Summary (as of 27.10.2026)
Occupational safety is the umbrella term: According to Section 2 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, it encompasses all measures to prevent accidents at work and work-related health hazards. In practice, occupational safety refers to the part that prevents accidents, while health protection refers to the part that prevents work-related illnesses. The company is responsible as the employer, supported by a safety specialist and company doctor. The core is the risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
In everyday business, occupational safety and occupational health are often used synonymously. However, both terms appear side by side in job advertisements, training, and legal texts, and for good reason: they do not mean exactly the same thing. Anyone with responsibility in the company should know the difference between occupational safety and occupational health, because it determines which duties apply and who is responsible for what.
This guide explains the terms, categorizes them in a table, and shows the most important legal bases, the risk assessment, the hierarchy of protective measures, and the roles in the company.
Occupational safety: the umbrella term
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) defines in Section 2, Paragraph 1: Occupational safety measures are measures to prevent accidents at work and work-related health hazards, including measures for the humane design of work. Occupational safety thus encompasses two major areas:
- Occupational safety: Protection against accidents and acute hazards
- Health protection: Protection against work-related health hazards and occupational diseases, for example due to ergonomics, noise, hazardous substances, or psychological stress
According to Section 3, Paragraph 1 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the employer is obliged to take the necessary occupational safety measures, taking into account the circumstances that affect the safety and health of employees at work.
Occupational safety: the part that prevents accidents
Occupational safety focuses on accident prevention, i.e., ensuring that employees do not injure themselves at work. Typical topics are:
- Machine safety and safe work equipment
- Fall protection and safe walkways
- Fire protection and emergency organization
- Protective devices and safe working procedures
- personal protective equipment (PPE)
As a rule of thumb: occupational safety asks "How do we prevent the accident?", health protection asks "How do we prevent work from making people sick in the long term?". Occupational safety combines both.
The difference between occupational safety and occupational health at a glance
| Term | Meaning | Focus | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational safety | Umbrella term under Section 2 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act | Accidents and work-related health hazards | Risk assessment, training, PPE, work organization |
| Occupational safety | Part of occupational safety | Accident prevention, acute hazards | Protective devices, fall protection, fire protection, safe work equipment |
| Health protection | Part of occupational safety | Work-related illnesses, long-term hazards | Ergonomics, noise reduction, hazardous substances, psychological stress, occupational medical screening |
| Workplace safety | Not part of occupational safety | Protection against job loss | Job security, protection against dismissal |
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ASiG), company doctors support the employer primarily on matters of health protection, while safety specialists support them on matters of occupational safety. Both advise within the framework of occupational safety and accident prevention.
The most important legal bases
| Regulation | Content |
|---|---|
| Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) | Employer's basic duties: risk assessment (§ 5), documentation (§ 6), general principles (§ 4), training |
| Occupational Safety and Health Act (ASiG) | Appointment of company doctors and safety specialists (§§ 2 and 5), their duties (§§ 3 and 6), occupational safety committee (§ 11) |
| SGB VII, § 22 | Appointment of safety officers and their duties |
| DGUV regulations | Specific requirements of the accident insurance carriers, for example DGUV Regulation 1 "Principles of Prevention" and DGUV Regulation 2 "Company Doctors and Safety Specialists" |
| Special regulations | For example on workplaces, operational safety, hazardous substances, or noise and vibrations |
The risk assessment as the core
The most important tool is the risk assessment. According to Section 5, Paragraph 1 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the employer must determine which occupational safety measures are required by assessing the hazards associated with the work. According to Section 5, Paragraph 3, hazards can arise from, among other things, from:
- the design and layout of the workplace and the workstation
- physical, chemical, and biological influences
- the design, selection, and use of work equipment
- working methods, work processes, and working hours
- insufficient qualifications and training of employees
- psychological stress at work
For similar working conditions, the assessment of one workstation or activity is sufficient. The protective measures are derived from the result, which the employer must check for effectiveness and adapt if conditions change. According to Section 6 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the employer must make the result of the assessment, the measures established, and the result of their review available in documentation.
The TOP principle: In what order do you protect?
Section 4 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act sets the hierarchy: hazards are to be addressed at their source, and individual protective measures are subordinate to other measures. In practice, the DGUV describes this hierarchy as the TOP principle:
- T for technical: eliminate or shield the hazard, for example with protective devices or low-noise machines
- O for organizational: design processes and working hours to reduce hazards, for example through access rules or breaks
- P for personal: personal protective equipment, if technical and organizational measures are not sufficient
PPE is thus the last stage, but it is essential at many workplaces. Typical examples are head protection, hearing protection, eye protection, respiratory protection, protective gloves, high-visibility clothing, and safety shoes.
Practical example: Noise at the workplace
The topic of noise shows how occupational safety, health protection, and the TOP principle work together. Noise is primarily a health risk because it gradually damages hearing, but it can also increase the risk of accidents if warning signals are missed. The Noise and Vibration Protection Regulation specifies lower exposure action values of 80 dB(A) and upper exposure limit values of 85 dB(A) for the daily noise exposure level.
According to the TOP principle, technical measures such as low-noise machines come first, then organizational measures such as shorter noise exposure periods, and only hearing protection last. What level of attenuation hearing protection must have is explained in our article Hearing Protection dB Table: How Much Attenuation Do You Need?. The example shows: occupational safety means fulfilling both goals at the same time, avoiding accidents and maintaining health in the long term.
Who is responsible for occupational safety and occupational health in the company?
The responsibility lies with the employer. He can delegate tasks to employees and must take their competence into account when doing so (§ 7 Occupational Safety and Health Act). He is supported by several roles:
| Role | Task | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Safety specialists | Advise and support on occupational safety, accident prevention, and occupational health | ASiG §§ 5 and 6, DGUV Regulation 2: written appointment by the company |
| Company doctors | Advise and support on health protection and occupational medical screening | ASiG §§ 2 and 3, DGUV Regulation 2 |
| Safety officers | Support on site in preventing accidents at work and occupational diseases and check whether protective devices and PPE are available and used | § 22 SGB VII: to be appointed in companies with regularly 50 or more employees, and in companies with more than 20 and fewer than 50 employees if a special hazard exists according to the risk assessment |
| Occupational safety committee | Advises on matters of occupational safety and accident prevention, meets at least quarterly | § 11 ASiG: in companies with more than 20 employees |
| Employees | Follow instructions, use protective devices and PPE as intended, report hazards | §§ 15 and 16 ArbSchG |
The number of safety specialists and the type of support your company needs depends on the industry and company size and is regulated in DGUV Regulation 2. If you are unsure, clarify this with your trade association or accident insurance fund. Please note that § 22 SGB VII has changed: Older publications still mention the threshold of more than 20 employees without the tiered system.
Checklist: Implementing occupational safety in the company
- Risk assessment completed and documented for all activities and workstations
- Protective measures derived according to the TOP principle
- Safety specialist and company doctor appointed
- Safety officers appointed according to § 22 SGB VII, if required
- Occupational safety committee formed and convened quarterly, if there are more than 20 employees
- Employees regularly instructed
- Suitable PPE provided and selected according to the hazard
- Effectiveness of measures checked and assessment updated
Personal protective equipment at Technigro
At Technigro, you can find personal protective equipment and workwear from a single source. Companies order through the B2B program via a company account. The article Choosing PPE correctly: what lies behind the standards provides an overview of standards and protection classes.
Anyone who knows the difference between occupational safety and occupational health correctly categorizes duties, roles, and protective measures and selects PPE specifically according to the risk assessment.
Note: This article provides general information (as of 27.10.2026) and does not replace legal advice. Which measures and which protective equipment are required is determined by your company's risk assessment. If in doubt, clarify the selection with your safety specialist.
Sources
- Federal Office of Justice: Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG), especially §§ 2 to 7. Accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Act on company doctors, safety engineers, and other safety specialists (ASiG), table of contents. Accessed on 27.10.2026.
- ASiG § 11 Occupational safety committee, full text. Accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Federal Office of Justice: § 22 SGB VII Safety officers (current version). Accessed on 27.10.2026.
- DGUV Rule 100-002: Explanations of DGUV Regulation 2 "Company Doctors and Occupational Safety Specialists" (BGN). Accessed on 27.10.2026.
- DGUV: Guidelines for Determining the Number of Safety Officers (February 2024 Edition), Reference to DGUV Regulation 1. Accessed on 27.10.2026.
- DGUV, Technical Committee on Personal Protective Equipment: General Prevention Guideline "Hearing Protection" (December 2009), TOP Hierarchy. Accessed on 27.10.2026.
