Safety Officers Safety Officers
Safety officers at Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University Hospital
Are you interested in occupational safety issues in addition to your normal duties? Do you notice risks that your team members don't seem to see? Would you like to do something to improve safety in the workplace? Can you imagine becoming a safety officer? Do you want to support your team, or have you already been appointed as a safety officer but have not yet received any information or training? Would you like to know exactly what your tasks, rights, and obligations are? Then you've come to the right place.
Training for safety officers
Safety officers need a basic knowledge of various occupational safety issues in order to perform their duties. To impart this knowledge, the Occupational Safety Department, in cooperation with the Baden-Württemberg Accident Insurance Fund, offers a one-day training event (divided into two thematic blocks):
Block I: Legal framework
- Who is responsible for organizing occupational safety in the workplace?
- Which parties bear which responsibilities?
- What are the tasks, rights, and obligations of safety officers?
Block II: Practical implementation
- Setting an example for team members
- Important contacts and sources of information
- Identifying and eliminating hazards
Dates for the next training courses for safety officers can be found in our event calendar.
Questions and answers on the topic of safety officers
The task of safety officers is to support entrepreneurs and managers in complying with legal requirements for occupational safety. For preliminary information, please find here a leaflet on the tasks and responsibilities of safety officers.
What legal requirements apply to the appointment of a safety officer?
The requirements for appointing safety officers are described in more detail in DGUV Regulation 1, Section 20 “Principles of Prevention” and in DGUV Rule 100-001, 4.2 “Fundamentals of Prevention.” Details can also be found in the current DGUV Information 211-042 “Safety Officers.”
What additional responsibility do I have as a safety officer?
Unlike other officers in the company, e.g., radiation protection officers or environmental protection officers, safety officers do not have more responsibility for occupational safety than all other employees.
This means that they do not incur any additional liability risk and therefore safety officers cannot issue instructions or exercise supervision. Safety officers do not perform their duties in the company on a full-time basis, but on a voluntary basis alongside their actual duties.
How many safety officers must a manager appoint?
- The number of safety officers required may vary from area to area. Criteria for determining the number of safety officers include:
- Accident and health hazards existing in the company
- Proximity of the responsible safety officers to the employees
- Proximity of the responsible safety officers to the employees in terms of time
- Professional proximity of the responsible safety officers to the employees
- Number of employees
What do I need to consider as a manager when appointing safety officers?
Safety officers are an important link between managers, employees, and the safety department. The appointment of safety officers must also be confirmed by the staff council. Therefore, there are a few important points to consider:
- Safety officers should not be managers themselves and should not have budgetary responsibility.
They should be able to advise independently in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
- Safety officers should have permanent employment contracts.
Constant changes in the persons responsible for safety issues should be avoided. In justified individual cases, persons in fixed-term employment may also become safety officers if it is foreseeable that the person will continue to be employed in the long term, or if there are simply no permanent contracts available at the location. Students, student assistants, and trainees are not suitable as safety officers due to their short period of employment.
What is the TOP principle and where can safety officers apply it?
TOP stands for Technical, Organizational, Personal, and describes the legally prescribed sequence of preventive measures in occupational safety.
According to the TOP principle, in the example of “noise pollution,” technical solutions, such as enclosing noisy machines, must be examined first. If such solutions cannot be implemented, step 2 involves examining organizational measures, such as limiting the time employees spend in noisy areas. Only if no organizational solutions can be found can hearing protection be used as a personal measure.
What is the ASA?
The Occupational Safety and Health Committee (ASA) is responsible for advising on occupational safety and accident prevention issues. It is composed of employers and representatives, works council members, company doctors, occupational safety specialists, and safety officers. The Occupational Safety and Health Committee meets at least once every quarter of the year.
Further information can also be found in the DGUV FAQ.
Open information event for security officers
For all employees who want to help make their workplace safer and learn more about the role of safety officers, the Occupational Safety Department offers an open information event where the most important questions on this topic are answered. This event takes place monthly, and together with you, we will clarify, among other things
- What are the duties of safety officers?
- How much effort is required for this activity?
- Where do safety officers get their information?
- Are safety officers personally liable for their advice?
- Can I become a safety officer if I am not fluent in german?
Location:
Occupational Safety Department
Im Neuenheimer Feld 325, Room 29 (ground floor)
Time:
By appointment
To make an appointment, please contact your safety officer or our office by phone at (54) 12331 or by email at sicherheit@zuv.uni-heidelberg.de. You are also welcome to book an appointment for a digital consultation.