Works Paramedic
Extended emergency care beyond first aid, with mandatory training and refresher per DGUV Grundsatz 304-002. Required from larger headcounts or on construction sites with elevated risk.
DGUV Vorschrift 1 § 27 · DGUV Grundsatz 304-002
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What is a works paramedic?
A works paramedic provides extended emergency care in the workplace that goes beyond ordinary first aid. The role sits between the trained company first aider and the external emergency medical services. It exists to bridge the time gap until the rescue service arrives, which on remote sites or large premises can be considerable.
The legal anchor is DGUV Vorschrift 1 (Grundsätze der Prävention) § 27. It obliges the employer to provide works paramedics when the number of employees and the hazards of the operation make extended first aid necessary. The threshold commonly applied is more than 1,500 employees, and for construction sites more than 100 workers where elevated risk exists. The accident insurer may set requirements in individual cases regardless of headcount.
Qualification follows DGUV Grundsatz 304-002. The works paramedic completes a first-aid course, a 63-hour basic course (Sanitätslehrgang) and a 32-hour advanced course (Aufbaulehrgang) at a recognised training body. Refresher training of at least 16 hours is required every three years; otherwise the qualification lapses and the person may no longer act as a works paramedic.
The duties build on, but do not replace, the company first-aid organisation under § 24 to § 28 of DGUV Vorschrift 1. The works paramedic measures vital signs, manages wounds and shock, prepares the casualty for handover and assists the emergency physician. The role does not confer the right to practise medicine; treatment stays within the scope of trained emergency care and the limits of the German Heilpraktikergesetz.
Core duties of a works paramedic
- Provide extended emergency care beyond ordinary first aid until the rescue service arrives, within the scope of DGUV Grundsatz 304-002
- Assess and monitor vital signs, manage bleeding, shock, immobilisation and basic life support
- Maintain readiness of the sick bay, emergency bags and rescue equipment per the required first-aid materials
- Document every emergency intervention in the accident report book (Verbandbuch) under § 24 DGUV Vorschrift 1
- Coordinate the handover to the emergency medical services and the emergency physician
- Support the company first-aid organisation and brief appointed first aiders
- Keep the personal qualification current through the 16-hour refresher every three years
- Cooperate with the occupational physician and the occupational safety specialist (Sifa)
- Report safety-relevant observations and near misses to the responsible manager
- Participate in emergency and evacuation drills on the premises or construction site
When must a works paramedic be appointed?
Appointment is the employer's duty under DGUV Vorschrift 1 § 27. The obligation arises from the combination of headcount and operational hazard, not from a single fixed figure. As a rule of thumb the accident insurers expect works paramedics from more than 1,500 employees in commercial and administrative operations, and from more than 100 workers on construction sites where the hazard situation is elevated.
The employer determines the actual need within the risk assessment under § 5 ArbSchG together with the occupational physician and the safety specialist. Decisive factors are the distance and response time of the public rescue service, the type and severity of foreseeable injuries, shift patterns and the spatial layout of the site. Where the rescue service cannot reach an injured person quickly, a works paramedic may be required well below the rule-of-thumb thresholds.
The appointment should be made in writing, naming the scope of activity and confirming the valid 304-002 qualification. The employer must enable refresher training and ensure that enough qualified persons are available across all shifts. The accident insurer may, under § 27 (2), order works paramedics in individual cases where the standard criteria do not capture the actual risk.
- More than 1,500 employees in commercial or administrative operations
- More than 100 workers on a construction site with elevated hazard
- Long response times of the public rescue service to the site
- Foreseeable severe injuries from the type of work performed
- Order by the accident insurer under § 27 (2) DGUV Vorschrift 1
- Result of the risk assessment under § 5 ArbSchG
Where works paramedics are typically required
- Large construction and civil engineering sites
- Steelworks, foundries and heavy industry
- Chemical and petrochemical plants
- Automotive and large manufacturing plants
- Logistics centres and large distribution warehouses
- Mining and tunnelling operations
- Power stations and energy infrastructure
- Shipyards and offshore installations
- Large events and stadiums
- Remote sites with long rescue-service response times
How CIVAC supports the works paramedic role
CIVAC keeps the formal side of the works paramedic role under control. The training module tracks the 304-002 basic and advanced courses and the 16-hour refresher cycle, and raises a task well before the three-year qualification window closes, so no paramedic silently loses their status. The documentation pillar stores the written appointment, training certificates and the proof of available first-aid materials in one place. Recurring duties such as checking the sick bay and emergency bags are scheduled as repeating tasks with clear owners and due dates. When the accident insurer or an audit asks for evidence, the appointment, the current qualifications and the inspection history are exportable from a single role view rather than reconstructed from scattered files.
Frequently asked questions about the works paramedic
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