Aufsicht im Arbeitsschutz – internationale Anforderungen und Impulse

The article discusses the requirements of an effective system of monitoring and inspection in occupational health and safety. Basic norms are found in the international area of the ILO Conventions 81 and 187 and in Art. 3 of the European Social Charta. Above all, Art. 4 and 11 of the council directive 89/391/EEC demand adequate supervisory measures and the participation of workers’ representatives in inspection visits. Annual reports of the German federal government display an intensive staff reduction in labour inspections – more than 30 % during the last fifteen years, although their competences and duties are growing. The author discusses some examples of insufficient supervision regarding working time, occupational safety of posted workers and the municipalisation in Baden-Württemberg. Although the German body of the labour inspections (LASI) is committed to better supervision with his new publication LV 1, the general situation of labour inspection in Germany is not acceptable. There is a need for a public debate to minimize the “inspection gap”. A reference point for such a debate can be the report of the European Parliament “Effective labour inspections” - INI 2013/2112 (INI) with the target of one inspector for every 10,000 workers.