Occupational health and safety: this tool makes it easy

The legislator means well. And so occupational health and safety regulations seem to proliferate without end. It has long ceased to be merely a question of where hard hats or safety footwear must be worn. To minimise risks, virtually every aspect of work is regulated. As we said, it is well intentioned. This is precisely why many employers struggle to understand the extensive requirements of occupational health and safety: after all, they do care about occupational safety and of course do not want to expose their employees to unnecessary risks. But recording and documenting all of it? That is no fun. It still has to be done, however.

The Clarius occupational health and safety management system (AMS)

We are happy to take on this task. Clarius.Legal has developed a tool that covers every aspect of occupational safety and brings the many different tasks together. The added benefit of this occupational health and safety management system (AMS) is that we take the tedious work off companies’ hands and actively support them in preparing the documentation. For this purpose, we provide the legally required occupational safety specialist. There is nothing unusual about that in itself. Many companies appoint external specialists to this role. They are often not particularly happy with the decision, however. Sometimes all they receive are large binders full of templates for everything they might need, accompanied by the instruction: “Fill these in when you get a chance.” And that is that.

That is one way of doing it. At Clarius.Legal, we take a different approach. More individual. More precise. And we do the work ourselves. Our occupational health and safety management system comes preconfigured with rules and recommended actions; some hazards are assessed automatically. In practical terms, setting up the occupational health and safety management system can be divided into four steps:

1. We begin by reviewing the existing documents. Our AMS is modular, with different industry-specific sections. The documents are assigned to the relevant sections.

2. During an on-site inspection, we obtain an initial overview of the premises. Our audit tool enables us to record systematically the principal workplace hazards and any existing safety gaps. Our clients receive a detailed inspection report with initial recommended actions.

3. We set up a digital cloud folder (with subfolders) for our clients that covers all aspects of occupational health and safety management. We also create an upload folder into which the company places all documents relevant to occupational health and safety. We then distribute these documents to the appropriate locations.

4. After evaluating the inspection report and the documents provided, we prepare the risk assessment. It records where action is required and prioritises the hazards that should be addressed first according to the severity and likelihood of harm.

We see ourselves as the interface between advice and implementation. That is why we remain involved and use regular video-call audits to check that the to-do list is actually being completed.

When an inspection looms …

Documenting occupational safety is tedious and frustrating, which is why, to put it diplomatically, it is not always at the centre of every company’s attention. That changes very suddenly when the employers’ liability insurance association or trade supervisory authority announces an inspection. In fact, companies frequently contact us because they need help very, very quickly. No problem. Three to four weeks are enough to close the largest gaps and prepare an appropriate report. Even if everything is not yet perfect, our experience shows that inspectors are usually sympathetic when they see that the company is actively addressing occupational health and safety.

This activity must certainly not stop once the inspection is over. That is why we ensure that, even after preparing the risk assessment, we continue to provide up-to-date occupational health and safety together with our contacts at the company. Our tool also offers a range of other features that make day-to-day occupational health and safety easier:

• Digital management of personal deadlines (preventive medical examinations, first aiders, fire safety assistants, qualifications, etc.)

• Deadline management for installations and equipment subject to inspection

• Accident reporting management

• Operating instructions

• Digital hazardous substances register

• Occupational health and safety e-learning on our training platform

What does a risk assessment include?

The central element of our occupational health and safety management system is the risk assessment, which is mandatory under sections 5 and 6 of the German Occupational Safety Act (ArbSchG). For each relevant work area, we examine the extent to which the applicable requirements are met and derive recommended actions from the findings. The associated risks are evaluated in the tool using a risk matrix. The risk assessment also includes an effectiveness review: it records what needs to be checked and when, such as equipment maintenance. “To-dos” are easy to identify and highlighted in colour. At the end of the risk assessment, the required actions are summarised. Completed items can be ticked off.

As an external occupational safety specialist, we naturally also relieve our clients of other work in this area. On request, we prepare operating instructions and hazardous substances registers. We set up an employee portal containing all the information employees need on occupational health and safety matters (“What do I need to consider on a business trip?”). Clients can also use our training portal for flexible, self-paced e-learning.

Occupational health and safety vs liability issues

Neglecting employees’ occupational health and safety is by no means a minor offence. Fines, for example for failing to signpost emergency exits, may still be manageable. More serious breaches, however, can result in fines and even imprisonment. In cases of gross negligence, the company also risks facing recourse claims.

Larger companies with more than 1,000 employees now have to contend with a new law that further broadens the understanding of occupational health and safety. The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) requires companies to ensure that their suppliers also respect human rights – and occupational health and safety is central to this.

Digital occupational health and safety management systems offer numerous ways to make occupational safety more efficient and reliable. Automating and digitalising key processes reduces the burden on occupational safety specialists. It also makes it easier to comply with statutory requirements and internal policies. Companies that use such systems benefit from greater transparency, better traceability and an improved safety culture overall. Particularly for companies with multiple sites, central access to digital documents provides substantial added value and significantly improves efficiency and collaboration. Using digital hazardous substances registers also contributes to safety and compliance.

If you would like to learn more about our services, please contact us.

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