Occupational safety and standards

Rules that protect. Solutions that support. People who matter.

Ergonomics anchored in statutory occupational health and safety

Work must not harm employees' health. On the contrary, workplaces should help preserve it. Various laws have been introduced in Germany with the aim of preventing accidents at work and illnesses and making work more humane. First and foremost is the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Additional regulations and directives specifically govern the ergonomic design of workplaces, including the use of lifting aids and technical equipment. These measures ensure that work remains not only productive, but also back-friendly and sustainable.

Legal requirements for ergonomically designed workstations

Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG)

According to Section 5 ArbSchG, employers are obliged to assess hazards in the workplace. The Load Handling Ordinance applies to the lifting, carrying or moving of heavy loads.

Workplace Ordinance

Employers should create workplaces that promote safety and health so that they effectively protect their employees from accidents and health risks.

Industrial Safety Ordinance

To keep the body safe and make work easier, employers are obliged to use work equipment safely and ergonomically. DIN EN ISO 9241 provides practical guidelines on how workplaces can be designed to promote health.

DGUV regulations

The German Social Accident Insurance supports companies in making their workplaces safe. With practical checklists, you can identify risks at an early stage and protect your employees effectively.

Occupational health and safety laws are the foundation for protecting the health of every individual. Those who comply with them are not only investing in legal certainty, but also in a company's most important asset - its employees. Ergonomic solutions turn this foundation into lived reality.

∼ Sven Kummer, Occupational Safety, J. Schmalz GmbH

Individual factors determine the load that can be carried

How much load an individual can carry depends on individual factors such as age, gender and physical condition. The Load Handling Ordinance (LasthandhabV) obliges employers to check manual load handling for safety and health and to assess hazards. No fixed guide values are specified for the portable load. As a result, guide values have been developed, for example in the so-called Hettinger table:

Activity	Gender	Age in years	Reasonable load in kg depending on the frequency per shift
			occasionally < 5%	frequently > 10%
Lifting/carrying	Men	15 - 18	35 kg	20 kg
		19 - 45	55 kg	30 kg
		> 45	45 kg	25 kg
	Women	15 - 18	15 kg	10 kg
		19 - 45	15 kg	10 kg
		> 45	15 kg	10 kg

Prevention is better than aftercare

Occupational health and safety is essential in order to avoid health complaints among employees and to maintain performance. At the same time, occupational health and safety places great emphasis on prevention: in addition to accident prevention measures, ergonomic measures are also mandatory. In contrast to accidents, which cause immediate damage to the body, one-sided strain, improperly performed movements or monotonous activities as well as overloading often lead to gradual damage to health. Ergonomics is therefore a central component of preventive occupational health and safety and should not be neglected in everyday working life.

The STOP principle shows how prevention can be implemented in a structured way. The vacuum lifters from Schmalz fall under the technical measures of the STOP principle. They make lifting heavy loads easier and reduce physical strain, effectively preventing musculoskeletal injuries. As technical solutions, they sustainably improve occupational safety without having to rely on behavioural changes or organizational adaptations.

The guide to prevention - the STOP principle

Substitution

Hazardous processes should be replaced (substituted) by non-hazardous ones wherever possible. Hazards may be completely eliminated.

Technical measures

If substitution is not possible, technical measures should be examined and implemented as a secondary priority. The technical aid should minimize the burden on people.

Organizational measures

With this measure, the employer is obliged to implement organizational protective measures such as barriers in hazardous areas.

Personal measures

If these measures are not sufficient, personal protective measures such as wearing protective clothing come into play. However, the latter are often dependent on willpower and are not as effective as technical protective measures.

Full backing for every challenge

Vacuum lifters help companies fulfill their duty of care under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Our vacuum lifting devices comply with current safety standards and guidelines, and in many cases even exceed them. A clear color and symbol language, intuitive operating concepts and audible warning signals prevent operating errors. Because a genuine safety culture is evident where it matters most: directly at the workplace.

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