Prevalence and quality of workplace risk assessments – Findings from a representative company survey in Germany

Although Workplace Risk Assessments (WRA) are legally required in all EU member states and widely considered to be a core element of occupational safety and health (OSH) management, the state of their implementation at company level is still viewed rather critically, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. In this study, data from a representative company survey (N = 6500) were used to estimate the frequency of different patterns (and corresponding quality levels) of WRA practice in Germany and to determine organisational factors influencing the chance of occurence of these WRA patterns. Results show that only one out of four companies carry out WRAs which not only meet the essential procedural requirements but also take account of potential risk areas in a fairly comprehensive manner. Multinomial logistic regression analysis further revealed that company size is by far the strongest predictor of WRA activity, especially of its more developed forms. Availability of safety specialist assistance, availability of occupational health specialist assistance, affiliation to the production sector, presence of an employee representative body and a good economic situation of the company were each associated with WRA activity as well. The still considerable deficiencies in WRA coverage and quality indicated by this study clearly call for an intensification of WRA-related control and advisory efforts by the OSH authorities, primarily in small companies and in the private services sector. Findings also suggest that reinforcement of worker representation structures at company level and strengthening professional OSH expert utilisation would be beneficial for WRA implementation.