December 2018 / January 2019
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The job of an emergency worker is associated with a lot of stress and can lead to exhaustion and emotional strain. A study by the Initiative Health and Work (iga) shows that training in emotional skills and competencies during initial job training has a protective effect.
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Where does Germany stand after 10 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? DGUV Kompakt spoke about this with Jürgen Dusel, Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities. We also asked him what opportunities digitalisation can offer people with disabilities and why inclusion in the workplace still isn’t a given.
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‘I’ll be back’ is a short film from the BG Hospital Group. It’s based on the true story of Felix Roth, an engineer who was seriously injured on his way to work. The film won first prize in the Medical Films category at the 9th Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.
October / November 2018
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In the first half of 2018, 206 people lost their lives due to an accident at work. This means 17 fatal accidents at work fewer than in the first half of 2017. Further efforts are needed to make sure this positive trend continues. Germany’s social accident insurance institutions are working hand in hand with government supervisory bodies.
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As Deputy Director General of the DGUV, Dr Walter Eichendorf has been a major player in the field of prevention work over the last 20 years. He spoke with DGUV Kompakt about Vision Zero, prevention 4.0 and his plans for the future shortly before his departure on 31 October.
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The Alpenrind judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) reinforced the non-replacement condition for posted workers. The judgement gives more clarity, but in practice it could lead to increased costs and efforts for companies, employees and social security institutions.
September 2018
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In the near future the Digital Portal Network is to provide citizens with administrative services online. Until then the responsible ministry and the various branches of social security need to work even closer together.
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The boundaries between dependent employment and self-employment that are becoming blurred with digitalisation. DGUV Kompakt spoke with Professor Rainer Schlegel, President of the Federal Social Court, about why self-employed should also be obliged to provide old-age pensions and accident insurance.
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The European Parliament and the Council agreed in June 2018 on a compromise on the implementation of the European Single Digital Gateway, which now has to be formally confirmed. Right from the planning-stage the link to the German Digital Portal Network should be considered.
July/August 2018
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In July, the DGUV presented the annual figures from the German social accident insurance institutions for 2017. The number of work-related non-melanoma skin cancers has risen. The main risk factor is overexposure to UV radiation. In contrast, the positive trend from 2016 for occupational accidents continued, with the risk of an accident at work or in an educational institution declining once more. The average contribution paid by companies to the social accident insurance institutions reached a historical low despite costs increasing.
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They are among the most dramatic traffic accidents in the inner city: accidents caused by lorry or bus drivers when turning and not seeing pedestrians or cyclists. They often cause serious injuries or even death. Children often are killed in these types of accidents. Interview with Dr Walter Eichendorf, President of the German Road Safety Council (DVR) and Deputy Director General of the DGUV.
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Demographic change is one of socie¬ty’s biggest challenges. An increasingly older workforce and intensifying work mean that chronic physical and mental health problems are also on the rise. There is more focus on pre¬vention, rehabilitation and reintegra¬tion, including at European level.
June 2018
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1.3 million volunteer firefighters in Germany attend fires, accidents, floods and other emergencies. Their actions are sometimes at the expense of their own health, even their own lives. Firefighters are protected by statutory accident insurance, which provides special extra benefits for their dedication to society.
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One of the goals of the Bundestag for the current legislative period is to provide fast assistance, free of red tape, to the victims of attacks. Accordingly, the German social accident insurance institutions have begun to review their own structures for major disasters. DGUV Kompakt spoke to the head of the project group, Managing Director of the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Fire Services in Lower Saxony, Thomas Wittschurky, about the current situation.
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A person who has suffered a trauma due to a workplace or commuting accident often needs professional support as early as possible. To make sure this happens, the German social accident insurance institutions established the Psychotherapist Procedure in 2012.
May 2018
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Germany’s new federal government has been in office since March 2018. The social policy projects announced in the coalition agreement include further developing occupational disease legislation. The DGUV had already developed a forward-thinking concept in 2016.
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In November last year, the Members’ Meeting of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) elected new chairpersons for its board. DGUV Kompakt spoke with Manfred Wirsch and Volker Enkerts about the federal government’s new coalition agreement and the challenges of digitalisation for Germany’s social accident insurance.
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Of the 500 million citizens in the EU, 16 million work in another EU Member State. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker therefore proposed the creation of a European Labour Office (ELA) in his State of the Union Address in September 2017. The initiative is a building block of a major EU project to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights.
March/April 2018
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The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the SPD provides for far-reaching changes in the long-term care of the elderly. Among other things, a fast-track programme aims to alleviate the shortage of staff in long-term care facilities by creating an additional 8,000 specialist staff positions. The German social accident insurance institutions welcome these plans.
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In addition to establishing a European Labour Authority, the EU-Commission also proposed the introduction of a single European Social Security Number (ESSN). In DGUV Kompakt, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband), the German Federal Pension Insurance (DRV Bund) and the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) put forward their position.
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These are not isolated cases when first responders are obstructed or insulted on duty. In order to determine how dangerous this is, the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Public Sector in North Rhine-Westphalia commissioned the Ruhr University Bochum to conduct a qualitative study on violence against paramedics.
February 2018
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Should internet platforms such as Airbnb and Amazon Mechanical Turk, which engage the services of self-employed persons, pay contributions to statutory accident insurance? At the start of this year, Dr Joachim Breuer, DGUV Director General, asked a similar question in order to initiate a debate on the social protection of self-employed workers.
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In 1993, the umbrella associations of Germany’s social security system opened a liaison office in Brussels in order to have a common voice on the EU’s social and health initiatives. As part of its 25th anniversary, there will be a conference on ‘Digital Change and Social Security’. DGUV Kompakt spoke with Ilka Wölfle, Director of the European Representation of the German Social Insurance in Brussels.
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The EU Commission launched a public consultation on whether the EU could help Member States to guarantee access to social protection for all forms of work. In comments submitted by the umbrella associations of Germany’s social insurance, they emphasised that the Member States are responsible for determining the core principles of their social security systems. However, improving the exchange of experiences and information can help the Member States to fulfil their responsibilities.
