Sebastian Bartels: The sustainable development of companies is desired or even demanded by almost all customers today. Sustainable development means taking care of various topics and fields of action. In addition to reducing climate-relevant emissions and impacts along the value chain, for example, efforts must also be made to further develop occupational health and safety. An investment in sustainable development always pays off. In addition to customer requirements, it is also the requirements of banks, insurance companies, investors and employees that make sustainable development worthwhile.

Dr. Christian Felten: Sustainability should be indivisible within the company. There is no truly sustainable company that only acts sustainably in environmental protection but does not apply the principles of sustainability in occupational health and safety. For example, the sustainable establishment of health and safety in companies has a very positive effect on sickness rates and leads to greater motivation and performance.

Sebastian Bartels: Global developments in energy supply and energy prices will presumably accelerate the energy transition that has already been initiated. There will not only be abstract changes at a social/national level, but also very concrete changes in companies.

Sebastian Bartels: Many companies have already understood that employability is part of sustainable development. Large companies tend to be further along in this respect than small and medium-sized enterprises, but there are companies in all industries and of all sizes that achieve measurable results with a systematic approach and promote employability out of their own motivation.

Sebastian Bartels: There are already many good examples of companies that are strategically positioning their occupational health and safety and actively incorporating it into their strategy. A good strategy also includes, for example, clear objectives (“leading indicators”, not “lagging indicators”), resources, tasks and roles, communication, leadership, a clear commitment from top management and task management, including effectiveness checks at a strategic level.

Dr. Christian Felten: The ISSA has published a series of Proactive Leading Indicators, for example, which map the achievement of Vision Zero or the progress of the Vision Zero strategy in the company or the degree of sustainability.

Sebastian Bartels: If companies focus mainly on operational issues, the first thing that needs to change is the understanding of leadership at the top level. In addition, it may be necessary to acquire strategic skills in relation to occupational health and safety. Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to the “why”. This would have to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

Sebastian Bartels: There are various ways of analyzing and evaluating employer attractiveness. In addition to independent service providers that offer an assessment of companies, there are also service providers that carry out employee surveys and analyses, for example. Some are already able to establish links between sustainability and employee satisfaction or attractiveness as an employer.

Dr. Christian Felten: In addition to their supervisory activities, accident insurers advise member companies on safe and healthy working practices and offer various prevention services. The prevention mandate to prevent occupational and commuting accidents, occupational illnesses and work-related health hazards “by all appropriate means” enables the statutory accident insurance institutions to offer a very wide range of prevention measures for sustainable occupational health and safety. The catalog of prevention services currently offered by the accident insurance institutions is an expression of these comprehensive possibilities: Incentive systems for sustainable solutions in companies, advice on request, research, development and model projects, testing and certification of work equipment and management systems, employee training.

Sebastian Bartels: DEKRA has sustainability in its corporate vision, mission, economic goals and the individual goals of all managers worldwide. We have had very good experiences with this and it is part of our values. Employees as well as customers, suppliers and stakeholders greatly appreciate this systematic and value-oriented approach.

Dr. Christian Felten: Sustainable measures for health and safety at work also pay off in authorities without competition and the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its requirements naturally also apply there. Sustainability as a competitive advantage is just one point among many. Here too, the assessment of working conditions is central. And this is more comprehensive than a risk assessment, because positive factors should also be included. In addition, there must be clear, defined responsibilities in the management structure and who exactly is the employer or entrepreneur in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and to whom certain duties are delegated. It is important for authorities to create a culture of prevention with a commitment from management.

Sebastian Bartels: Everyone is very different in this respect. Managers need to understand what it’s all about and how they can be more effective in their role. As a rule, this is an intrinsic motivation. However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. So-called 360° leadership diagnostics tools are a very good way of developing managers and identifying areas for action. These help managers to identify their strengths and areas of action and to work on them systematically.

Dr. Christian Felten: Sustainability in the classic sense means that you don’t take more out of a system in the long term than you put back in so as not to destroy it in the long term. The “management system” itself should recognize this in the interest of its own efficiency and preservation of its strengths with regard to its management actions. It is particularly important to achieve a balance with one’s own mental and physical resources in terms of sustainability, especially when a high level of intrinsic motivation is desirable.

Sebastian Bartels: Basically, I recommend a structured and systematic risk assessment that takes environmental protection into account in addition to occupational health and safety. The STOP principle should be applied here. Substitution, technical measures and organizational measures should always take precedence over individual personal measures.

Dr. Christian Felten: The Taxonomy Regulation does indeed apply to all sectors of the economy, but primarily sets out a set of rules for climate and environmentally friendly activities and investments and has identified six climate and environmental protection targets. Occupational health and safety is not a core issue, but it can be assumed that the overall mindset of the Green Deal and taxonomy will have a positive impact on this. However, the Green Deal also includes a new philosophy for activities involving chemicals. Hazardous substances with certain dangerous properties should no longer be allowed to be used at all, instead of minimizing the risk of their use through protective measures in the workplace if it can be proven that no substitution is possible in the company. It is conceivable, and probably also necessary, that regulatory supervision must and will initially intervene more strongly here in order to implement the Green Deal approach in the workplace, if it is then incorporated into legislation.