Fire Protection Experts

Limitation of liability risks through fire protection experts

Employers in Germany do not, in principle, have a statutory obligation to seek advice from a fire protection adviser in matters relating to fire protection.

The requirement to appoint a fire protection adviser arises, however, in some cases, from national building regulations. In particular, the Industrial Buildings Directive stipulates that fire protection experts need to be appointed for industrial buildings of a certain size in some cases. Companies with a certain floor area are obliged by the Model Industrial Buildings Directive - Model Directive on Structural Fire Protection in Industrial Buildings (German designation: MIndBauR) - to appoint a fire protection adviser.

Nevertheless, there is often an indirect requirement to appoint a fire protection adviser in the company. For example, in the case of new constructions or conversions of industrial or administrative buildings, a fire protection adviser is required in terms of a fire protection concept. Similarly, a property insurer's insurance regulations regularly make provision for a fire protection adviser. Failure to appoint may result in liability risks in the event of a fire.

Our fire protection experts can undertake the following functions:

• Providing support for the officer in charge of fire protection within the company (employer, plant manager) in all matters relating to fire protection,
• conducting fire protection inspections,
• preparing fire protection ordinances,
• participating in the training of employees, such as fire protection and evacuation assistants, authorized persons etc.,
• participating in looking after fire protection equipment,
• monitoring the test dates for fire protection equipment,
• monitoring the usability of exit and escape routes,
• determining fire and explosion hazards,
• advising on the design of work processes and on the use of working materials,
• collaborating with all other company experts (e.g. expert for occupational safety),
• collaborating with the regulatory authority, the fire service and property insurers.

Dangerous Goods Experts

Transport of dangerous goods

Dangerous goods officers are obligatory in many companies. Whether employed as dangerous goods experts or as persons responsible who are involved in the transportation of dangerous goods (formerly, authorized person), they report directly to management and are responsible in the company for the implementation of, and compliance with, the dangerous goods regulations.

BfU Dr. Poppe AG provides on-site support to the responsible persons - through consultancy and training.

As an external service provider, BfU also undertakes these tasks completely - in a professional, uncomplicated and always up-to-date manner.

If you do not know whether you require a dangerous goods adviser or "authorized persons" for your company, call us or write to us!

We will check whether current regulations require you to appoint a dangerous goods adviser for your company. On request, we will prepare an individual quotation in respect of our services relating to the transport of dangerous goods.

These include:

• Placing the dangerous goods adviser
• Advising the company on activities in connection with the transport of dangerous goods
• Verifying that the workers involved have sufficient training, carrying out instruction in accordance with Section 27 of the Gefahrgutverordnung Straße, Eisenbahn und Binnenschifffahrt (Regulation on the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, Rail or Inland Waterways - GGVSEB) in conjunction with Chapter 1.3 of ADR (formerly, training in accordance with Section 6 of the Gefahrgutbeauftragten-Verordnung (Dangerous Goods Adviser Regulation - GbV) for authorized persons)
• Checking classification, packaging, carriage and storage conditions
• Preparing detailed procedural instructions
• Providing necessary documents, e.g. carriage documents, written instructions
• Formulating optimum concepts for the company's management of dangerous goods
• Introducing appropriate measures for preventing further occurrence of accidents and incidents

Immission Protection Experts

External specialists in environmental protection

Companies operating installations requiring a licence under the Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz (Federal Immission Control Act - BImSchG) are obliged to appoint one or more immission protection experts. Apart from companies operating installations listed in the 4.BImSchV (4th Ordinance for implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act), this can also affect other companies that have been obliged by authorities to make such an appointment.

The immission protection expert's function is to monitor the implementation of the statutory immission control requirements and to work towards improving environmental performance. This not only requires the adviser to be highly qualified in technical and legal terms, but also places demands on time resources. It therefore makes sense for many companies to have recourse to external advisers to save internal resources and to acquire additional know-how.

Our services:

BfU AG has immission control officers with long-standing experience. Our employees also benefit from an ongoing exchange with our interdisciplinary team and can provide you with company-specific support or can even take over all the immission control officer's functions. This includes, among other things:

• Preparing the immission control officer's annual report
• Monitoring legal and company-specific requirements and identifying the company's need for action / preparing corresponding action plans
• Monitoring and evaluating emission measurements
• Providing information about new, environmentally friendly processes
• Training employees, and raising their awareness, in respect of environmentally relevant issues / immission control

REACH Experts

Hazardous substance management in accordance with the REACH Regulation

The REACH Regulation has been in force since 1 June 2007. Companies that import, manufacture, or are downstream users of, hazardous substances are affected by the REACH Regulation. Manufacturers, importers and users are expected to implement requirements under chemicals legislation correctly, focusing not only on data collection, but also on disseminating information in the supply chain.

Due to the continually increasing number of substance bans, restrictions on use and labelling obligations, companies need to ensure that their products comply with REACH. This necessitates extensive hazardous substance management as well as evaluation and analysis of data across the entire supply chain. The tasks related to REACH can be appropriately organized by a REACH adviser.

We offer the following levels of support through the REACH adviser:

• Event-driven examination of the legal consequences resulting from changes in legislation (REACH, CLP and national transpositions)
• Regularly examining substance restrictions in accordance with Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation (e.g. PAHs) and communicating the results
• Regularly examining the Candidate List in accordance with Article 57 of the REACH Regulation (SVHC List) and carrying out the necessary measures
• Providing assistance with possible authorization applications for SVHCs subject to authorization, as set out in Annex XIV of the REACH Regulation
• Providing notifications to ECHA's Classification and Labelling (C&L) Inventory when substances are placed on the market
• Providing notifications to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
• Providing assistance with possible registrations of pure substances
• Providing assistance with the classification and labelling of substances and mixtures in accordance with hazardous substance legislation
• Checking the plausibility of safety data sheets
• Providing assistance with the preparation of safety data sheets for a company's own products
• Examining extended safety data sheets and providing information to the supply chain if uses are not described or not described in full

Radiation Protection Experts

Responsible handling of radioactive substances

Many sub-areas in industry, trade and medicine are unimaginable without the use of radioactive substances. Radioactive substances are used in measuring equipment for non-destructive materials testing or measuring tasks like flow or fill level measurement. In addition, radioactive substances are used in preparations for medical diagnostics and therapy purposes.

As radiation can lead to acute injuries and serious diseases in people as well as causing changes to their genetic make-up, the use of radioactive substances is strictly regulated.

Companies that carry out activities involving radioactive substances (e.g. operation of equipment for generating ionizing rays, use of radioactive substances in measuring equipment) must, as a matter of principle, appoint radiation protection experts pursuant to the Strahlenschutzverordnung (Radiation Protection Ordinance).

Radiation protection experts must have the technical qualifications required in accordance with Section 30 of the Strahlenschutzverordnung.

The radiation protection adviser can undertake the following functions:

• Providing instruction to persons employed in radiation protection areas,
• planning and defining technical and organizational radiation protection measures (e.g. defining radiation protection areas),
• preparing radiation protection instructions,
• inspecting the operational reliability of the facilities, devices and equipment intended for radiation protection,
• providing inventory management of radioactive preparations,
• monitoring personal dosimeters (the wearing of dosimeters, regular change of films),
• regular examination of the effectiveness of the protective devices and protection regulations,
• authorities management, including surveillance and regulatory authorities and employers' liability insurance associations.