Have you carried out a workplace assessment this year?

For some companies, the workplace assessment (in Danish, arbejdspladsvurdering or APV) is an active and valuable tool in the work to improve the working environment and wellbeing. For others, it is first and foremost an obligation to be got out of the way as quickly as possible.

At Azets, my department and I advise companies on exactly this – the APV – every day. And whichever of the two groups you belong to, there are some fundamental things that are worth getting right. In this blog post, I provide a general introduction to the APV, covering the information that every company should know as a bare minimum.

Who has to carry out an APV?

Under the Danish Working Environment Act, every company with employees – even if there is only one member of staff – must carry out a workplace assessment (APV) at least every three years, or whenever changes occur that affect the working environment. As a company, it is your responsibility to ensure that the APV is carried out.

There is, however, an exception for companies where the work is performed solely by members of the employer's own household – for example children or a spouse – and where there are no other employees.

The APV isn't just a tedious obligation

Many years of experience in HR and working with a wide range of companies have made it clear to me that an APV should not be seen merely as an obligation, but as an important tool. You and your employees can and should use the APV to improve the working environment.

A good and safe working environment offers many benefits for both you as a company and your employees:

• Fewer workplace accidents for employees, and therefore lower costs arising from accidents and occupational injuries
• Less illness, and therefore less sickness absence
• Less staff turnover
• Greater job satisfaction, motivation and productivity

As a company, you are free to choose the methods and tools you use to carry out the APV. The Danish Working Environment Authority (Arbejdstilsynet) does not approve the APV, but it does monitor compliance with the following requirements set out in working environment legislation:

• The APV must be in writing
• The APV must be accessible to management, employees and the Working Environment Authority alike
• The APV must contain the following five elements:
  • Identification and mapping of the company's overall working environment
  • Description and assessment of the company's working environment problems
  • Consideration of the company's sickness absence
  • Prioritisation of solutions to the company's working environment problems, and the drawing up of an action plan
  • Guidelines for following up on the action plan

Management and employees must work together throughout the entire APV process.

How do we go about it?

If you do not have sufficient insight to carry out the APV yourselves, or if you would like an external provider to help, Azets can make an APV system available and assist with both advice and implementation. If the physical safety of the workplace itself needs to be reviewed, you should contact a working environment centre.

If your company has a working environment organisation (in Danish, arbejdsmiljøorganisation or AMO), it must be consulted first before you approach an external provider, and the AMO must also be involved throughout the process. This applies to the planning, implementation, follow-up and revision of the APV alike. In companies where there is no requirement to have an AMO, employees must take part in the APV work in the same way.

Do you need help?

We advise on the entire APV process. If you need help, you are welcome to contact us. You can also read more about our APV advisory services.