Responsibility in Occupational Safety, Health Protection, Environmental Protection (AGU)

With the "Guideline for the Organization of Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Protection (AGU Guideline)", the University of Kassel has created an overview of the university's internal structures and actors in occupational safety, health and environmental protection and has concretely defined the obligations resulting from internal differentiation.

Overview Responsibility in occupational safety, health and environmental protection

1. university management

The rules and regulations in the field of occupational health and safety legislation, health promotion and corporate environmental protection are generally aimed primarily at the entrepreneur or employer as the norm addressee. The basic prerequisite for fulfilling the legal requirements is the establishment of an expedient and effective occupational health and safety and environmental protection organization(organizational duty) and the selection and appointment of functionaries and representatives(selection duty).

The university management thus bears the overall responsibility for ensuring the safety and health of employees at work and for environmentally sound operations.

While the university management is responsible for the general organization of occupational health and safety, the managers in the university subdivisions are responsible for the concrete use of work, the working conditions and thus for the organization of occupational health and safety on site. This results in a shared obligation to act and responsibility on the part of the university management for the general aspects on the one hand and the managers responsible for the specific aspects on the ground on the other.

2. executives

Managers play a key role in occupational health and safety and have considerable influence on the working conditions of staff and students in accordance with their respective areas of responsibility and competence. They have authority to act, issue directives and make decisions, determine the scope of work, the working methods and the use and operation of equipment, and thus directly determine the concrete working and study conditions in their area. Managers thus have an influence on operational processes that cannot be directly controlled by the university management.

Without prejudice to the rights and duties of the university management, the executives are thus also responsible for compliance with and implementation of the legal provisions in occupational safety, health and environmental protection within their respective areas of responsibility.

The legal requirements as well as the delegation of responsibility in the university sector result, among other things, from the Occupational Safety and Health Act (§ 3, § 13), the DGUV Information 213-039 - Activities with Hazardous Substances in Universities (Chapter 3 - Responsibilities) and the Hessian University Act of December 14, 2009 (§§ 44-46, § 61 (1) No. 8).

According to this, the duties in occupational safety, health and environmental protection lie with all persons with supervisory or management functions. The responsibility extends to the respective assigned management area. In detail these are

  • the professors, professor representatives and university lecturers in the performance of their duties for the areas assigned to them in each case,
  • the deans of the departments, insofar as they have management duties over central workshop or laboratory facilities of the department (e.g. mechanical workshop, central chemical storage),
  • the managing directors of scientific centers, institute directors and the heads of operational units of the departments appointed by the deans,
  • the heads of teaching units in independent performance of these functions (e.g. on the basis of the granting of a teaching assignment) for the duration of the use of the rooms, facilities and equipment made available to them.
  • the heads of central facilities, departments, groups and operating units

A concrete compilation of the relevant legal provisions and requirements for the respective area of activity can be found in the Occupational, Health and Environmental Protection Management System for Universities (AGU Management System) on the intranet of the University of Kassel (www.uni-kassel.de/go/agu).

The core of the AGU management system is a web-based information and document system specifically for universities, which provides the relevant legal regulations, overviews of the legal requirements (procedural criteria) and sample documents for fulfilling the tasks, differentiated according to task areas.

As a matter of principle, managers with regard to their area of responsibility in terms of personnel and space have to ensure in particular that:

  • the safety-related organization of work processes is implemented in accordance with the provisions of occupational health and safety,
  • the risk assessment is carried out and updated with the participation of the employees concerned,
  • the employees/students are informed about the hazards at the workplace/location of the course and about the necessary protective measures before the start of the work, internship or course, at regular intervals and in the case of special events, and instructions are provided,
  • students are made aware of escape routes and assembly points at the beginning of the course,
  • only safe and suitable work equipment is used and that it is regularly maintained/inspected,
  • necessary personal protective equipment is purchased or made available, regularly checked for functionality, and used and worn by staff/students according to specifications,
  • any safety deficiencies identified are rectified without delay or appropriate information and measures are initiated to rectify them,
  • operating instructions (e.g. on machines and hazardous substances) are drawn up for the relevant area, the staff concerned are instructed in them and their application and implementation are monitored,
  • an effective emergency organization (first aid, fire protection and evacuation) is ensured, the necessary personnel (e.g. first aiders) are appointed and their proper basic and advanced training is ensured,
  • safety officers are appointed and trained in accordance with DGUV Regulation 1,
  • preventive occupational health care and other occupational health measures are arranged through the Human Resources and Organization Department,
  • employment restrictions for young people, pregnant women and nursing mothers are observed,
  • accidents at work and on duty are reported to the Human Resources and Organization Department,
  • external companies are instructed.

In order to fulfill their above duties, managers are authorized and obligated to issue binding instructions to assigned employees, to arrange for necessary purchases (e.g., personal protective equipment), and to arrange for restrictions on use, up to and including the shutdown of facilities in the event of hazards.

Managers are obliged to inform themselves regularly, i.e. at least once a year, about the current status of the legal provisions relevant to their area of responsibility. They also have the right and duty to participate in appropriate internal and external training courses, seminars or briefings in order to acquire and regularly update the knowledge and skills (expertise) required for the above-mentioned tasks.

The Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection Group offers various internal courses on specialist knowledge, on the application of the AGU management system for universities, and personal consultations on the organization of occupational safety.

Tasks may be delegated to subordinate employees. A delegation of tasks may only be made to suitable, reliable and competent persons. The delegation of tasks must specify the area of responsibility and the content of the tasks. It must be in writing and signed by the delegator and the delegatee.

The organizational, selection and monitoring responsibility(overall responsibility for the management area) remains with the delegating officer, irrespective of the delegation that has taken place.

The information on the assigned spatial area of responsibility, are listed in the digital space database (IFMS), an overview of the staff assigned to the line manager can be found in the digital organizational management (SAP module). Space is assigned exclusively via Real Estate Management to the department or directly to the department.

Changes regarding the personnel and spatial area of responsibility are entered in the digital room database (IFMS) as well as in the digital organization management (SAP module) by the Construction, Technology and Real Estate department or by the Human Resources and Organization department and can be viewed at any time via the access data provided(debt of the obligated party).

Changes in the use of space require prior coordination with the Dean's Office and Real Estate Management and must be reported to the Real Estate Management of the Department of Construction, Technology and Real Estate if not involved in advance(obligation of the obligated party).

Here, the basic rule is that all components or installations required for the ordinary use of a building are subject to central management, care and maintenance by the Building, Engineering and Properties department. This includes, for example, ventilation systems, wall hydrants, electrical systems down to the socket, etc.

Regardless of the central maintenance and testing obligation of the technical building management for certain components and systems, the responsibility for proper use, for general visual inspection of safe condition prior to use, as well as certain functional tests remains with the user on site. Example of a laboratory safety shower: The monthly functional test is the responsibility of the user.

This division of responsibilities also means that the Building, Engineering and Real Estate department is responsible for the maintenance and inspection of building services and structural installations and corridors as well as other traffic routes.

All other components, systems or equipment, in particular those purchased and operated by the department or division itself, are to be maintained, inspected or such inspections are to be arranged by the respective facility, department or division itself. Before the start of activities, a work equipment and facilities register must be drawn up for the respective area of responsibility and the scope of testing, the testing intervals and the responsibilities must be clarified.

3. servants

Staff members also bear responsibility within the scope of the work tasks assigned to them, within the scope of their personal decision-making and design possibilities. According to Section 3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, they are obliged to take care of their own safety and health at work and of persons affected by their actions or omissions at work to the best of their ability and in accordance with the employer's instructions and directives.

All employees are obliged to achieve the highest possible level of safety and to act responsibly. Accordingly, all active persons must observe the relevant occupational safety regulations and all regulations indirectly serving occupational safety as binding legal principles and take the appropriate measures, such as wearing personal protective equipment. If a deficiency is detected, it must be reported immediately to the person responsible for management.

4. students

According to the Ordinance on Hazardous Substances, DGUV Information 213-039 - Activities involving Hazardous Substances in Universities (Chapter 2 - Definitions) and the Ordinance on Biological Substances, students, doctoral candidates, scholarship holders and visiting scientists without an employment contract are considered equivalent to employees.

They are therefore responsible, in the same way as employees are, for their own safety and health and for the safety of persons affected by their actions or omissions, within the scope of their personal decision-making and decision-making possibilities.

For workplaces, internships and study places of students, the persons in charge are therefore equally obliged to prepare risk assessments and to initiate the resulting measures such as instructions, preparation of operating instructions for work procedures and hazardous substances, use of personal protective equipment, occupational health care, etc.

5. central contact persons

The diverse organizational and coordination tasks that arise for the university management from the occupational health and safety and environmental protection legislation are located with various actors and departments of the central university administration. In addition, central officers are available with advisory, supporting and controlling functions.

The staff of the Department of Construction, Technology and Real Estate, Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection Group are the central contact persons for all AGU issues and are responsible for the overall organization, coordination and consultation in all matters of occupational safety, operational environmental protection, organizational fire protection, the handling of hazardous substances, the transport of hazardous materials, the disposal of chemical waste and contaminated operating materials and the disposal of industrial waste.

The Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection Group advises and supports the university management and university employees within the scope of their organizational and supervisory duties in all matters of occupational safety, health and environmental protection.

Within the occupational safety and environmental protection group, the occupational safety specialists and the fire protection officer provide advice and support. According to § 6 ASIG, specialists for occupational safety have the task of supporting the employer in occupational safety and accident prevention in all matters of occupational safety, including the humane design of work.

The fire safety officer is responsible for the general organization of fire protection, advising the university management and staff, and monitoring organizational fire protection. He advises on questions of structural and plant fire protection.

The planning, organization and coordination of health promotion measures is carried out by the Human Resources and Organization department, the Organization, Training and Continuing Education group. The Organization, Training and Continuing Education Group is responsible for managing the Health Working Group.

Tasks within the scope of health promotion include awareness work through training, provision of advice and assistance, and support in eliminating problems that cause illness. The activities are part of a comprehensive concept of personnel development.

Occupational health care serves the early detection or prevention of work-related illnesses or occupational diseases. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, every employer is obligated to provide health care for its employees. This includes occupational health care, which derives professional recommendations from a detailed assessment of working conditions.

The organization and coordination of occupational health screening appointments and the maintenance of the screening file is carried out by the Human Resources and Organization Department, Organization, Training and Continuing Education Group.

For the determination and implementation of occupational health care, the assessment form Occupational Health Care is to be used, which can be accessed via the AGU management system for universities (www.uni-kassel.de/go/agun).

Occupational medicine is a preventive medical activity with the aim of supporting the health of employees and preventing workplace-related impairments. The main tasks are to provide advice on all workplace-related health protection and accident prevention issues, to carry out preventive occupational medicine on the basis of risk assessment, and to provide support in workplace health promotion.

Knowledge of workplaces and workplace conditions are essential prerequisites for consultation. Therefore, in addition to the examinations in the occupational health center, inspections of the workplaces and consultation at individual workplaces are also carried out. The occupational health service also provides support on issues relating to maternity protection, reintegration after prolonged illness and the design of workplaces.

The company medical service for the staff of the University of Kassel is provided by the inter-company service Medical Airport Service GmbH. Company medical services are subject to the duty of confidentiality.

In accordance with § 8 of the ASIG, the company physician is independent in the application of specialist knowledge and is therefore not subject to directives.

6. commissioners

Officers in the sense of occupational safety and environmental protection are the company physician, the occupational safety specialists, the safety officers, first aiders and other in-house officers, some of them from overlapping legal areas such as waste law, biological safety, fire protection, hazardous substances, dangerous goods and radiation protection law.

The officers are independent in the application of their expertise and are therefore not subject to directives. The representatives have a special expertise and are to support as contact persons in measures for the establishment, maintenance and further development of safe and health-promoting working and study conditions. The representatives are to be involved at an early stage in all projects that affect their tasks.

In order to implement a suitable organizational structure, various central officers are available to provide advice, support and monitoring. The central representatives have been appointed on the basis of statutory requirements or on the basis of resolutions by the Executive Board. The position as well as the rights and duties of the representatives, insofar as these are not regulated by law, result from the appointment letter.

The central representatives in the AGU include the representative for occupational safety, health, environmental protection and sustainability in the company (AGUN), the operator responsible for genetic engineering (GenT), the radiation protection representative (ST), the company physician, specialists for occupational safety and the fire protection representative. According to the organizational chart of the central university administration, the central officers report to the president or the chancellor.

Depending on the area of work, further decentralized officers or officers must be trained and appointed on the basis of legal requirements. These include laser protection officers, radiation protection officers, biological safety officers, safety officers, plant protection officers, crane operators, forklift operators, etc.

These officer functions may require special expertise and proof of specialist knowledge.

The assignment must be made in writing and signed by the person responsible for management and the person to be assigned. The appointment is made with the countersignature of the appointment letter by the university management and with the participation of the staff council.

For documentation purposes, the appointment letter is included in the personnel file. The Department of Human Resources and Organization checks in each individual case whether the tasks to be assigned are covered by the job description. If necessary, the job description must be adapted accordingly.

A copy of the appointment letter is to be handed over to the appointee.

The safety officers support the staff and superiors in measures to prevent occupational accidents/work-related accidents and occupational diseases on site. In their information document "DGUV-I 211-042 - The Safety Officer", the statutory accident insurers have compiled the tasks, rights and obligations and other practical aids for performing the tasks. Persons with supervisory or management functions, managers of operating units, workshops and laboratories must appoint safety officers and have them trained in accordance with § 22 SGB VII.

In his/her function, the safety officer does not bear any civil or criminal responsibility.

The safety coordinator fulfills a coordinating function as a "higher-level safety officer" and, on the one hand, supports the department or facility managers in safety-relevant issues within your facility and, on the other hand, acts as a contact person vis-à-vis the university administration and external parties as well as a representative in the Occupational Safety and Health Committee (ASA).

This does not affect the obligation to appoint safety officers in the departments and faculties in accordance with § 20 DGUV Regulation 1-Principles of Prevention. The tasks and legal position of the safety coordinators as higher-level safety representatives of the department or facility management are based on § 22 SGB VII and § 20 GUV-V A 1 of the statutory accident insurance, whereby no personal liability is associated with the exercise of the function.

7. occupational safety committee (ASA)

The Occupational Health and Safety Committee has the task of discussing occupational health and safety issues, including health promotion related to working conditions. It is intended to ensure mutual information, exchange of experience and coordination in occupational health and safety at the University of Kassel.


The meetings of the Occupational Safety Committee (ASA) take place quarterly and are convened by the Occupational Safety Coordinator. They are scheduled in advance. Additional meetings may be held due to special incidents.

The ASA is composed of:

- Chancellor or one of his/her representatives

- Staff council members

- Company physician

- Specialists for occupational safety

- One representative each of the safety officers (safety coordinator) of the departments, facilities and divisions according to the large distribution list.

Representatives for studies and disabilities, the person responsible for genetic engineering, the chairperson of the Health Working Group, the representative for severely disabled persons and the university's radiation protection representative are invited and have the right to participate in all meetings of the ASA in an advisory capacity.

8. staff council

Within the framework of the Hessian Staff Representation Act (HPVG), the Staff Council must pay attention to the prevention of accident and health hazards. It must support the bodies responsible for occupational health and safety by providing suggestions, advice and information, advocate the implementation of occupational health and safety, and can apply for measures within the framework of the HPVG on its own initiative.


The staff council must be involved in the introduction and testing of occupational safety equipment, accident investigations and general occupational safety inspections.

Data collection: Responsibility in AGU

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