May the occupational safety specialist come from outside the company?

Yes, and the Act says so expressly. Section 19 ASiG reads: Die Verpflichtung des Arbeitgebers, Betriebsärzte und Fachkräfte für Arbeitssicherheit zu bestellen, kann auch dadurch erfüllt werden, daß der Arbeitgeber einen überbetrieblichen Dienst von Betriebsärzten oder Fachkräften für Arbeitssicherheit zur Wahrnehmung der Aufgaben nach § 3 oder § 6 verpflichtet. In other words, the duty to appoint can also be met by engaging an external service. The Act also presupposes the freelance specialist appointed under Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG; Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 3 ASiG names both routes side by side. Unlike Section 29 Para. 2 GenTSV, for example, no permission from an authority is required.

From how many employees do I need an occupational safety specialist?

The ASiG sets no threshold. Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG applies to the extent required by the type of operation, headcount, organisation and the employer's own expertise, and Section 1 ASiG addresses the duty to the employer without a size limit. How much support is required, and in what form, is set by DGUV Regulation 2 of the competent accident insurer in its version. A threshold does appear in Section 11 ASiG: establishments with more than twenty employees must form an occupational safety committee.

What qualifications must the external specialist have?

Section 7 Para. 1 ASiG admits only persons who meet the statutory requirements: a safety engineer must be entitled to use the professional title Ingenieur and must have the safety expertise required for the duties assigned. For safety technicians and safety foremen the Act requires the necessary safety expertise. Under Section 7 Para. 2 ASiG the competent authority may, in individual cases, allow someone with corresponding expertise to be appointed instead of an engineer. You receive the evidence for the person deployed together with the appointment.

What happens if no specialist is appointed?

Not an immediate fine, and this is often misstated. The ASiG contains no fine for the missing appointment as such. Section 12 Para. 1 ASiG allows the competent authority to order, in an individual case, which measures the employer must take, in particular regarding the appointment of occupational safety specialists, and under Section 12 Para. 2 ASiG it hears the employer and the works council first. Only breach of an enforceable order is an administrative offence under Section 20 Para. 1 no. 1 ASiG, punishable under Section 20 Para. 2 ASiG by a fine of up to twenty-five thousand euros.

Who does an external specialist report to, and who may instruct them?

Under Section 8 Para. 2 ASiG the specialist reports directly to the head of the establishment, even without being employed. When applying safety expertise the specialist is not bound by instructions under Section 8 Para. 1 ASiG and may not be disadvantaged for performing the duties. If no agreement is reached with site management on a proposed measure, the specialist may put the proposal directly to the employer under Section 8 Para. 3 ASiG; a rejection must be given in writing with reasons, and the works council receives a copy.

Does the works council have to agree?

It must at least be involved. Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 1 ASiG requires the works council's consent to the appointment and dismissal of occupational safety specialists, and sentence 3 provides that the works council must be heard before a freelance specialist or an external service is engaged or released. For everything else sentence 2 refers to Section 87 read with Section 76 of the Works Constitution Act. How the involvement is to be structured in your case is a matter for your legal advisers; we supply the document that sets out scope, person and expertise.

What does the service cost at CIVAC?

The price has four components: the one-off set-up with the appointment letter and the works council document, an ongoing retainer for support, on-site visits charged per visit, and optionally operation-specific support and further sites. The amount depends on the support volume under DGUV Regulation 2, on the type of operation and the sites, and on whether an occupational safety committee under Section 11 ASiG must be formed. When comparing offers, ask whether committee attendance and accident investigation are included in the mandate or charged per visit. You receive a fixed figure per component once support volume and visit cadence are settled. The platform costs 49 € per officer role per month and is shown separately.

All services

Service

External Occupational Safety Specialist

The German Occupational Safety Act (Arbeitssicherheitsgesetz, ASiG) requires the employer to appoint occupational safety specialists in writing and to assign them the duties in Section 6 ASiG, to the extent required by the type of operation, the number of employees, the organisation of the business and the employer's own expertise, Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG. The Act expressly allows this person to be someone the company does not employ: Section 19 ASiG permits engaging an external occupational safety service, and Section 9 Para. 3 ASiG also names the freelance specialist. This service fills the appointment from outside, with a specialist from the network of CIVAC and vetted partners, and keeps the record of the work in the CIVAC workspace. What does not move is responsibility: under Section 3 Para. 1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG) the employer owes the safety measures, and the specialist supports and advises.

Employers without their own specialist holding the expertise required by Section 7 ASiGCompanies for whom a full-time in-house safety position does not payManufacturing, warehousing and logistics, laboratories and medical technology with higher support needsSoftware and retail companies whose office and warehouse operations carry the same duty to appointMulti-site companies that need uniform support and one evidence trail

What CIVAC takes on

Appointment and scope of support

Inventory of the type of operation, headcount and organisation, the factors by which Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG measures the appointment.
Calculation of the support volume and support model under DGUV Regulation 2 of your statutory accident insurer (Berufsgenossenschaft), applied to your operation.
Draft written appointment under Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG naming the duties assigned from Section 6 ASiG and stating whether the specialist is engaged as a freelancer or through an external service under Section 19 ASiG.
Preparation of the works council involvement under Section 9 Para. 3 ASiG, which must be heard before a freelance specialist or an external service is engaged.
Evidence of the expertise required by Section 7 Para. 1 ASiG for the person deployed.

Support under Section 6 ASiG

Advice on planning, building and maintaining operating facilities and on procuring work equipment and working materials, Section 6 sentence 2 no. 1 (a) and (b) ASiG.
Advice on assessing working conditions, Section 6 sentence 2 no. 1 (e) ASiG, as input to your risk assessment under Section 5 ArbSchG.
Safety checks of facilities and equipment before commissioning and of work processes before introduction, Section 6 sentence 2 no. 2 ASiG.
Regular inspections of the workplaces, reporting defects found and proposing how to remedy them, Section 6 sentence 2 no. 3 (a) ASiG.
Investigation of workplace accidents, evaluation of the findings and proposals for prevention, Section 6 sentence 2 no. 3 (c) ASiG.
Contribution to instructing employees and to training the safety representatives, Section 6 sentence 2 no. 4 ASiG.

Evidence and cooperation

Participation in the occupational safety committee that Section 11 ASiG requires in establishments with more than twenty employees and that meets at least once a quarter.
Joint site inspections with the company doctor, which Section 10 sentence 2 ASiG names expressly.
Ongoing record of inspections, defects, remedies and accident investigations in the CIVAC workspace, exportable for the accident insurer and the authority.
Deadlines for equipment inspections and employee instruction in the workspace, with a responsible person for each.

How it runs

1
Operation and support needs
We record the type of operation, headcount, sites and the existing safety organisation. Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG measures the appointment by exactly these factors, and DGUV Regulation 2 of your accident insurer turns them into a support volume. We compile which insurer is competent and how the regulation classifies your operation from your documents; the decision on scope is made by your company.
2
Works council involvement
Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 3 ASiG requires the works council to be heard before a freelance specialist or an external service is engaged. Where the choice of support model is subject to co-determination, Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 2 ASiG refers to Section 87 read with Section 76 of the Works Constitution Act. You receive a document setting out the scope, the person and the expertise that you can put to the works council.
3
Written appointment
Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG requires a written appointment and the assignment of the duties in Section 6 ASiG. The appointment letter names the duties assigned, the support volume, the deputy and the route of engagement, freelance or through an external service under Section 19 ASiG. Under Section 8 Para. 2 ASiG the specialist reports directly to the head of the establishment; the letter records that reporting line.
4
Ongoing support
Inspections, advice and accident investigations run at the agreed cadence and as needed. Defects found go to the employer or the responsible person under Section 6 sentence 2 no. 3 (a) ASiG with a proposal for remedy, and implementation is tracked. If the specialist and site management cannot agree on a proposed measure, Section 8 Para. 3 ASiG opens the route directly to the employer, and a rejection must be given in writing with reasons.
5
Committee and evidence
In establishments with more than twenty employees the employer forms an occupational safety committee under Section 11 ASiG that meets at least once a quarter. The specialist takes part; minutes and the status of measures sit in the workspace. If the operation, headcount or sites change, the support volume is recalculated and the appointment updated.

Legal framework

The provisions below determine who must appoint an occupational safety specialist, by which routes that person may come from outside, who must be involved beforehand and what happens if no appointment is made. Each is quoted in the original German so you can check it against the statute.

Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG: Der Arbeitgeber hat Fachkräfte für Arbeitssicherheit (Sicherheitsingenieure, -techniker, -meister) schriftlich zu bestellen und ihnen die in § 6 genannten Aufgaben zu übertragen, soweit dies erforderlich ist im Hinblick auf 1. die Betriebsart und die damit für die Arbeitnehmer verbundenen Unfall- und Gesundheitsgefahren, 2. die Zahl der beschäftigten Arbeitnehmer und die Zusammensetzung der Arbeitnehmerschaft, 3. die Betriebsorganisation, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Zahl und Art der für den Arbeitsschutz und die Unfallverhütung verantwortlichen Personen, 4. die Kenntnisse und die Schulung des Arbeitgebers oder der nach § 13 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, 2 oder 3 des Arbeitsschutzgesetzes verantwortlichen Personen in Fragen des Arbeitsschutzes.
The duty applies to every employer; the Act sets no headcount threshold. The extent follows the four factors, and the accident prevention regulation DGUV Regulation 2 of the competent accident insurer specifies it. The appointment must be in writing.
Section 19 ASiG: Die Verpflichtung des Arbeitgebers, Betriebsärzte und Fachkräfte für Arbeitssicherheit zu bestellen, kann auch dadurch erfüllt werden, daß der Arbeitgeber einen überbetrieblichen Dienst von Betriebsärzten oder Fachkräften für Arbeitssicherheit zur Wahrnehmung der Aufgaben nach § 3 oder § 6 verpflichtet.
This is the sentence an external appointment rests on, and it needs no permission from an authority. The Act also recognises the freelance specialist appointed under Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG; Section 5 Para. 3 sentence 4 and Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 3 ASiG presuppose that route. Which of the two applies to your mandate is stated in the appointment letter.
Section 9 Para. 3 ASiG: Die Betriebsärzte und Fachkräfte für Arbeitssicherheit sind mit Zustimmung des Betriebsrats zu bestellen und abzuberufen. Das gleiche gilt, wenn deren Aufgaben erweitert oder eingeschränkt werden sollen; im übrigen gilt § 87 in Verbindung mit § 76 des Betriebsverfassungsgesetzes. Vor der Verpflichtung oder Entpflichtung eines freiberuflich tätigen Arztes, einer freiberuflich tätigen Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit oder eines überbetrieblichen Dienstes ist der Betriebsrat zu hören.
Where a works council exists, it must be involved before the external appointment. Sentence 3 expressly governs the hearing for both external routes. The document for it belongs at the start of the preparation, not at the end.
Section 12 Para. 1 read with Section 20 Para. 1 no. 1 and Para. 2 ASiG: Die zuständige Behörde kann im Einzelfall anordnen, welche Maßnahmen der Arbeitgeber zur Erfüllung der sich aus diesem Gesetz und den die gesetzlichen Pflichten näher bestimmenden Rechtsverordnungen und Unfallverhütungsvorschriften ergebenden Pflichten, insbesondere hinsichtlich der Bestellung von Betriebsärzten und Fachkräften für Arbeitssicherheit, zu treffen hat. Ordnungswidrig handelt, wer vorsätzlich oder fahrlässig 1. einer vollziehbaren Anordnung nach § 12 Abs. 1 zuwiderhandelt, [...] Eine Ordnungswidrigkeit nach Absatz 1 Nr. 1 kann mit einer Geldbuße bis zu fünfundzwanzigtausend Euro [...] geahndet werden.
The ASiG has no fine for the missing appointment as such. The authority first orders the appointment; only breach of an enforceable order carries a fine, of up to twenty-five thousand euros under Section 20 Para. 2 ASiG. The order is the last step before a fine, not the first.

Wording retrieved on 23 September 2026 from gesetze-im-internet.de. DGUV Regulation 2 is autonomous law of the accident insurers under Section 15 Para. 1 of Social Code Book VII and is not published there. Support hours and support models are therefore not quantified on this page; they follow from your accident insurer's version.

How the price is built

The price has four components, shown separately. The support volume is not set by CIVAC but by DGUV Regulation 2 of your accident insurer, applied to your operation.

Set-up and appointment

One-off. Inventory of the operation, calculation of the support volume under DGUV Regulation 2, the draft appointment letter under Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG naming the route of engagement, and the document for the works council under Section 9 Para. 3 ASiG.

Retainer for ongoing support

Ongoing. Availability of the appointed specialist and the deputy, advice under Section 6 sentence 2 no. 1 ASiG, input to the risk assessment and keeping the record in the workspace.

On-site visits

Per visit. Inspections under Section 6 sentence 2 no. 3 (a) ASiG, safety checks before commissioning, accident investigations and attendance at the occupational safety committee under Section 11 ASiG. Cadence and number of visits are fixed in the mandate, not assumed across the board.

Operation-specific support and additional sites

Optional. Work beyond ongoing support that arises from events, such as new facilities or processes, and further sites.

Headcount and the classification of the operation under DGUV Regulation 2, because they determine the volume of ongoing support.
Type of operation and hazard profile: manufacturing, warehouse, laboratory or office.
Number of sites and the distance to them.
Whether an occupational safety committee under Section 11 ASiG has to be formed and how often it meets.
Extent of operation-specific support, for example during conversions or new work processes.

You receive a fixed figure per component once support volume and visit cadence are settled. The platform costs 49 € per officer role per month and is shown separately in the mandate.

Where the service ends

CIVAC is not a law firm and does not provide legal services within the meaning of the German Legal Services Act (Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz). What this page describes is risk indication and organisational support; the legal assessment of an individual case belongs with your legal advisers.

Responsibility for occupational safety measures remains with the employer under Section 3 Para. 1 ArbSchG and with the persons named in Section 13 Para. 1 ArbSchG. The specialist supports and advises under Section 6 ASiG and does not decide in your place.
The risk assessment under Section 5 ArbSchG is the employer's duty. The specialist advises on assessing working conditions; the assessment and its documentation remain yours.
Under Section 8 Para. 1 ASiG the specialist is not bound by instructions when applying safety expertise. That applies towards CIVAC as well; the platform records, it does not steer a professional judgement.
Occupational medical support under Section 2 ASiG is a separate appointment. This service does not include it, even though the two cooperate under Section 10 ASiG.
Membership of an accident insurer and the classification under DGUV Regulation 2 follow from your membership and your operation. We compile them; your accident insurer confirms them.
Works council co-determination under Section 9 Para. 3 ASiG and Section 87 of the Works Constitution Act rests with you. We supply the document; the employer carries out the involvement.

Frequently asked questions

May the occupational safety specialist come from outside the company?: Yes, and the Act says so expressly. Section 19 ASiG reads: Die Verpflichtung des Arbeitgebers, Betriebsärzte und Fachkräfte für Arbeitssicherheit zu bestellen, kann auch dadurch erfüllt werden, daß der Arbeitgeber einen überbetrieblichen Dienst von Betriebsärzten oder Fachkräften für Arbeitssicherheit zur Wahrnehmung der Aufgaben nach § 3 oder § 6 verpflichtet. In other words, the duty to appoint can also be met by engaging an external service. The Act also presupposes the freelance specialist appointed under Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG; Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 3 ASiG names both routes side by side. Unlike Section 29 Para. 2 GenTSV, for example, no permission from an authority is required.
From how many employees do I need an occupational safety specialist?: The ASiG sets no threshold. Section 5 Para. 1 ASiG applies to the extent required by the type of operation, headcount, organisation and the employer's own expertise, and Section 1 ASiG addresses the duty to the employer without a size limit. How much support is required, and in what form, is set by DGUV Regulation 2 of the competent accident insurer in its version. A threshold does appear in Section 11 ASiG: establishments with more than twenty employees must form an occupational safety committee.
What qualifications must the external specialist have?: Section 7 Para. 1 ASiG admits only persons who meet the statutory requirements: a safety engineer must be entitled to use the professional title Ingenieur and must have the safety expertise required for the duties assigned. For safety technicians and safety foremen the Act requires the necessary safety expertise. Under Section 7 Para. 2 ASiG the competent authority may, in individual cases, allow someone with corresponding expertise to be appointed instead of an engineer. You receive the evidence for the person deployed together with the appointment.
What happens if no specialist is appointed?: Not an immediate fine, and this is often misstated. The ASiG contains no fine for the missing appointment as such. Section 12 Para. 1 ASiG allows the competent authority to order, in an individual case, which measures the employer must take, in particular regarding the appointment of occupational safety specialists, and under Section 12 Para. 2 ASiG it hears the employer and the works council first. Only breach of an enforceable order is an administrative offence under Section 20 Para. 1 no. 1 ASiG, punishable under Section 20 Para. 2 ASiG by a fine of up to twenty-five thousand euros.
Who does an external specialist report to, and who may instruct them?: Under Section 8 Para. 2 ASiG the specialist reports directly to the head of the establishment, even without being employed. When applying safety expertise the specialist is not bound by instructions under Section 8 Para. 1 ASiG and may not be disadvantaged for performing the duties. If no agreement is reached with site management on a proposed measure, the specialist may put the proposal directly to the employer under Section 8 Para. 3 ASiG; a rejection must be given in writing with reasons, and the works council receives a copy.
Does the works council have to agree?: It must at least be involved. Section 9 Para. 3 sentence 1 ASiG requires the works council's consent to the appointment and dismissal of occupational safety specialists, and sentence 3 provides that the works council must be heard before a freelance specialist or an external service is engaged or released. For everything else sentence 2 refers to Section 87 read with Section 76 of the Works Constitution Act. How the involvement is to be structured in your case is a matter for your legal advisers; we supply the document that sets out scope, person and expertise.
What does the service cost at CIVAC?: The price has four components: the one-off set-up with the appointment letter and the works council document, an ongoing retainer for support, on-site visits charged per visit, and optionally operation-specific support and further sites. The amount depends on the support volume under DGUV Regulation 2, on the type of operation and the sites, and on whether an occupational safety committee under Section 11 ASiG must be formed. When comparing offers, ask whether committee attendance and accident investigation are included in the mandate or charged per visit. You receive a fixed figure per component once support volume and visit cadence are settled. The platform costs 49 € per officer role per month and is shown separately.