Occupational Health and Safety

The goal of occupational health and safety is to enable people to live a working life without suffering health issues or long-term damage to their health. Obviously, this overlaps with the interests of employers: After all, the success of a company has a great deal to do with its staff.

By means of a targeted occupational health and safety policy, the danger of accidents, occupational diseases, industrial diseases and long-term damage can be avoided, and civilised working conditions can be ensured. Modern occupational health and safety is based on the concept of prevention, in other words not just taking action when workers’ health has already been damaged, but taking measures early on to minimise the likelihood of consequences.

In order to reach this goal, the occupational health and safety regulations cover the following issues (among others):

• The design of working areas, workplaces and sanitary facilities
• The equipment of buildings, roads and walkways, and escape routes
• Requirements regarding working equipment and its use
• The use of machines and tools
• Handling dangerous agents such as poisonous chemicals
• Strain due to work processes and other effects, such as noise
• Personal protective equipment
• Organisational precautions such as first aid measures
• Working hours and rest periods
• Working conditions of young people and pregnant women

Due to these regulations, measures are necessary which have to be implemented in companies.

The Labour Inspectorate

All of the information about occupational health and safety in Austria is explained in detail on the website of the Labour Inspectorate. For questions about the realisation of occupational health and safety or for complaints about working conditions please contact the relevant Labour Inspectorate directly. Your anonymity is of course ensured, and your information will be treated with strict confidentiality.

The first labour inspectors were active over a hundred years ago in Austria. Even then, the necessity of creating legislation to protect working people and having an independent authority to monitor adherence to it had already been recognised.

The Labour Inspectorate is the largest organisation in Austria to have a legal mandate to combat deficits in ensuring safety and protecting health. They inspect adherence to the regulations on occupational health and safety on site in companies and on building sites. In procedures for the approval of, for example, commercial plants, they are involved as a party and ensure that occupational health and safety aspects are taken into account. They also provide advice in this regard. Following its motto of good advice and fair inspections, the Labour Inspectorate provides a comprehensive information service on occupational health and safety on its website.