Who consults and supports?

Risk assessments require expertise regarding the procedures in the company, the hazard factors, and the protective measures. Internal and/or external experts may support you.

Internal

Within your company, you may involve competent persons in the risk assessment. It is recommendable to form a project team planning and performing the risk assessment, the team consisting of

• the occupational safety and health practitioner,
• the company doctor,
• the competent line manager in each case,
• the works council,
• the safety officer and the officer for quality/environmental management and, if required
• additional specialists, such as the radiation protection officer, officers for biological safety, or the main welding engineer.

This group may coordinate planning, concept design, method selection, performance, and measure implementation.

External

You may engage external qualified employees from safety-related and occupational medical services. For example, they will consult you – and/or the executive personnel within your company – by

• making suggestions regarding the methodological approach,
• providing information on risk evaluation criteria,
• determining causes for accidents and work-related health hazards with the help of on-site visits, inspections, and reviews,
• making suggestions for protective measures.

Within the framework of this consulting activity, the priority for the company doctor are the medical aspects and for the occupational health and safety practitioner the technical aspects of occupational health and safety so that comprehensive consultation of the employer is only guaranteed by their collaboration. The requirements for this person are described in § 4 and § 7 in the Occupational Safety Act.

Please note: Companies offering services in a topic-related manner and capable of supporting you regarding the performance of the risk assessment can be found here.

When deploying external qualified employees, you should make sure that competent internal personnel and the employees concerned are involved. The persons concerned can assess best which hazards occur at their workstation.

Should you have any questions regarding the performance of the risk assessment, you may also contact the

• official health and safety authorities,
• competent accident insurers,
• Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
• chambers of industry and commerce,
• chambers of trade, and
• the technology consulting centres of the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB)

for consultation.

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