What aids can I use in identifying hazards?

As aids for a systematic approach in identifying possible hazards you can use check lists and hazard catalogues.

Check lists

Check lists are primarily envisaged for small and medium-sized establishments. They are intended to convey information for the implementation of the risk assessment and on typical hazards and protective measures for a certain sector, for activity groups or occupational groups. The information is compiled in the form of a test list which can be used at the same time to document the results.

Check lists can be found at your competent labour inspectorate of the state office for occupational safety and health, or for the specific sector at your accident insurer.

Hazard catalogues

Hazard catalogues contain lists of typical hazards and protective measures for certain sectors or operational areas. You can use hazard catalogues to prepare for the risk assessment and from them you can, for example, draw up establishment-specific check lists.

You will also find an overview of available check lists and hazard catalogues of the accident insurers, the governmental occupational safety and health authorities and other relevant suppliers if you look around in our database with practical aids for the risk assessment.

Specialist knowledge related to the individual risk factors is passed in under our heading Expert knowledge.

Identification of inappropriate mental loads

You should also think about mental burdens at the workplace and take account of them in your hazard determination.

There are various procedures for identifying inappropriate mental loads. To obtain an overview of weak points and strengths with respect to mental loads orientation procedures are sufficient (among other things using check lists) which can be used without any prior knowledge of work psychology. If there is no sign of success with the use of these procedures and after the work design measures have taken effect, special procedures must be employed, possibly involving specialists.¹⁾

To be able to assess a workplace and the activities performed there objectively, it is often necessary to visit the workplace a number of times. The need for this arises if, for example, work is performed in a shift cycle, it is frequently necessary to process different quantities of material or information in the same time or activities vary in the time they take.

In the on-site workplace inspection, observation is the prime consideration. Such observation involves an estimation from outside. Since in most cases the occupant of the workplace knows best about the working conditions at his workplace, the self-estimation often complements the external one and reveals additional weak points. Practicable procedures for external and self estimation are given in the literature indicated.

¹⁾ Series "Psychische Gesundheit am Arbeitsplatz", InfoMediaVerlag e.K., Bochum