Abschnitt 3.7 - 3.7 Communal rooms
Suitably designed break rooms and functionally furnished office kitchens reflect the esteem in which you hold your employees. They also facilitate communication. In order to prevent health hazards, such as scalding or infections, from arising in these areas, certain rules must be observed.
Statutory references | |
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Hazards |
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The following hazards to your employees may exist in communal rooms:
Electric shock, caused for example by defective power cables or casings, operation of electrical equipment in wet areas
Slipping, tripping and falling, for example on wet floors
Poor hygiene (for example in sanitary and kitchen areas)
Scalding caused for example by tipping of or contact with coffee machines and kettles
Fire hazards caused by electrical equipment (such as hotplates)
Mental stress caused by noise (for example emanating from equipment and external ambient noise in break rooms)
Unfavourable environmental factors (such as temperature, ventilation and lighting)
Measures |
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Ensure that all electrical equipment is tested at the specified intervals by a skilled electrician or under the instruction and supervision of a skilled electrician. Instruct your employees to check the power leads and casings of the equipment visually at regular intervals for evident damage.
Note that the electrical safety of mains equipment brought to work by the employees, such as coffee machines, fans and radios, must also be checked regularly. |
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Ensure that socket circuits, particularly in kitchens and sanitary areas, are protected by a residual-current device (30 mA).
Place coffee machines and kettles on a fireproof surface (e.g. tiles). Ensure that the equipment cannot tip over and is an adequate distance away from basins and sinks.
A separate circuit for electrical appliances posing a fire risk (such as cookers, coffee machines, kettles) enables them to be switched on and off separately from all other electrical appliances, for example by means of a timer. As the employer, you are responsible for having such a circuit installed by a skilled electrician.
Keep circulation routes free of collision and tripping hazards. Provide circulation routes of adequate width (see Chapter 3.3.1) and ensure that materials (such as cleaning agents) or work equipment are not left on circulation routes.
Have floors and walls in sanitary areas and kitchens finished in materials that can be wet wiped (such as ceramic tiles, plastics).
Use floor coverings that are slip-resistant even when wet (slip resistance: R9 for toilet areas, R10 for sanitary areas and office kitchens).
The cleaning work in the communal areas of your company should not be obstructed by furnishings if this can possibly be avoided.
Ensure a rated illuminance of at least 200 lux in office kitchens, break rooms and sanitary areas.
Figure 30 Example signage of sanitary areas
Sanitary areas
Provide separate toilet areas for men and women. Should your company have fewer than ten employees, separate toilet areas for men and women are not required provided it can be assured that the areas are not used by both sexes simultaneously.
Provide an adequate number of toilets and washbasins for your employees and visitors (see Table 11).
When planning office areas, ensure that toilets are in the same building and are not more than one storey removed from permanent workplaces.
Ensure that facilities are provided for washing hands under running water. Provide suitable products in toilet areas for cleaning and drying hands (such as soap in soap dispensers, disposable towels or roller towel machines).
Ensure that the toilet areas are properly ventilated.
Table 11 Excerpt from ASR A4.1, sanitary areas
Male or female employees | Minimum number when rarely used at the same time | Minimum number when often used at the same time | ||
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Toilets/urinals | Washbasins | Toilets/urinals | Washbasins | |
to 5 | 1*) | 1 | 2 | 1 |
6 to 10 | 1*) | 1 | 3 | 1 |
11 to 25 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
26 to 50 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
51 to 75 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
76 to 100 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
101 to 130 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 4 |
131 to 160 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 4 |
161 to 190 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 5 |
191 to 220 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 6 |
221 to 250 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 7 |
Per 30 further employees +1 | Per 90 further employees +1 | Per 30 further employees +2 | Per 90 further employees +2 | |
*) One urinal for male employees is recommended in addition |
Break areas
A break room is required when your company employs more than ten persons. Break rooms are not required when the offices are free of work-related disturbances (such as the presence of members of the public; telephone calls). Break rooms must satisfy the following requirements:
A floor area of at least 1.00 m2 per employee. A break room must have a floor area of at least 6.00 m2. Note that circulation routes and utility areas for further furnishings must be added to these figures.
Ensure that tables and seats with backrests are available for your employees.
Avoid nuisance caused for example by vibration, dust, vapours or odours.
Ensure that during breaks, the average sound pressure level from the equipment and from outdoor ambient noise does not exceed 55 dB(A).
Ensure sufficient daylight.
Should you employ pregnant or nursing women, facilities must be provided for them to be able to lie down, rest and nurse their babies at the workplace or in the immediate vicinity. |
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