Occupational safety specialist for offices in Berlin and eastern Germany
Safety Club supports office and administrative businesses in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with an occupational safety specialist on site. The duties are the same everywhere, the responsible bodies are not: six states with six occupational safety authorities and four VBG district offices.
Safety Club provides the external occupational safety specialist for office businesses in Berlin and eastern Germany: one contract, a specialist from the network on site and audit-proof documentation in the client portal.
- Berlin
- Leipzig
- Dresden
- Chemnitz
- Potsdam
- Halle (Saale)
- Magdeburg
- Erfurt
- Rostock
- Jena
- and more
Who is responsible in which state
Alongside the employers' liability insurance association, a state occupational safety authority supervises businesses in every state. Which VBG district office is responsible is decided by the postcode of your site, not by the state.
| State | State occupational safety authority | VBG district office for |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin | Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Gesundheitsschutz und technische Sicherheit (LAGetSi) | Berlin: Berlin district office |
| Brandenburg | Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Verbraucherschutz und Gesundheit (LAVG), occupational safety department in Potsdam | Potsdam: Berlin district office |
| Saxony | Landesdirektion Sachsen, occupational safety department | Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz: Dresden district office |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz Sachsen-Anhalt, occupational safety division | Halle (Saale), Magdeburg: Erfurt district office |
| Thuringia | Thüringer Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz, occupational safety department | Erfurt, Jena: Erfurt district office |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales, department of occupational safety and technical safety | Rostock: Hamburg district office |
Both work independently of each other and may inspect businesses. The state authority supervises state law such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Workplaces Ordinance and the Working Hours Act; the employers' liability insurance association supervises its accident prevention regulations such as DGUV Regulation 2. What to do when a letter arrives is covered in A letter from the Berufsgenossenschaft: what to do now.
What typically matters for offices in Berlin
Startups and agencies grow fast and regularly miss the threshold of more than 20 employees. From then on an occupational safety committee has to be set up, meeting once per calendar quarter. How a meeting runs is set out in ASA meeting: participants, agenda and minutes.
Many teams work in English. Safety training only does its job if everyone understands it, which in international teams often means English. Whether it may run online is covered in Online safety training and home office.
Associations and organisations close to politics and public administration often work with changing project staff and volunteers. The training duty applies regardless of how long someone is employed.
Businesses in a coworking space remain responsible for the risk assessment of their own employees. Escape routes, first aid and fire safety have to be coordinated with the operator, because several employers work at the same location (section 8 ArbSchG).
Several sites in the region
An office in Berlin and one in Leipzig means two district offices and two state authorities. The risk assessment is produced per site, because premises and routes differ. Contract and point of contact stay the same, and each walkthrough is handled by a specialist close to the site.
Related
- External occupational safety specialist: Scope of services, the three support models and how the hours are calculated.
- Occupational safety for software and tech: What counts in the risk assessment of software companies.
- Occupational safety for advertising and creative agencies: Project peaks, freelancers in the team and open-plan offices.
- Occupational safety for associations and clubs: Volunteers, project staff and events.
- Duties quick-check: Which duties apply at your headcount.
Legal basis
- Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG)
- DGUV Regulation 2 (occupational physicians and safety specialists)
Frequently asked questions
Which authority supervises occupational safety in Berlin?
The Landesamt für Arbeitsschutz, Gesundheitsschutz und technische Sicherheit (LAGetSi). It inspects workplaces, checks compliance with working-hours rules among other things, and works independently of the employers' liability insurance association.
Is the VBG's Berlin district office also responsible for Potsdam?
Yes, Potsdam is covered by the Berlin district office. For other places in Brandenburg the postcode decides; the VBG states the responsible office through its location search.
We are a Berlin startup with 25 employees. What applies to us?
Above 20 employees, the occupational safety committee with one meeting per quarter is added to the risk assessment, safety training and first-aid organisation. Up to 50 employees the Unternehmermodell is still permitted; from 50, safety officers are added.
Other regions
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.
