inactivity in the workplace - etiology, risk assessment & prevention, Project 1a Scoping review; Project 1b Systematic review

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Research ongoing

Project numberF 2391 StatusCompleted Project Interactive guidance for the measurement of physical agents within the scope of risk assessment

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Research completed

Project numberF 2358 StatusCompleted Project Psychosocial risk management in company practice

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Research completed

Project numberF 2339 StatusCompleted Project Psychosocial risk management in the EU: Context, strategies and implementation at establishment level - a comparative European study

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Research completed

Publications

Search results

Decent Ward Organisation - A Guide for Nursing Teams in Hospitals

baua: Guidance 2024

More and more people have to cared for by professional nurses every day. Thus, nursing work is an essential cornerstone of our …

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Exertion of Whole-body Forces

baua: Guidance 2024

The exertion of whole-body forces is a type of physical workload that occurs in many sectors and jobs. For example, sometimes …

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Manual Pushing and Pulling of Loads

baua: Guidance 2024

The manual pushing and pulling of loads is a type of physical workload commonly experienced by workers. Usually, especially when …

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Prevalence and conditions of workplace measures to deal with bullying in Germany

Article 2024

Background: Bullying in the workplace is considered a significant risk factor for the health of affected employees. The …

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Proposal and practicality of an alternative blue-light hazard risk assessment method for high-intensity white-light sources at workplaces

Article 2024

Objectives: It is prescribed to determine blue-light hazard (BLH) weighted radiances, LB, for an assessment of spotlights with …

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Relationship between occupational health and safety organization and risk assessment

Article 2024

Using data of the German subsample of the European survey of enterprises on new and emerging risks (ESENER) 2014 and 2019, this …

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Awkward Body Postures

baua: Guidance 2023

Awkward work-related body postures still constitute an important, frequently occurring type of physical workload in daily …

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Coarse Screening of Physical Stress

Article 2023

The complete article can be purchased in German at the website of the Journal "Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin", …

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Consideration of mental stress in occupational medical practice

Article 2023

Background: Occupational health physicians have the task of advising and supporting employers in the assessment of working …

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Consideration of psychosocial factors in risk assessment

Cooperation 2023

The German Occupational Safety and Health Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz) requires employers to design work in such a way that …

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