Work-related health hazards

Section VII of the German Social Code was brought into effect by the German legislature in 1996, and expands the prevention mandate of the German social accident insurance system to include the prevention of work-related health hazards. The prevention of work-related health hazards – which include all hazards to the health of an employee which may arise in connection with their work – has long been an integral element of all prevention services delivered by the German Social Accident Insurance, which also cooperate closely with health insurance institutions in the field of workplace health promotion.

A shifting spectrum of stress
Changes in the world of work (e.g. new technologies, greater flexibility and work intensification), an impending lack of skilled personnel, extended working lives and demographic trends are facing companies with new challenges. Changes in working conditions have also resulted in a new spectrum of stress. Understanding interactions between stresses, for example the influence of mental stress on other areas, presents companies with a particular challenge. In the future they will be required to create working conditions that allow their employees to remain healthy and productive until retirement age – which in turn will secure the competitiveness of the companies themselves. By teaching health-conscious behaviour to target groups from kindergarten and school age upwards, the prevention work carried out by the DGUV is already helping the children and young people of today to enter their working life with a healthy outlook.

Research
Scientific research provides i.a. the basis for skilled qualified consulting and the practical implementation of new findings. A decisive contribution to this is made by the Social Accident Insurance i.a. with these three DGUV institutes

• Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA)
• Institute for Work and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IAG) and the

• Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance (IPA)

that are scientifically very active in many areas of occupational safety and health among other tasks.