A major overhaul of Germany’s occupational safety regulations, effective since January 2026, is reshaping who can deliver workplace health services—and how they do it. The reformed DGUV Vorschrift 2 (DGUV Regulation 2) broadens the pool of professionals eligible to serve as safety experts while allowing up to half of required consultations to happen remotely.
The reform raises the threshold for simplified occupational safety support from 10 to 20 employees. That change means more small businesses can skip full-service requirements and opt for streamlined procedures. The same cut-off applies to a new alternative model: smaller firms with up to 20 staff can now rely on “competence centres” for needs-based care rather than hiring in-house experts.
Digital consultations capped—but not banned
Remote work gets a formal role in prevention. Companies can now complete up to one-third of mandatory safety hours via phone or video conference. The catch: safety professionals must have already visited the site in person to know the conditions. In justified exceptions—like extreme travel distances—the digital share can rise to half.
The rules open the profession of Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit (occupational safety specialist) to a wider academic background. Besides engineers, the role now accepts physicists, chemists, biologists, doctors, ergonomics specialists, and work psychologists. Regulators say the shift reflects growing complexity in prevention—especially mental strain and workplace ergonomics.
Quality oversight tightens too. Company doctors and safety specialists must now document their continuing education credits. For electrical equipment inspections under TRBS 1203, a training cycle of roughly three years has become standard practice.
Associations unite to tackle looming staff shortages
On 11 June 2026, leading organisations in occupational safety and medicine—among them the VDSI (German Association for Safety and Health at Work) and the DGAUM (German Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine)—signed a joint declaration in Berlin. The event marked the VDSI’s 75th anniversary. Signatories pledged closer interdisciplinary cooperation to deal with demographic change, AI’s impact, and a persistent shortage of qualified personnel.
Despite a temporary easing due to economic weakness, the staffing crisis remains acute. According to KfW Research data from the second quarter of 2026, roughly 21% of German companies feel constrained by a lack of workers. Pressure stays highest in services and main construction trades. Analysts predict that as the economy recovers, the shortage will worsen sharply.
New tech and a new European safety standard
Integration of digital tools into workplace safety is accelerating. In mid-June 2027, craft-sector solutions were presented that use AI for time tracking and knowledge management. Conferences now routinely explore how artificial intelligence can relieve overstretched teams.
Alongside these changes, a new European standard—DIN EN 17975—establishes a uniform Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) procedure across the EU. It provides companies with a framework for controlling hazardous energies—electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and thermal—during maintenance. Businesses must now align their internal processes and documentation with this standard.
