Occupational medicine service providers in the DACH region: selection grid for appointing company doctors

The appointment of a company doctor is a mandatory obligation on the part of the employer in Germany according to Section 2 of the Occupational Safety Act (ASiG), in Austria according to Section 79 of the Employee Protection Act (ASchG) and in Switzerland according to Article 11a ArGV 3 and the ASA obligation to be involved. In addition, there is the DGUV regulation 2, the ArbMedVV with the appendixes for compulsory, offered and desired preventive care as well as country-specific rules for small businesses.

The market for occupational health service providers in the DACH region is heterogeneous, from individual practices to regional associations to group providers with hundreds of doctors. This article provides a 14-point selection grid for a comparable tender, explains the legal differences between the three countries and shows how CIVAC, as a compliance platform and officer-as-a-service, manages the order, reporting line and documentation in one workspace. Licence the workspace for your internal representatives, or have our representatives order it.

Compulsory occupational health care is divided into three parts in the DACH region. In Germany, Section 2 ASiG obliges every employer to appoint a company doctor, supplemented by DGUV Regulation 2 with specific operating times per industry and number of employees. The ArbMedVV distinguishes between compulsory, offered and desired preventive care, each with its own triggers.

In Austria, Section 79 ASchG anchors the ASA meetings and the obligation to involve occupational health professionals, specified by the AM-VO with minimum working hours per employee category. Switzerland regulates occupational medicine in Article 11a ArGV 3 with the obligation to include ASA from certain risk levels, plus EKAS guideline 6508.

Anyone who advertises DACH-wide must reflect these differences in a matrix. A provider who only knows German law will fail in Vienna or Zurich because of the local reporting channels. A Swiss provider with an EKAS routine does not necessarily know the German ArbMedVV compulsory provision in the necessary depth.

The most common misconception: "DACH provider" on the website does not mean that all three legal areas are operationally covered. Many providers have a focus in one country and subcontractors in the others. This is not inadmissible, but it is relevant to the audit.

A proper tender therefore requires a separate column for each of the three countries with the legal basis, operating times, precautionary systems and reporting requirements. The appointment certificate, signed, filed, verifiable. An overview of the DACH roles can be found at civac.de/roles/betriebsarzt.

Without this structuring, the comparison becomes arbitrary and does not provide a reliable basis for choosing a provider in the audit. The supervisor doesn't want to see the cheapest price, but rather the methodical selection.

The minimum operating times are the hard lower limit of any occupational health care and the first comparison criterion. In Germany, DGUV regulation 2 defines basic care and company-specific care according to industry and number of employees. For companies in care group I (high risk), between 0.6 and 1.2 hours per employee per year apply, group II between 0.3 and 0.5 hours.

Austria follows the AM-VO with minimum working hours per employee category: 1.2 hours per employee per year for computer workstations in the low risk category, 1.5 hours for jobs at risk. The calculation takes into account both the prevention time and the investigation time separately.

Switzerland follows the EKAS guideline 6508 with ASA minimum requirements per industry and differentiated according to particular risk. The obligation to provide assistance applies above defined thresholds, for example when dealing with carcinogenic substances or noise above 85 dB(A).

A common mistake in tenders: flat-rate offers without reference to the actual number of employees and risk situation. Anyone who reports 1,200 euros per year for occupational health care for a company with 80 employees in metal processing is mathematically over 60 percent less than the DGUV 2 minimum deployment time.

The clean solution: In the tender, the deployment time per employee and year is explicitly required, separated into basic care and company-specific care. Providers provide hourly numbers, not flat rates. The auditor calls, the evidence is ready.

CIVAC stores this calculation in the workspace configuration. The Facts page openly documents the calculation model.

According to ArbMedVV, occupational health care in Germany is divided into three categories, and a good service provider can handle all three. Compulsory precautions according to Annex Part 1 are a prerequisite for starting work. It applies to activities involving carcinogenic hazardous substances, biological agents in risk groups 2-4, noise above 85 dB(A) and 22 other triggers.

Provision of care in accordance with Annex Part 2 must be actively offered by the employer, but the employee can refuse it. It includes activities with noise between 80 and 85 dB(A), computer work, vibration and more than 20 other triggers.

The employee can request preventive care in accordance with Section 11 ArbSchG regardless of the reason, provided that a health risk cannot be ruled out. It is often forgotten, but is relevant to audits because the employee must be demonstrably informed about his rights.

In Austria, the VGÜ 2014 applies with suitability and follow-up examinations, and in Switzerland the VUV with suitability examinations for high-risk workplaces applies. The logic is similar, the triggers are different.

A service provider must cover all three German categories plus the Austrian and Swiss counterparts in the standard procedure. A file with the precautions taken, the consultation results and the recommendations must be kept in an audit-proof manner, with a retention period of 40 years for carcinogenic substances.

Anyone who keeps the file in Excel will fail in the first audit. CIVAC ties the preventative care file directly to the role of the company doctor in the workspace, including reminder routines for follow-up preventive care.

A reliable tender for occupational health service providers in the DACH region evaluates 14 standardised criteria. Firstly, the minimum working time per employee and year, broken down into basic support and company-specific support. Secondly, the approval of the doctors employed with a specialist in occupational medicine or an additional qualification in occupational medicine in accordance with the model further training regulations.

Thirdly, the geographical coverage with details of the locations and travel times in the event of an emergency. Fourth, the languages ​​of the studies, including English for international collaborators. Fifthly, the replacement regulation in the event of vacation, illness and departure of the appointed doctor with guaranteed attendance time.

Sixthly, the appointment certificate with a clear legal basis, signature routine and audit-proof versioning. Seventhly, the reporting system with an annual activity report to the management and documented information based on the model of Section 38 Paragraph 3 BDSG. Eighthly, ASA meeting participation in accordance with Section 11 ASiG and Section 88 ASchG with minimum frequency and recorded documentation.

Ninth, the interface to safety specialists and hygiene officers. Tenthly, the data protection compliance of the pension index according to Art. 9 GDPR and Section 26 BDSG. Eleventh, the audit cockpit with read-only access for external auditors. Twelfth, the training courses for first aid personnel and managers.

Thirteenth, the inspection frequency with documented protocols for each workplace type. Fourteenth, the exit clause with defined data export formats and maximum handover period when changing providers.

A provider that does not fully meet more than three criteria is removed from the shortlist. Audit-proof, documented, § 2 ASiG-proof. CIVAC integrates a template of the grid into the Workspace template catalogue.

The DACH market for occupational health service providers is divided into three types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Individual practices with one to three doctors typically provide regional and personal care, but do not offer comprehensive coverage and no DACH-wide reporting. They can be a sensible choice for companies with a single location and fewer than 200 employees.

Regional associations with 5 to 30 doctors at several locations usually cover a federal state or region. They have standard templates, common reporting and representation regulations, but rarely have cross-border DACH structures. Often the most efficient choice for medium-sized companies with 200 to 1,500 employees at two to five locations.

Group providers such as B·A·D, ias Group, IAS Switzerland or the Austrian counterparts offer comprehensive DACH coverage with hundreds of doctors, uniform reporting and 24-hour availability. They are more expensive, but are usually the only viable choice for companies with over 1,500 employees or five or more locations.

A common mistake: medium-sized companies commission corporate providers out of fear of risk and pay 30 to 60 percent more for standard support that a regional network could have provided identically.

The clean methodology: Create a location matrix, evaluate the appropriate type of provider for each location, then consolidate a tender package with a clear one Set up a multi-vendor strategy. CIVAC supports this consolidation in the workspace with a multi-provider view and consolidated reporting.

On civac.de/roles you will find the role matrix for the parallel appointment of company doctor, occupational safety specialist and hygiene officer in a uniform data model.

The price benchmarks for occupational health care in the DACH region have risen by 12 to 18 percent in the past three years, driven by a shortage of skilled workers and increased requirements for mandatory precautions and whistleblower protection interfaces. For Germany, the hourly rate for an occupational health service in 2026 will be 120 to 180 euros, with surcharges for special care and assessments.

Austria is in similar ranges, at 110 to 170 euros per hour, depending on the federal state and provider type. Switzerland is significantly higher, at 250 to 380 Swiss francs per hour, which corresponds to around 270 to 410 euros.

A realistic total cost of ownership calculation over three years includes five other items in addition to the hourly fee: appointment certificate expenses, ASA meeting participation, inspections, compulsory provision based on the number of jobs supervised and activity reports.

For a typical one A medium-sized company with 250 employees in metal processing in Germany has an annual volume range of 28,000 to 52,000 euros for occupational health care. Anyone who is below this should request the provider's operating time invoice and check whether DGUV 2 has been complied with.

CIVAC's Officer-as-a-Service solution combines the legally secure order with a fixed fee range per month and includes activity reports, ASA participation and audit-proof reporting. The appointment certificate is stored centrally in the compliance platform and Officer-as-a-Service.

Licence the workspace for your internal representatives, or have our representatives order it. The choice depends on whether you can manage occupational medicine internally or need external ordering.

Every supervisor asks about three artifacts in the first ten minutes of an occupational health exam. Firstly, the appointment certificate according to Section 2 ASiG, ASchG or ArGV 3 with the signature of the employer and the doctor, dated, with a clear description of tasks and reporting path. An appointment certificate without these three elements is formally defective and can lead to a condition.

Secondly, the activity report from the company doctor to the management. In Germany according to § 6 ASiG at least once a year, in Austria according to § 81 ASchG, in Switzerland according to EKAS guideline 6508. The report must contain the preventive examinations carried out, ASA contributions, inspections and recommendations, plus the documented acknowledgment by management.

Thirdly, the inspection protocol with the date, participants, workplaces examined, findings and measures. An inspection frequency of at least once a year applies to most standard operations, more often in high-risk workplaces.

These three artifacts belong in a central repository with versioning, audit trail and read access for external auditors. Anyone who keeps them in emails, Word documents and personal folders is at risk in the event of an audit.

CIVAC bundles these three artifacts in the workspace with version management, reporting routine and read access for the auditor. The appointment certificate, signed, filed, verifiable. The CIVAC FAQ documents the data model.

Anyone who keeps the three artifacts clean has reached 80 percent of the occupational health audit readiness. The remaining 20 percent relate to the precautionary index and ASA protocols, which will be integrated in a second step.

Seven errors appear repeatedly in the DACH-wide provider selection. Firstly, choosing the cheapest offer without checking the operating times. Anyone who falls short of DGUV 2 or AM-VO buys a formal gap, which becomes a requirement in the audit.

Secondly, the order without a clear task description. An appointment certificate that only contains the name of the doctor and the appointment date is formally defective. Tasks, reporting channels and representation regulations belong in the certificate.

Thirdly, the lack of documented acknowledgment by management of the annual activity report. Without this acknowledgment, the report does not comply with the ASiG/ASchG obligations.

Fourth, the neglect of the ASA meetings. In Germany according to Section 11 ASiG at least quarterly, in Austria according to Section 88 ASchG with a similar frequency. Missing protocols lead to a requirement and a follow-up audit.

Fifth, the lack of data protection compliance of the pension records. It contains special categories of personal data according to Art. 9 GDPR and must be kept strictly separate from the HR file.

Sixth, the missing exit clause. When changing providers, the pension file and activity reports must be handed over in full, in machine-readable formats. The deadline begins as soon as the termination is known.

Seventhly, the neglect of the DACH differences. Anyone who uses the same appointment certificate text in all three countries will have a formal error in two countries. CIVAC delivers prepared appointment certificate templates for each jurisdiction and ensures formal correctness from the day of the order. Others run compliance like a filing cabinet. We run it like software.

The DACH-wide comparison of occupational health service providers ideally does not end in an Excel table, but in a documented order with a clear reporting line, audit-proof template collection and audit-proof storage. CIVAC offers two ways to achieve this result, and both are represented equally in the workspace.

Way one: You make the selection internally, order the company doctor from your list and licence the CIVAC workspace for the ongoing management of the order, preventative care file, inspection protocols and activity reports. Your internal officers work in the same system as all other mandatory roles, with a uniform data model.

Way two: You leave the appointment and the ongoing mandate to CIVAC as an officer-as-a-service. Our occupational health partners are appointed across DACH, the appointment certificates are stored centrally, the activity reports are delivered quarterly to your management, the ASA meetings are recorded.

Licence the workspace for your internal representatives, or have our representatives appointed. Both paths lead to the same audit maturity and the same compliance platform and officer-as-a-service.

Turn reading into a mandate. Speak to us at info@civac.de or using the contact form on civac.de, stating the locations to be supported, number of employees and the desired DACH coverage.

You will receive a structured proposal with operating times, fee range and delivery plan within two working days. The appointment certificate, signed, filed, verifiable.