The Technical Rules for Workplaces specify the details of the Workplace Ordinance. The Technical Rules for Workplaces used to be called Workplace Guidelines, which is where the current abbreviation for Technical Rules for Workplaces comes from: ASR.
The rules are determined or adapted by the Committee for Workplaces and published by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the Joint Ministerial Gazette. The term "open-plan office" refers to a spatial grouping of office and computer workstations in an area of at least 400 m². It is particularly important for the health of employees and the quality of their work that workstations are adapted to the activities of the employees. Employees should have at least 1.50 m² of space to move around their workstation to ensure that they can perform their work without compromising their safety, health, or well-being.
If this is not possible, employees must have at least 1.50 m² of space to move around near their workstation. The movement area is reduced to at least 1 meter for activities performed while sitting or standing, and the minimum depth for sitting and standing should also be at least 1 meter.
The guidelines for the height of office rooms should also be observed. An open-plan office must have a minimum height of 3 meters. For areas larger than 2,000 square meters, the height should even be at least 3.25 meters. Occupational safety therefore stipulates a minimum of 12 to 15 m² Per employee. It is important that the above-mentioned square meters refer exclusively to a workstation, with the exception of traffic areas, movement areas for other employees, and storage and functional areas for equipment and fixtures.
The employer must ensure that every employee can carry out their work without disturbance and that their freedom of movement is not restricted by fixtures, equipment, or other objects. Safety distances should also be taken into account.
In large rooms, it is often the case that several workstations are arranged next to each other. In this case, the width of the movement area at each workstation must be at least 1.20 meters. The guidelines must be strictly adhered to. Failure to comply may result in a heavy fine or even the withdrawal of the business license.
In addition to the trade supervisory authorities and the occupational safety authority, the works council, if one exists, is also obliged to ensure compliance with these requirements. In the event of a violation, the works council (if one exists) must also report this to the state occupational safety authority.
