Training matrix template (Excel) with due dates and status
Excel training matrix (Schulungsmatrix) with a pre-filled catalogue from the annual safety instruction to the first aid refresher, a records list with automatic due dates and status, and a matrix of employees × trainings.
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Safety instructions (Unterweisungen) and trainings follow different cycles in Germany: the general safety instruction at least once a year (Section 4 DGUV Regulation 1), young people at least every six months (Section 29 of the Youth Employment Protection Act, JArbSchG), first aiders' refresher training as a rule every two years (Section 26 DGUV Regulation 1). Piecing this together for every person from signed attendance lists quickly becomes unmanageable.
The training matrix brings everything together in one Excel file: the training catalogue contains 14 typical instructions and qualifications with legal basis, target group and interval. In the records list you choose the training and enter the date – the spreadsheet calculates the interval, next due date and status itself. The matrix shows at a glance for each person what is open or overdue.
What the template contains
- Training catalogue with 14 prepared instructions and trainings, legal basis, target group and interval in months
- Records list with drop-down list: interval from the catalogue, next due date via EDATE and a daily updated status by formula
- Status “Overdue”, “Due within 60 days”, “Up to date”, “Open” or “Done (one-off)” for filtering
- Matrix of employees × eight typical trainings with a counter for open and overdue trainings
- Columns for instructor, filed record and comments
How to use the template
- 1
Adapt the catalogue
Check the training catalogue against your risk assessment: delete rows that do not apply, add your own topics and set intervals – for example for fire safety assistants, for whom ASR A2.2 only gives an empirical value of two to five years.
- 2
Enter participations
In the records list, choose the training for each person and enter the date attended. Interval, next due date and status fill in automatically. Keep the signed records as before – the spreadsheet does not replace them.
- 3
Track due dates
Once a month, filter for “Overdue” and “Due within 60 days” and schedule the next sessions. Enter new employees on their first day with the initial safety instruction.
Legal basis
- Section 12 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG): instruction on recruitment, changes and new work equipment, repeated regularly where necessary
- Section 4 DGUV Regulation 1: instruction at least once a year, documentation
- Section 29 of the Youth Employment Protection Act (JArbSchG): instruction of young people at least every six months
- Section 14 (2) of the Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV): oral instruction before employment starts and at least once a year, confirmation by signature
- Section 26 (3) DGUV Regulation 1: refresher training for first aiders as a rule every two years
Frequently asked questions
What is a training matrix?
An overview of which safety instructions and qualifications each person needs, when they last took place and when they are due again. The matrix itself is not mandatory – but the instruction and its documentation are (Section 4 DGUV Regulation 1, Section 14 GefStoffV). The matrix is the planning tool; the signed or digitally confirmed records remain the proof.
How often must safety instructions be repeated?
The general instruction at least once a year (Section 4 DGUV Regulation 1), for young people at least every six months (Section 29 JArbSchG). For hazardous substances and biological agents: before employment starts and at least once a year (Section 14 GefStoffV, Section 14 BioStoffV); instruction on fire safety and escape routes also takes place at least once a year (ASR A2.2, ASR A2.3). First aiders receive refresher training as a rule every two years. Regardless of the cycle, you instruct whenever tasks change or new work equipment is introduced (Section 12 ArbSchG).
Does a forklift licence expire?
The training certificate under DGUV Principle 308-001 does not expire. However, only people with a written authorisation may drive in the company (Section 7 DGUV Regulation 68), and they must be instructed every year. The implementation notes on Section 7 recommend withdrawing the authorisation if someone cannot show sufficient and regular driving practice over a period of one year. In the template, the training is therefore listed as “one-off” and the instruction with 12 months.
You may use and adapt the template freely in your own company and for your own clients. It reflects the regulations named as they stand.
Never search a spreadsheet for a deadline again
In AMS Go, what this template covers lives in one system with reminders, history and records at the push of a button – mobile and with AI support.
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