Reform: Technical rules for workplaces - Part 1: The ASTA work plan and initial implementation

The Committee on Workplaces (ASTA) presented its work program for 2022 back in December 2021. The first comprehensive reforms were then introduced in the course of 2022.

The ASTA's aim at the time was to fundamentally tackle the issue of workplaces. Consequently, the December 2021 guideline actually considered every area to be affected. Only three subject areas were to remain untouched after the initial improvements: Risk assessment (Workplace Directive (ASR) V.3), ventilation (ASR A3.6) and noise (ASR 3.7).

Gratings or walkways, which are common in electroplating shops, must protect employees from falling (A2.1)

Occupational health and safety guidelines have been around for some time, with the first reform dating back to 2007, so it is surprising to experts that some areas have not yet been addressed. For example, the projects on VDU workstations (ASR A6) and outdoor workstations (ASR A5.1) are still at the planning stage.

The ASTA adopts a work program

It is therefore still unclear whether the VDU workstations just mentioned will be assessed at all. Both industry and the federal government are calling for the steady increase in home office workplaces since the coronavirus crisis to be removed from workplace legislation.

However, one of the oldest ASRs, A3.4-7 Safety lighting, is to be repealed completely. This dates back to May 2009 (then still A3.4-4). However, it is unclear whether this subject area will be assigned to another topic.

VDU workstations are not yet subject to ASR. Politicians want to exclude home offices from workplace legislation

The integration of disabled people into working life is becoming increasingly important in society and this is accompanied, for example, by the accessibility of floors (ASR V3a2 in conjunction with ASR A1.5/1.2. There is also a need for action in this respect in sanitary facilities (ASR V3a.2 and ASR A4.1). According to the plan drawn up in December 2021, these topics were to be addressed together in 2022 and then implemented as an overall package. Table 1 shows the topics that are currently being worked on or are due to be worked on next.

The announcement of a work program is one thing, but the actual implementation is another. In any case, experts - and even more so those affected, i.e. the users of the workplace regulations - have long criticized the fact that the ASTA is taking far too much time on some points. Specifically, for example, it took more than five years for the topic of fire protection (ASR A2.2) to be published in the Joint Ministerial Gazette (GMBl). Or consider the topic of VDU workstations, which was already defined in 2017 and still lacks concrete regulation.

The ASTA takes action

However, at the end of March this year, the ASTA surprised everyone when the total revision of 18 workplace guidelines was published in the GMBl (GMBl 9-11(2022)198 ff). The work plan from December was therefore very quickly followed by initial implementation.

As announced, ASR3.4-7, Safety lighting, optical safety guidance systems, for example, has now been completely deleted. This ASR was one of the first to be reformed in 2009, 13 years ago now. ASR Accessibility was also deleted. However, the guidelines contained therein have not been removed, they have simply been partially assigned to other areas. For example, in the sections on flooring, sanitary facilities and canteens.

However, the ASTA has already announced that there will be further "changes without a time horizon", particularly in the latter areas.

The integration of disabled people is becoming increasingly important. This means, for example, that access, sanitary and social areas must be barrier-free

As previously mentioned, the subject areas of risk assessment (V.3), ventilation (A3.6) and noise (A3.7) remain untouched. Work is still ongoing on 16 remaining directives. Table 2 shows the changes currently being made to the 16 directives.

will be continued