The German system for safety and health at the workplace has a dual structure. It encompasses state (at Federal and Land level) safety and health provision and the autonomous accident insurance institutions. The state (at Federal and Land level) enacts legislation, and promulgates regulations and the rules of state boards. After examination of their needs, and with the approval of the Federal and Land governments, the accident insurance institutions release their own accident prevention rules.
Officials of the relevant state (in this case, Land) supervisory authorities and the accident insurance institutions have oversight over businesses and provide advice.
The Joint German Health and Safety Strategy (GDA) was developed by the Federal and Land governments and the accident insurance institutions in order to maintain, improve and develop the safety and health of people at work through an agreed and systematically applied safety and health policy. The parties to the GDA will coordinate their activities in the area of prevention at the workplace even more closely in the future, based on jointly agreed goals for safety and health at work.
The dual system for safety and health at work in Germany will remain, but collaboration between the supervisory services of the statutory accident insurance institutions and the safety and health authorities of the Länder with respect to providing advice to businesses and exercising their responsibilities for oversight will be further improved.