Psychosocial risk assessment — Betriebsmedizin Plus

Legal basis

The employer must identify and assess hazards at the workplace. § 5 (3) no. 6 ArbSchG expressly names psychosocial stress at work. The duty applies regardless of company size and sector. Under § 6 ArbSchG, the result of the assessment, the measures set and the result of checking them must be documented. Implementation is monitored by the occupational safety authorities of the federal states and by the accident insurance institutions. The professional benchmark is the guideline of the Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (GDA).

Subject of the assessment

The working conditions are assessed, not the resilience of individual employees. The GDA guideline groups the features into the areas job content and task, work organisation, social relationships, work environment and new forms of work. Examples are time pressure and interruptions, unclear responsibilities, little room for manoeuvre, conflicts, noise or constant availability. Which features matter depends on the activities. The article Stress from shift work describes an example of application.

Steps of the process

StepContentResult 1. DefineActivities and areas that are assessed together, for example production, administration, field serviceAssessment units 2. IdentifyA suitable method depending on activity, organisation and protection of confidential information: survey, moderated workshops or observation interviews; there is no fixed employee thresholdStress profile per unit 3. AssessClassification and prioritisation, for example in a workshop with managers and employeesFields of action 4. MeasuresPrimarily on working conditions, secondarily on behaviour; people responsible and datesAction plan 5. EffectivenessCheck at a time suitable for the measure concernedEvaluation, adjustment if necessary 6. DocumentationAll steps traceable under § 6 ArbSchGUpdating when things change

Choice of method and confidentiality

The Occupational Safety and Health Act prescribes no method. Surveys are suitable when groups are large enough to rule out conclusions about individuals. In small companies and teams, moderated discussions and observation interviews give more specific indications, because conclusions about individuals can be avoided. The analysis is designed so that conclusions about individual employees are ruled out as far as possible. Especially in small groups, the limits of anonymity must be checked and communicated in advance. The design is subject to co-determination under § 87 (1) no. 7 of the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG).

Typical mistakes

The survey is left without measures; the assessment is therefore not complete.
Satisfaction surveys or employee surveys are passed off as a risk assessment but do not cover the stress features.
Individuals or supervisors are rated instead of activities.
The works council is involved late.
The assessment is drawn up once and then not updated.

Updating and practice

The Occupational Safety and Health Act sets no general repeat interval. An update is required when activities, work processes, shift systems or identified hazards change significantly, and when the effectiveness check shows further need. Participation in a survey depends on management informing employees in advance and disclosing the rules for analysis. Surveys for the psychosocial risk assessment run online and from any location. Analysis and workshop take place at your company or by video. At the end there is a report with an action plan and the documentation under § 6 ArbSchG. We arrange on-site appointments with companies in the Ingolstadt, Munich and Upper Bavaria area. Consultations and meetings are possible nationwide by video.

Questions on this article

Does the duty also apply to small companies?

Yes. § 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act applies to every company with employees and names no minimum size. In small companies, moderated discussions take the place of the anonymous survey.

How often must the assessment be repeated?

The Act sets no fixed deadline. The assessment must be updated when working conditions change significantly, for example in a restructuring, with new work equipment or new forms of work, and when the effectiveness check suggests it.

Can results be traced back to individuals?

No. Activities and areas are assessed, not people. Surveys are analysed so that conclusions about individuals are ruled out as far as possible. In small groups, the limits of anonymity are checked and communicated in advance.

Is a satisfaction survey of employees enough?

No. A risk assessment must cover the stress features of the GDA guideline and lead to measures with an effectiveness check. A satisfaction survey does not do that on its own.

Legal basis and sources

This article is based on the following statutory texts and publications of the competent bodies; each can be read in the original wording.

§ 5 ArbSchG — Assessment of working conditions

Federal Ministry of Justice — duty to carry out a risk assessment, psychosocial stress as a hazard factor (para. 3 no. 6).

§ 6 ArbSchG — Documentation

Federal Ministry of Justice — result of the assessment, measures and result of the check must be documented.

GDA work programme on psychosocial stress (Psyche)

Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy — guideline, feature areas, recommendations for implementation.

BAuA — Risk assessment of psychosocial stress

Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — design of the procedure and choice of method.

§ 87 BetrVG — Co-determination rights

Federal Ministry of Justice — co-determination on rules about health protection (para. 1 no. 7).

Links checked in October 2026. They lead to the publishers\' own pages.

Psychosocial risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act