Die COVID-19-Arbeitszeitverordnung. Arbeitswissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse und empirische Ergebnisse aus betrieblicher Sicht

Abstract

The COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance: Implications for occupational safety and health and insights from an employer survey Aims: In this article, we discuss the COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance against the background of selected recent scientific evidence in the field of occupational safety and health. The article describes the potential implications, especially with regard to long working hours and the shortening of minimum rest periods as well as the deregulation of work on Sundays and holidays. In addition, we present employer survey data on the actual level of awareness and use of the COVID-19 Working Hours Ordinance. Method: Current literature reviews and meta-analyses, large-scale studies/consensus papers and recommendations on the management of long working hours, shortened rest periods (quick returns) and work on Sundays or public holidays are used for the scientific evaluation. The analyses of the level of awareness and use of the COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance are based on the second wave of the “Enterprises in the COVID-19 Crisis” survey. Results: The deviations from the Working Hours Act in the COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance are associated with a high risk of negative effects on the safety and health of employees. Overall, only a small proportion of the companies in the survey reported that they used the deviations in the Ordinance, mostly in the retail sector and in micro-enterprises. Conclusion: The derogations from the Working Hours Act appear to be counterproductive from an occupational safety and health perspective, especially in the context of coping with the high work intensity during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Structural problems, such as the shortage of skilled workers, should be addressed more closely in the future in order to enable healthy and sustainable working time models, particularly in times of extreme workloads. Keywords: working time – rest periods – work on Sundays and public holidays – SARS-CoV-2 epidemic – essential occupations – occupational safety and health – COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance – employment protection