Assessment of psychological stress in risk assessment

Participants in the AGCT's specialist course on the German Biological Agents Ordinance (BioStoffV) held earlier this month discussed, among other things, the requirements of the BioStoffV for assessing psychological stress in the workplace. The following questions arise in practice:

• Which requirements need to be implemented and who is responsible for their implementation?
• Is the obligation limited to activities at higher protection levels (e.g. protection level 3 or 4)?
• Are there any requirements regarding the expertise of the person conducting the assessment?
• What advantages – apart from fulfilling legal obligations – does regular monitoring of psychological stress factors offer?

What duties – whose responsibility – what restrictions?

Some questions can already be answered from the regulation in Section 4 Paragraph 3 No. 5 a) BioStoffV:

1. The The responsibility lies with the employer . However, the employer can seek expert advice if he or she lacks the necessary knowledge (Section 4 (1) (3) of the BioStoffV).
2. One There is no restriction, for example, to high protection levels . Even for activities involving biological substances without a protection level assignment (e.g., in waste management), psychological stress must be considered in the risk assessment.
3. Psychological stress factors are Part of the “activity-related insights”. On the one hand, an assessment can only be conducted once the activities have been described in the risk assessment. On the other hand, psychological stress can arise not only from the biological agents themselves, but also from the work equipment or work processes used, for example. For example, the constant wearing of personal protective equipment can also cause psychological stress. Findings on psychological stress must therefore also be taken into account when designing protective measures.

The regulation thus complies with general occupational health and safety regulations; Section 5, Paragraph 3, No. 6 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) provides for an assessment of psychological stress as part of the risk assessment. It must therefore also be implemented, among other things, in the assessment of office activities.

What expertise?

As part of the risk assessment, the consideration of psychological stress must also be carried out by a professional (Section 4 (1) Sentence 2 of the BioStoffV). The BioStoffV does not contain any different professional qualification requirements for the assessment of psychological stress. It can therefore be assumed that a person who is professionally qualified within the meaning of Section 2 (11) of the BioStoffV to prepare the risk assessment is also professionally qualified to assess psychological stress in the risk assessment.

The requirement for professional expertise is specified in TRBA 200; this also does not contain any specific requirements for the assessment of psychological stress.

The advantages:

Mental illnesses are a factor that should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to sickness-related absences of employees. DAK-Gesundheit report on sick leave in 2023 Last year, 323 days of absence per 100 employees were due to mental illness—an increase of 7.4 percent compared to the previous year. Mental illness in particular triggers longer-term sick leave.

Even beyond the above-mentioned requirements, the consideration of psychological stress factors before starting work should therefore make a long-term contribution to the health of employees.

When the AGCT provides expert advice to employers when preparing risk assessments in accordance with Section 4 of the BioStoffV, possible psychological stress factors in the activities under consideration are taken into account.