External occupational safety specialist for office businesses
An external occupational safety specialist provides the occupational safety support your business needs and satisfies the appointment duty under section 5 of the ASiG without you hiring anyone. For office businesses this is generally the cheapest route. Safety Club provides it to office and administrative businesses at a market-tested fixed price: first contact to signature five working days at most, start of on-site support within ten working days. How the hours are calculated is set out further down.
Looking for work as an occupational safety specialist yourself? This form is for businesses seeking support. Qualified specialists will find their route under Become a partner.
What an external specialist does in an office
The scope follows from section 6 of the ASiG. In an office business it comes down to six tasks:
- Risk assessment, produced and kept current, including mental stress under section 5 paragraph 3 ArbSchG.
- Walkthroughs of the workstations: screen height, lighting, traffic and escape routes, storage, electrical equipment.
- Preparing the content of safety training and keeping the records (section 12 ArbSchG).
- Advice when things change: relocation, refurbishment, new work equipment, introducing remote work.
- Participation in the occupational safety committee once it becomes mandatory above 20 employees.
- Accident investigation and deriving measures.
How a risk assessment is structured in an office business is set out in Risk assessment in the office.
| Service | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Risk assessments | section 5 and section 6 ArbSchG |
| On-site inspections | section 6 ASiG |
| Employee safety instructions | section 12 ArbSchG |
| Hazard register | section 6 GefStoffV |
| Operating instructions | section 14 GefStoffV |
| ASA meetings | section 11 ASiG, from more than 20 employees |
| First aid | section 10 ArbSchG, DGUV Regulation 1 |
| Fire safety | section 10 ArbSchG, ASR A2.2 |
| Maternity protection | section 10 MuSchG |
The three models compared
Office businesses have three options. The decision almost always comes down to the hours needed.
- Engage an external specialist. You pay only for the hours needed, the qualification and keeping it current sit with the provider, and cover is the provider's problem. For office businesses this is generally the cheapest option with the least administrative effort.
- Hire your own specialist. Only sensible once demand permanently fills at least a part-time role. At 0.5 hours per employee and year that would be a business with several hundred people. Add training costs, the duty to keep qualifications current, and the cover problem during holidays and sickness.
- The Unternehmermodell. Permitted up to 50 employees. Company management qualifies itself and brings in expertise as needed. Direct spending falls, your own time commitment rises. More in The Unternehmermodell under DGUV Regulation 2.
| Criterion | External specialist | In-house specialist | Unternehmermodell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permitted | from the first employee | from the first employee | up to 50 employees (Annex 3 DGUV Regulation 2) |
| Qualification under section 7 ASiG | with the provider, kept up to date | in-house, to be kept current | management qualifies itself |
| Hours | only the hours needed | a fixed position, worthwhile only from at least one permanent part-time post | as needed, expertise brought in |
| Cover during absence | the provider's job | to be organised yourself | not applicable |
| Own time required | low | people management | rises |
| Cost | market-tested fixed price | salary and training | direct spending falls, training time is added |
How the scope is calculated
DGUV Regulation 2 sorts businesses into three support groups. Office and administrative businesses sit in group III, the lowest level.
Basic support = employees × 0.5 hours per year
shared by specialist and physician, at least 20 percent each
Fixed hours apply above 20 employees (Annex 2); up to 20, Annex 1 applies with no fixed support hours. Business-specific support is added on top, driven by actual events. Year one also carries a higher initial effort: the first walkthrough, the first risk assessment and setting up the documentation. Your own figures come from the support-hours calculator; the cost logic is explained in What does a safety specialist cost?.
Who this applies to: what differs by sector
The duties are the same for every office business. What differs is where the risk assessment puts its focus. What that means in practice for law firms, IT, agencies, real estate, associations, financial services and other business types is set out in the overview occupational safety by sector.
Which duties apply at which size
| Employees | What is added |
|---|---|
| from 1 | Risk assessment, safety training, first-aid organisation, appointing a specialist and a physician |
| above 20 | Occupational safety committee, meeting every calendar quarter (section 11 ASiG) |
| from 50 | Safety officers (section 22 SGB VII, since 29 May 2026) |
| more than 50 | Standard support with a formally appointed specialist; the Unternehmermodell ends |
The duties quick-check shows what applies to you. Where we work on site is listed under regions, and the full scope under services.
How to recognise a sound quote
- Is the support group stated, and is it group III? Placing an office business in group II means three times the hours.
- Are basic support and business-specific support shown separately?
- Is it settled who owns the documentation and whether you can take it with you if you change provider?
- Is the occupational physician covered, or to be engaged separately?
How differently the market calculates is shown in the market study on occupational safety costs: hourly rates, flat fees and package models of over 200 providers, normalised per employee and year.
More on the external occupational safety specialist
- What does a safety specialist cost in an office?
- Choosing a safety specialist: 7 criteria
- Unhappy with your safety specialist: 5 reasons
- Appointing an occupational safety specialist
- Does an office need an occupational safety specialist?
- 5 safety support models compared
- Unternehmermodell: safety under DGUV Regulation 2
- Competence centre model: support up to 20 employees
- Calculating support hours under DGUV Regulation 2
- Support group and WZ code under DGUV Regulation 2
- The occupational physician in the office: when required?
- 6 hidden costs of office safety
- Sector focus, not a catch-all: 3 reasons
- Safety inspection walk: what the specialist checks
- Occupational safety service contract: what to include
Frequently asked questions
What does an external occupational safety specialist cost?
The cost is the support hours multiplied by the hourly rate. For office businesses in support group III that is 0.5 hours of basic support per employee and year, shared between the specialist and the occupational physician. Business-specific support and the higher initial effort in year one come on top.
Is an external specialist cheaper than hiring one?
For office businesses, almost always. At 25 employees, roughly 12.5 hours of basic support per year stand against a full-time position. Hiring only pays off once demand permanently fills at least a part-time role.
From when do I need a specialist at all?
From the first employee. The Occupational Safety Act has no lower threshold. Only the form differs: up to 50 employees the Unternehmermodell is permitted, with more than 50 employees standard support with a formally appointed specialist.
How quickly can support start?
First contact to signature: five working days at most. On-site support starts within ten working days with the first walkthrough and the risk assessment.
What belongs in the contract?
The support group applied, basic support and business-specific support shown separately, the initial effort of year one, which services are included, and who owns the documentation and whether you can take it with you if you change provider.
What is occupational safety support (sicherheitstechnische Betreuung)?
The legal term for support by an occupational safety specialist under the ASiG and DGUV Regulation 2: advice, walkthroughs, input to the risk assessment and help with safety training. Together with occupational medical support it is mandatory for every business with employees.
Does the specialist replace the occupational physician?
No. These are two separate obligations under sections 2 and 5 of the ASiG. Since the revision of DGUV Regulation 2, a minimum share of the support hours must fall to each side.
Is an external safety officer the same as an external occupational safety specialist?
Yes. Safety officer, SiFa and occupational safety specialist describe the same role; the legal term is Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit (section 5 ASiG). External only means the specialist is appointed through a service provider instead of being employed. The duties and the support hours under DGUV Regulation 2 are the same either way.
How do I recognise a good occupational safety service provider?
By four points: the specialist meets the requirements of section 7 ASiG and comes to your premises in person. Basic support and business-specific support are shown separately in the quote. The documentation belongs to you and can be taken along if you switch. And you have one fixed point of contact instead of changing people.
Worry-free occupational safety in 4 steps
A simple path from the first conversation to audit-proof documentation.
Free initial consultation
We set out what the law requires, what you don't need and what we deliver. Clarity from day one.
Contract signed
One contract, market-tested fixed price, booked directly with us. First contact to signature: five working days at most.
Start of on-site support
Your specialist visits for the walkthrough, produces the risk assessment and checks: what is there, what is missing?
Audit-proof documentation in the portal
Every record sits in the client portal: digital, complete, current, easy to share.
Talk to us.
