UV protection for outdoor work in Germany: hazard, measures and health checks

Is UV protection mandatory for outdoor work?

Yes. Anyone who has employees working outdoors must take solar UV radiation into account as a physical agent in the risk assessment (Gefährdungsbeurteilung) under Section 5 (3) No. 2 ArbSchG and define protective measures – technical before organisational before personal. With intensive exposure of regularly one hour or more per day, the employer must also offer occupational health care under the Ordinance on Occupational Health Care (ArbMedVV), Annex Part 3 (2) No. 5.

The Ordinance on Artificial Optical Radiation (OStrV) does not help here: it only covers artificial sources such as welding arcs, UV lamps or lasers. There are no limit values for solar radiation. The benchmarks are the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the ArbMedVV and the occupational medicine rule AMR 13.3 from 2019.

Why UV radiation at work is so dangerous

UV radiation is invisible and cannot be felt – people only perceive the sun's light and warmth. When it hits the skin, it immediately damages the DNA of skin cells, even without sunburn. This damage adds up over the years and can lead to skin cancer; UV radiation also weakens the skin's immune defence and promotes eye diseases (AMR 13.3).

Squamous cell carcinoma and multiple actinic keratoses of the skin caused by natural UV radiation have been on the German list of occupational diseases as no. 5103 since 2015. In 2025, the statutory accident insurance received 8,092 reports of suspected cases and recognised 3,899 (DGUV).

Who is affected

Everyone who regularly works outdoors is affected – regardless of the industry. Typical examples:

• Construction, roofing, road and track construction
• Landscaping, agriculture and forestry
• Parcel and courier services, waste collection and street cleaning
• Yard and loading dock areas in logistics and industry, field assembly and service
• Outdoor pools, nurseries, sports and leisure facilities with outdoor supervision

In Germany, the UV index usually reaches 8 to 9 in summer and up to 11 in the high altitudes of the southern German mountains (Federal Office for Radiation Protection, BfS). On assignments abroad, especially near the equator, exposure is considerably higher.

UV radiation in the risk assessment

1. 1

   Record outdoor activities

   Who works outdoors, when, for how long and where? Season, time of day, duration and the availability of shade are decisive.

2. 2

   Compare with the AMR 13.3 criteria

   This shows whether intensive exposure exists and health care must be offered – the criteria are listed further below.

3. 3

   Define measures

   Following the TOP principle, with owners and deadlines – ideally before the season starts, not in the middle of summer.

4. 4

   Instruct employees and check effectiveness

   Instruct employees on UV hazards, the UV index and protective measures (Section 12 ArbSchG) and check whether shade, clothing and sunscreen are actually used.

For day-to-day planning, the UV index forecast published by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection helps. It describes the expected daily peak of sunburn-effective radiation:

• UV index 1–2

  Exposurelow

  What to doUsually no protection needed; with long stays outdoors, sunburn is still possible on cloudy summer days

• UV index 3–7

  Exposuremoderate to high

  What to doProtection required: shade at midday, clothing, headwear, sunglasses and sunscreen for uncovered skin

• UV index 8 and above

  Exposurevery high to extreme

  What to doProtection absolutely necessary: avoid unprotected outdoor work at midday where possible, use all measures consistently

Protective measures according to the TOP principle

Technical and organisational measures are considered the best protection against skin cancer; personal measures complement them (AMR 13.3). A combination works best:

• Technical

  ExamplesRoofs, sun sails and umbrellas, enclosures, closed driver cabs on construction and agricultural machinery

• Organisational

  ExamplesReduce work around midday from about 11 am to 3 pm, move tasks into the shade or indoors, take breaks in the shade, no outdoor overtime when the UV index is high, spread work across several employees

• Personal

  ExamplesLong-sleeved clothing covering the body with UV protection, headwear with neck protection, sunglasses to DIN EN 172, sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 30, preferably 50+, on all uncovered skin

Workplaces with high UV exposure are often hot as well. Drinking water, breaks and adjusted working hours against heat therefore belong in the same risk assessment – but heat at work follows its own rules.

Sunscreen, clothing and sunglasses: who pays?

The employer. Costs of occupational safety measures must not be passed on to employees (Section 3 (3) ArbSchG). If the risk assessment provides for UV protective clothing, headwear, sunglasses or sunscreen, the employer provides them.

Sunscreen counts as an occupational skin product (DGUV Information 212-017); clothing, head protection and safety glasses are personal protective equipment. Both only work if used correctly and regularly – this belongs in the instruction. Some German statutory accident insurance institutions (Berufsgenossenschaften) subsidise UV protective equipment; it is worth asking your own institution.

Occupational health care: the AMR 13.3 criteria

The ArbMedVV requires an offered health check (Angebotsvorsorge) for “outdoor activities with intensive exposure to natural UV radiation of regularly one hour or more per day”. AMR 13.3 specifies when this applies. For work in Germany, all criteria must be met:

• Period

  Value under AMR 13.3April to September

• Time of day

  Value under AMR 13.310 am to 3 pm CET, i.e. 11 am to 4 pm summer time

• Duration

  Value under AMR 13.3a total of at least one hour per working day – at least two hours for permanent, uninterrupted work in the shade

• Frequency

  Value under AMR 13.3on at least 50 working days

• Special case

  Value under AMR 13.3on snow-covered surfaces above 1,000 m altitude, the whole calendar year applies

Personal protective measures such as sunscreen do not change these criteria. The health check consists of medical advice and – if the employee agrees – an examination of the skin (Section 6 (1) ArbMedVV). The second check should take place promptly, in the same calendar year after the first summer months. If the criteria are not met, employees can still request a check (Wunschvorsorge, Section 5a ArbMedVV).

Checklist: UV protection for outdoor work

• Outdoor activities recorded with duration, time of day and season
• UV radiation assessed as a hazard in the risk assessment
• Shading and other technical measures checked
• Working hours and breaks regulated for days with a high UV index
• UV protective clothing, headwear, sunglasses and sunscreen provided
• Employees instructed before the season starts
• AMR 13.3 criteria checked and health care offered
• Heat protection covered in the same risk assessment

Frequently asked questions