Product safety

Work equipment such as machines, electrical appliances and personal protective equipment (PPE) must be safe, ensure optimum employee protection and not put employees at risk. Safe, health-conscious work equipment is therefore a cornerstone of occupational safety and health (OSH). The German social accident insurance system has already put decades of intensive effort into ensuring that high standards are achieved in this area.

The German social accident insurance institutions for trade and industry and the public sector engage in a wide variety of activities in order to secure and efficiently expand OSH success. A broad spectrum of measures are used to identify and eliminate potential hazards at source:

• Participation in standardization processes
• Testing and certification

• Provision of consulting services to government departments;
• Research and development projects in the field of product safety;
• Provision of support to member companies and insured parties during the selection of safe, health-conscious products.