Health and safety system
Health and safety system: connect responsibilities.
Occupational medicine examines health-related pressures and the interaction between work and health. Occupational safety assesses hazards and working conditions. Organisation, clear ownership and traceable documentation bring both perspectives together.
Professional view
Occupational medicine: health in the work context
It places health-related pressures, surveillance and advice in the context of real working conditions. Personal confidentiality and operational recommendations must remain clearly separated.
Professional view
Occupational safety: hazards and protective measures
It examines tasks, equipment, surroundings and organisation, supports assessment and makes measures and effectiveness reviews manageable.
Coordination
Organisation: ownership instead of gaps
The process defines who receives information, makes decisions, implements measures, receives feedback and reviews changes.
Evidence
Documentation: work status, not just storage
Evidence should show which question was considered, which decision was made and what remains open. Documentation does not replace implementation.
Handover
Interfaces make responsibility visible
Where one discipline hands work to another role, the required information, decision owner and expected feedback need to remain clear. This creates cooperation without ambiguous gaps.
Feedback
Effectiveness closes the loop
A measure is not complete when it is commissioned. Review in day-to-day work shows whether it was implemented, achieved its intended purpose and whether new findings require adjustment.
In practice
A loop that keeps responsibility visible.
Analyse
Understand work areas, tasks and the reason for review.
Assess
Frame hazards and health interactions professionally.
Plan
Structure protective measures, advice and ownership.
Implement
Bring agreed steps into day-to-day operations.
Review
Evaluate effectiveness, work status and new findings.
Improve
Adapt the process and measures transparently where needed.
FAQ
Common questions, answered directly.
Why is a list of isolated measures not enough?
Measures lose value when the reason, ownership, implementation and effectiveness review are not connected.
Who makes decisions in the joint process?
Operational responsibility remains with the employer and assigned roles. Professional advice supports decisions but does not replace them.
Must all six steps always look the same?
No. The sequence is an organising framework. Depth and method depend on the reason and operational situation.
Source basis
Sources and further reading.
- Section 3 ArbSchG – general duties of the employer Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
- Section 5 ArbSchG – assessment of working conditions Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
- Section 6 ArbSchG – documentation Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
- Section 3 ASiG – duties of occupational physicians Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
- Section 6 ASiG – duties of occupational safety specialists Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
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