Glossary: Psychological Risk Assessment

From 2026, the GDA targets at least a 5% inspection rate for GBU Psych compliance — gaps in documentation can trigger fines up to €30,000.

ArbSchG (Occupational Safety and Health Act)

The ArbSchG obliges every German employer under §5 to conduct risk assessments — since 2013 explicitly including psychological stress at work.

ArbStättV (Workplace Ordinance)

The ArbStättV regulates lighting, room temperature and noise — environmental factors with direct impact on psychological stress and employee concentration.

ArbZG (Working Hours Act)

The ArbZG limits daily work to 10 hours and mandates 11 hours' rest — working time is a key psychological stress factor captured in the GBU Psych.

ASA (Occupational Safety Committee)

The ASA is mandatory from 20 employees under §11 ASiG — employer, works council, Betriebsarzt and Sifa meet quarterly to steer occupational health strategy.

ASiG (Occupational Safety Act)

The ASiG requires every employer to appoint a Sifa and company doctor — both advise on risk assessment and psychological stress management.

BEM (Return-to-Work Management)

BEM is legally required after 42 days of sick leave (§167 SGB IX) — a structured, voluntary reintegration process to prevent recurring incapacity for work.

BetrVG (Works Constitution Act)

The BetrVG gives the works council co-determination rights under §87 in health protection — including the method and conduct of psychological risk assessments.

BGM (Workplace Health Management)

BGM unifies mandatory occupational safety and BEM with voluntary health promotion into one strategy for lasting employee health and company productivity.

Boreout arises from chronic under-challenge, boredom and disinterest at work — its health consequences can be as severe as burnout yet often go unrecognized.

Burnout (ICD-11, QD85) is a work syndrome of emotional exhaustion, cynicism and reduced performance caused by chronic overload without sufficient recovery.

The Betriebsarzt advises on health protection and supports risk assessment, conducting preventive examinations under medical confidentiality per §2 ASiG.

COPSOQ (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire)

COPSOQ is an internationally validated questionnaire measuring psychosocial workplace factors across up to 140 items in short, medium and long versions.

DGUV (German Social Accident Insurance)

DGUV is the umbrella body of Germany's statutory accident insurers, issuing binding safety regulations and free guidance including on psychological risk.

DIN EN ISO 10075 defines the stress-strain model separating neutral Belastung from individual Beanspruchung — the scientific basis for GBU Psych instruments.

Dokumentationspflicht (§6 ArbSchG) requires written records of risk assessment findings, measures and effectiveness checks — available for authority inspection.

FABA (Work-Related Behavior and Experience Patterns Questionnaire)

FABA classifies employees into four work-related behavior patterns — including two burnout risk profiles — to enable targeted individual prevention.

GBU Psych (Psychological Risk Assessment)

GBU Psych is the legally required assessment of psychological stress at work under §5 ArbSchG — mandatory for all German employers since 2013.

GDA Guideline (Joint German Occupational Safety Strategy)

The GDA Guideline defines 7 process steps and 4 characteristic areas for psychological risk assessment, used as a benchmark by German authorities.

IMPULS Test

The IMPULS Test is an Austrian self-assessment tool based on KFZA that visualizes team stress levels using a red-yellow-green traffic light system.

ISTA (Instrument for Stress-Related Job Analysis)

ISTA combines employee surveys, structured observation and expert assessment to analyze regulation requirements and stress-related job characteristics.

KFZA (Short Questionnaire for Work Analysis)

KFZA assesses working conditions in 26 items across 11 scales — a GDA-recognized screening instrument completing in about 10 minutes.

Professional Association (Berufsgenossenschaft)

The Berufsgenossenschaft (BG) is Germany's statutory accident insurer — every employer is a member with free prevention advice and safety training.

Psychische Beanspruchung is the individual response to Belastung — the same workload may activate one person and exhaust another based on personal resources.

Psychische Belastung is value-neutral (ISO 10075): it covers all external influences across work content, organization, social relations and work environment.

psyGA (Mental Health in the Workplace)

psyGA is a free German government initiative providing checklists, eLearning and action guides for protecting mental health at work.

Resilience is the capacity to absorb workplace stress and bounce back from setbacks — trainable through mindfulness, social support and stress management.

Resources are personal, social and organizational protective factors — like autonomy and recognition — that buffer stressors and reduce the risk of burnout.

The Gefährdungsbeurteilung systematically identifies all workplace hazards under §5 ArbSchG — since 2013 explicitly including psychological stress.

Safety Representative (SiBe)

The SiBe is a voluntary employee role required from 20 staff under §22 SGB VII — distinct from the Sifa, with no special training or personal liability.

SALSA (Salutogenic Subjective Work Analysis)

The SALSA questionnaire takes a salutogenic approach, measuring both workplace stressors and protective resources including autonomy and sense of coherence.

Sifa (Safety Specialist)

The Sifa is Germany's officially designated safety specialist (§5 ASiG), advising employers on risk assessment, workplace design and accident prevention.

Social relationships are the third GDA characteristic area, evaluating leadership behavior, collegial cooperation, social support and conflict at work.

SPA (Psychological Workload Screening)

SPA is a compact screening procedure for rapidly identifying psychological stress hotspots and prioritizing areas for deeper risk assessment.

Stressors are physical, psychological and social triggers of strain — such as time pressure or noise — assessed across all four GDA characteristic areas.

WAI (Work Ability Index)

The WAI measures employees' work ability on a 7–49 point scale across seven dimensions including health, competence and mental resources.

Work content is the first GDA characteristic area, evaluating task completeness, autonomy, variety, cognitive demands and emotional requirements of the job.

Work environment is the fourth GDA characteristic area, covering noise, lighting, room climate and ergonomics as drivers of psychological strain.

Work organization is the second GDA characteristic area, assessing time pressure, work interruptions, shift schedules, constant availability and task clarity.

Mobbing is defined as hostile acts targeting one person at least weekly over six months — a measurable social stressor assessed in the GBU Psych.

The Betriebsrat has co-determination rights in health protection (§87 BetrVG) and must be involved in planning and executing psychological risk assessments.