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Redraft of the Decree on Operational Safety (BetrSichV) and amendments to the Decree on Dangerous Substances (GefStoffV) [DE]

Published on 23/02/2015

#Health & Safety

A quick summary of the article

The decree “on the reorganisation of occupational health and safety requirements for the use of work equipement and hazardous substances”…

The decree “on the reorganisation of occupational health and safety requirements for the use of work equipement and hazardous substances” of 3 February 2015 (“Verordnung zur Neuregelung der Anforderungen an den Arbeitsschutz bei der Verwendung von Arbeitsmitteln und Gefahrstoffen“) was notified on February 6, 2015 through publication in the Federal Law Gazette ‘Bundesgesetzblatt’.

Reorganisation of occupational health and safety requirements

Article 1 contains a redraft of the Decree on Operational Safety (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung – BetrSichV) which will replace the version of 27 September 2002, as amended.
Article 2 contains amendments of the decree on dangerous substances (Gefahrstoffverordnung – GefStoffV) of 26 November 2010. The introduced text and amendments enter into effect on 1 June 2015.

Enhance protection for workers and third parties

The redraft of the BetrSichV, modified both in approach and in structure, aims to enhance protection for employees using work equipment and the protection of third parties from dangers induced by installations requiring special monitoring (Überwachungsbedüftige Anlagen).It also aims to facilitate the application of the Decree, that is the research of applicable requirements.

New requirements related to work equipment & ergonomic impact

The redraft takes into account accident black spots in the context of using work equipment (maintenance, special operating conditions, operational malfunction, interference). It further integrates requirements concerning the ergonomic impact of the use of work equipment, psychological (stress) effects and age-appropriate design. Furthermore it eliminates provisions which are redundant regarding documentation and review obligations, e.g. with respect to the contents of the Decree on Dangerous Substances, GefStoffV, or with the new federal regulation on water protection (Bundesanlagenverordnung- AwSV) in the making. General requirements applicable to all work equipment are regrouped at the beginning of the redrafted BetrSichV, while the annexes contain details for specific equipment. The requisites for the safe use of work equipment are formulated as protection targets, thus more flexible in application. Sources : Verordnung zur Neuregelung der Anforderungen an den Arbeitsschutz bei der Verwendung von Arbeitsmitteln und Gefahrstoffen vom 3. Februar 2015 [download id=”1161″ template=”Verordnung zur Neuregelung der Anforderungen an den Arbeitsschutz bei der Verwendung von Arbeitsmitteln und Gefahrstoffen vom 3. Februar 2015″] Bekanntmachung des BMAS vom 7. Januar 2015

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Redraft of the Decree on Operational Safety (BetrSichV) and amendments to the Decree on Dangerous Substances (GefStoffV) [DE]

Reorganisation of occupational health and safety requirements

Enhance protection for workers and third parties

New requirements related to work equipment & ergonomic impact

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