That something like this had to happen in his department of all places! Werner Meyer had paid close attention during the instruction on occupational safety. So he knew what was important. That's why he had strictly forbidden his secretary to continue using her swivel chair as a stepladder. Unfortunately, the woman didn't listen to him. When she went to get a folder from the top shelf of the filing cabinet, she climbed back onto her office chair - and now she's in the hospital with a compound leg fracture.

Sources of danger in the office make occupational safety an important issue

One hundred percent safety never exists. Offices are among the safest workplaces in Germany. Nevertheless, accidents happen in offices every day. Even if fewer sources of danger lurk between the desk and the copier than on a construction site or in a factory, the topic of occupational safety plays a major role in the office.

A defective kettle causes a fire. Employees trip over cables lying around. The secretary gets an electric shock while handling the printer. Or he falls off his chair. Despite all the precautions taken, it is not always possible to avoid accidents at work.

Legal basis regulates the design of occupational health and safety

There is, of course, a legal basis for occupational safety. For example, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Occupational Safety Act, the Industrial Safety Ordinance and the Workplace Ordinance apply in this area. In addition, requirements of the DGUV, the German Social Accident Insurance, apply. Two central regulations in this context are DGUV Regulation 1 ("Principles of Prevention") and DGUV Regulation 2 ("Company Physicians and Specialists for Occupational Safety").

There are legal consequences if occupational safety is ignored

Managers must also be familiar with the legal principles of occupational safety. They are authorized to issue instructions to their employees. This also entails legal obligations regarding occupational health and safety. If managers fail to comply with this obligation, they may face legal consequences. Both intentional and negligent breaches of duty are punishable. Although occupational health and safety law itself contains only a few legal consequences, there are also provisions from other areas of law, such as criminal law. For this reason, responsible persons can be prosecuted with fines or imprisonment if negligent bodily injury occurs. Under regulatory offence law, state supervisory authorities can impose fines of up to 25,000 euros. Consequences under labor law are also possible, such as a warning or even termination.

Instruction in occupational health and safety: Managers have a responsibility

For this reason, managers must ensure that potential hazards in their area of responsibility are identified and eliminated. However, this also entails an obligation to instruct employees in occupational health and safety. The e-learning course "Occupational Safety in the Office" from Security Island shows how to successfully instruct employees on the subject of occupational safety.

The online course covers the most important basics of occupational health and safety. The e-learning shows those responsible what their duties are. It also helps to make employees aware of various hazards in different job situations. Since the e-learning course also includes various practical examples with interactive elements, the online instruction "Occupational Safety and Health" is as entertaining as it is effective.

Sharpening the focus: Instruction on occupational safety of great importance

The participants recognize how important it is to avoid risks and to act prudently in an emergency. Only those who recognize potential hazards in good time can deal with them. This is an ongoing process. The general conditions on the job are constantly changing, and everyone has to react to this all the time. If, for example, an employee experiences changes in his or her area of responsibility, his or her awareness of the challenges of the new situation must be sharpened. This is why occupational health and safety training is so important. In this regard, online instruction is a convenient way for companies to fulfill one of their basic obligations in the area of occupational safety and health - the regular instruction of employees.

New challenges: Corona and occupational safety

The topic of "occupational health and safety in the office" is very multifaceted. It even happens that companies are faced with challenges they probably never expected. This was evident in 2020, when companies suddenly had to protect their employees from an invisible danger: The corona pandemic fundamentally changed much of the working world. The German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), therefore drew up uniform and binding occupational safety standards for the whole of Germany. They are also part of Security Island's e-learning "Occupational Safety in the Office" and are covered in more depth in the e-learning "Working in the Pandemic".

During the pandemic, working in the so-called home office took on a new significance. To avoid infection with the coronavirus, people should keep their distance - and the best way to do that in the office is to avoid entering it in the first place and work from home. Since March 2020, countless employees have set up a permanent workplace within their own four walls. Just as in the office, all occupational health and safety regulations apply there. This is also shown by Security Island's e-learning on the topic of "Occupational safety in the office".

In the home office, the requirements of occupational health and safety apply.

At the beginning of the pandemic, many companies were simply not prepared to allow their employees to work in a home office within a very short time. So they improvised. Millions of people were suddenly sitting at their kitchen tables at home with laptops and webcams. The important topic of "ergonomics at the workplace" was initially of secondary importance. When it became foreseeable that working in a home office would become a permanent condition, that changed.

The ergonomic setup of a workstation includes the optimal position of chair, monitor, keyboard and mouse. Templates for occupational safety instruction should address this. After all, it is often comparatively simple measures that make work enormously easier. The correct adjustment of the office chair prevents back pain, the ideal alignment of the computer monitor is easy on the eyes. The e-learning "Occupational safety in the office" from Security Island therefore also includes an overview of the most important "do's and don'ts" for healthy working at the desk.

E-Learning "Occupational safety at the workplace": Recognizing and avoiding dangers

It turns out that not only classic accidents such as falling from an office chair are a potential danger at the workplace. Low-movement work at the computer screen also harbors risks. Anyone who decides to complete Security Island's e-learning "Occupational Safety at the Workplace" is shown possible sources of danger - and learns how to protect themselves from them. This benefits not only the individual employee, but the entire company.