GB Psych 2026: What German authorities in BW, NRW and Hesse now check

If you are a managing director waiting for a 2026 authority inspection, there is one aspect you should no longer underestimate: the psychological risk assessment (GB Psych) has become a permanent inspection topic in the supervisory practice of the German states. The evidence is not in alarmist "special operations" but in concrete, documented structures – purpose-built competence units, a binding federal-state programme, and current activity reports of the supervisory authorities.

We reviewed the verifiable sources. Here is what is actually happening – and what is not.

What authorities are really doing in 2026

The Joint German Occupational Safety Strategy (GDA) is the federal-state-accident-insurance programme that defines the priorities of the supervisory authorities. Its current "Psyche" Programme makes the psychological risk assessment a core topic – not only as an obligation to be inspected, but with the explicit mandate to advance the advisory and supervisory standard. Today, authorities check not only whether a GB Psych exists, but whether it has been carried out methodologically soundly. [1]

The 3rd GDA period runs until the end of 2026; the year is officially designated as a "pilot year" before the 4th GDA period begins in 2027. [1]

Three federal states with clearly documented practice

Baden-Württemberg: Dedicated Competence Centre for Occupational Psychology

At the Regional Council of Stuttgart (Department 9, Unit 96), a dedicated Competence Centre for Occupational Psychology is in place. It advises inspectors during company audits, trains occupational safety specialists, and provides state-wide support in evaluating GB Psych. A telephone helpline is available Monday 7am–11am at +49 711 904-39666. [2]

North Rhine-Westphalia: 2024 SuGA report makes mental health an annual focus

The annual report "Safety and Health at Work (SuGA) NRW" for 2024 was published on 9 January 2026 by the State Institute for Occupational Health NRW (LIA). The report puts the mental health of employees centre stage. [3] [4]

Hesse: Three Regional Councils with their own line

In Hesse, the Regional Councils of Darmstadt, Gießen and Kassel are responsible. The Unfallkasse Hessen complements this with consulting and training offerings on GB Psych. [5]

Where the claims are often exaggerated

Marketing materials from individual vendors like to talk about "special inspection campaigns". A campaign by that name, time-limited to 2025 or 2026, cannot be primarily verified on the official websites of the authorities in BW, NRW or Hesse. What can be verified: GB Psych is a permanent component of the standard supervisory routine – based on the GDA, not on a campaign.

Concrete fines exclusively for missing GB Psych are not separately reported in any official statistic either. The legal framework, however, is clear: under Section 25 (1) No. 2a of the ArbSchG, fines of up to 30,000 euros are possible. In practice, the authority will first issue an order with a deadline under Section 22 ArbSchG – fines only follow if the deadline lapses. [6]

How widespread is GB Psych really?

The 2023/24 GDA evaluation provides a citable number. Around 68% of companies in Germany have any kind of risk assessment at all. Of these, about 65–66% explicitly cover psychological stress. The result: only roughly half of all companies have a GB Psych – although the obligation has been enshrined in Section 5 (3) No. 6 ArbSchG since 2013. [7]

This gap is exactly why supervisory authorities focus on the topic systematically.

What an inspection in 2026 actually checks

When a labour inspector turns up for a company audit, GB Psych typically comes down to four questions:

1. Does a written GB Psych exist? – Documentation duty under Section 6 ArbSchG.
2. Are all activity areas and employee groups covered? – A blanket assessment without differentiation is regularly considered insufficient.
3. Is the method appropriate? – BAuA's GDA recommendations set the bar. [8]
4. Are measures derived, implemented and verified for effectiveness? – Without action plan and effectiveness check, the cycle of Section 3 ArbSchG is incomplete.

What managing directors should do now

• Check status: Is there a written GB Psych – current, complete, methodologically sound? Use our obligation checker in 2 minutes.
• Differentiate activity areas: A "one-size-fits-all" assessment will not survive a thorough audit.
• Close the action loop: Risk identification → measures → implementation → effectiveness check.
• Have documentation at hand: In an inspection, it must be presented – not slumber in some cloud folder.

How SafeMind helps

SafeMind digitalises exactly this process: a GDA-compliant GB Psych, covering all six GDA design areas, available in 15 languages, with one-click documentation ready for authority inspections.

Book a 15-minute initial consultation – we'll show you where your gaps are and how to close them before the inspector calls.

Sources

1. GDA "Psyche" Programme (3rd GDA period 2021–2026) – federal government, federal states, accident insurance institutions; mandate to "advance the advisory and supervisory standard"; SME focus <250 employees, digitalisation, post-COVID; 4th GDA period from 2027. Programme detail page, gda-portal.de.
2. Regional Council Stuttgart – Competence Centre for Occupational Psychology, Department 9 / Unit 96; helpline Mon 7–11 am (+49 711 904-39666); advises inspectors and trains specialists. rps.baden-wuerttemberg.de.
3. LIA NRW press release "SuGA Report NRW 2024", 9 Jan 2026 – mental-health focus: 810,399 reportable accidents, 440 fatal; 147.3 m sick days due to mental disorders (16.7 %); 42 % of early-retirement pensions mental-health related. Press release, lia.nrw.de. Federal full text: SuGA 2024 PDF, baua.de.
4. Statistical Annual Report ASV NRW 2024 – published by the NRW occupational safety authority. PDF, arbeitsschutz.nrw.de.
5. Unfallkasse Hessen – Risk assessment of mental stress: counselling and training offer from UK Hessen, flanking the supervision of the three Hessian Regional Councils (Darmstadt, Gießen, Kassel); contact Dr. Lisa Ritzenhöfer. ukh.de – GBU mental stress. Online tool: PsyGesund.
6. ArbSchG – relevant paragraphs: § 5 (risk assessment, (3) No. 6 mental stress) · § 6 (documentation) · § 22 (orders) · § 25 (fines up to €30,000).
7. GDA Company and Employee Survey 2023/24 (overarching evaluation), fielded by infas, n=3,817 companies + 3,824 employees (Sept 2023 – Jun 2024). Overall risk-assessment rate 68 % (vs. 52 % in 2015); 65 % of those covering psychological stress. GDA bulletin 24 Jun 2025. BMAS: BMAS press release.
8. BAuA / GDA – Recommendations "Considering psychological stress in the risk assessment", 4th edition 2022 – authoritative methodological standard. PDF, gda-portal.de. BAuA hub: baua.de.
9. Hesse Annual Report Occupational Safety 2024, ch. "Mental stress at work" pp. 98–102 (author Claudia Flake, Specialist Centre at Regional Council Gießen) – LASI working group on psychological stress 2020–2025 led by Hesse. PDF, arbeitswelt.hessen.de.