German Workplaces Ordinance: Lighting, Temperature and Sanitary Facilities

A workplace can look perfectly usable while still creating avoidable risks: glare at a desk, overheating in a south-facing shop, or wash facilities that do not fit the activity. Germany’s Workplaces Ordinance (Arbeitsstättenverordnung, ArbStättV) sets the framework. Its Technical Rules for Workplaces (ASR) explain how employers can meet the requirements in practice. For lighting, temperature and sanitary facilities, the key rules are ASR A3.4, A3.5 and A4.1.

The employer assesses the actual workplace and activities. The ASR give concrete ways to satisfy the ordinance; alternative measures are possible if they provide equivalent safety and health protection. One number cannot describe every room, task or shift.

Searches for “Arbeitsstättenrichtlinie Beleuchtung” often refer to today’s ASR A3.4, “Beleuchtung und Sichtverbindung”. Workrooms should receive sufficient daylight as far as possible and generally have a view outside; the ordinance contains defined exceptions and transitional provisions. Artificial lighting must also make the work safe and suitable for the visual task. A bright ceiling alone does not prove the work surface is adequately lit.
For ordinary office tasks involving reading, writing and data processing, the reference minimum maintained illuminance is 500 lux at the workplace. Different activities and surrounding areas have different values. During an inspection, measure at the relevant work area, look for screen reflections and shadows, and consider whether light levels remain adequate after lamps age or become dirty. Daylight controls and blinds should limit glare without leaving staff in a dark room.

The ordinance requires a health-compatible room temperature during use. ASR A3.5 specifies minimum values according to physical activity and posture; for predominantly seated, light work, such as ordinary office work, the minimum air temperature is 20°C. There is no single legal “ideal office temperature” for every activity. Measure conditions where employees work, especially at cold entrances, near windows and in spaces with uneven heating.
In warm weather, the 26°C, 30°C and 35°C thresholds have different meanings. When outdoor air exceeds 26°C and the room also rises above 26°C, suitable solar protection and additional measures under the rule come into play. Above 30°C, effective measures are required; above 35°C, the room is unsuitable as a workplace for the period concerned unless special protective measures comparable to those for heat work are in place. Shading, ventilation strategy, reduced internal heat loads and adjusted working hours may be more relevant than a thermostat setting alone.

Employers must provide toilets with handwashing facilities close to workrooms and shared areas. Separate facilities for men and women, or separate use, must be arranged in line with the ordinance and ASR A4.1. The required number depends on how many people normally use the facilities at the same time and the applicable tables; a simple one-toilet-per-X-employees rule is unreliable. Toilets need privacy, usable access and regular cleaning.
Washrooms or showers are required when the work or health reasons make them necessary. Changing rooms are required where special work clothing has to be worn and changing elsewhere is unreasonable. In a normal office, adequate handwashing facilities may be enough; a workshop handling heavy dirt or hazardous residues needs a different assessment. Check hot and cold water where required, soap, drying options, ventilation and a cleaning routine.

1. Map the rooms and activities at every site: desk work, retail, storage, workshop and shared facilities may have different requirements.
2. Record lighting measurements and glare complaints, temperature readings at representative times, and sanitary capacity and condition.
3. Prioritise defects that affect daily use: failed luminaires, broken shading, unstable heating, leaks or unusable toilets.
4. Assign corrective work to qualified trades and retain measurements, service records and the updated risk assessment.

A lease does not erase the employer’s workplace obligations. Where a landlord controls building systems, clarify responsibility and access early so the necessary remedial work can actually be completed.

Wowworks coordinates technical facility work across offices, stores and other commercial sites in Germany. A facilities team can route lighting repairs, shading and HVAC faults, and sanitary repairs to suitable local contractors, then track the order and documentation centrally. That makes it easier to spot repeated problems across a network and close out the actions identified in a workplace assessment. The employer remains responsible for deciding what the assessment requires.