Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance
The Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance ( IFA ) is a research and testing institute based in Sankt Augustin near Bonn. The IFA forms a main department within the Prevention division of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV).
tasks
The IFA supports the statutory accident insurance institutions and their institutions focusing on scientific and technical issues in labor and health protection by
- Research, development and investigation
- Testing of products and fabric samples
- Operational measurements and advice
- Participation in standardization and regulation
- Provision of specialist information and expert knowledge
- Testing and certification of products and quality management systems for manufacturers and companies. The certified products and companies can be found in the DGUV Test's online database.
The IFA offers international round robin tests for all laboratories and measuring points for hazardous substances .
The IFA exchanges experiences with 23 international occupational safety institutes and is a member of the European research association PEROSH .
The IFA is a national center of the International Labor Organization for Germany.
The IFA management is represented on the board of the Zero Accident Forum .
Subject areas
- Chemical / biological effects ( dusts , gases , vapors )
- Analysis of organic and selected inorganic hazardous substances
- Analysis of metals and selected organic hazardous substances
- Measuring system of risk assessment of the accident insurance carriers (MGU)
- Organic substances
- Exposure assessment
- Central exposure database (ZED)
- Exposure database MEGA (see above: MGU)
- Emission of hazardous substances
- Hazardous substance information - substances and products (hazardous substance information system (GESTIS), e.g. GESTIS substance database , ISi, GESTIS substance manager )
- Measurement technology for vapors and gases
- Particle measurement technology
- PPE against chemical / biological effects
- Protective measures
- Dusts - fibers
- Toxicology of the working materials
- Explosion protection
- Physical impact
- Whole body vibrations
- Hand-arm vibrations
- Hot / cold surfaces
- Noise measurement technology
- Noise protection / hearing protection
- Physical exposure database
- PPE against physical influences
- radiation
-
ergonomics
- Development of ergonomic methods and procedures for recording and evaluating work-related stresses on the musculoskeletal system
- Ergonomic design of human-machine interfaces
- Carrying out measurements with the CUELA system to determine the risk in typical work stress situations in companies
- Conception and development of exposure databases on physical stress
- Ergonomic aspects of data glasses and head mounted displays (HMD)
- Risk assessment of exoskeletons
- Dynamic office workplaces
- Epidemiology
- Accident prevention / product safety
- Structural facilities
- Building products
- Machine and plant safety
- Human-machine interaction
- Collaborative Robots (COBOTS)
- Virtual reality for risk assessment of workplaces and work equipment
- Industrial security
- Trustworthy artificial intelligence
- Personal protective equipment against mechanical and thermal hazards
- Protective devices of all kinds on machines and systems
- Drive control safety
- Materials
- Accident investigations
- Interdisciplinary tasks
- Initial and continuing education
- Information management
- Information technology
- Cooperations
- Media contacts
- Risk assessment
Publications
Publications on the work results of the institute can be researched in a publications database.
IFA publishes the GESTIS hazardous substances information system : the GESTIS substance database contains information on around 8,800 substances and is freely available, as is the corresponding app for smartphones and tablets . The GESTIS biological material database contains information on safe activities with biological materials in the workplace. GESTIS-Stoffenmanager helps with the risk assessment and assessment of the inhalation exposure to hazardous substances. The GESTIS-DUST-EX database supports the safe handling of flammable dusts. GESTIS also offers a database with international occupational exposure limits for hazardous substances, which is also available as an app.
IFA publishes the following works at Erich Schmidt Verlag : IFA-Handbuch, IFA-HANDBUCHdigital, IFA-Arbeitsmappe Measurement of Hazardous Substances, IFA-ARBEITSMAPPEdigital.
Together with the Clean Air Commission, the IFA publishes the specialist journal "Hazardous Substances - Clean Air".
history
The institute emerged from the dust control center established in Bonn in 1935, which was re-established in 1953 as the Dust Research Institute (STF). In 1976 the Institute for Noise Control (IfL), previously located in Mainz, was added. In 1980 the institute moved into its building in Sankt Augustin under the name of BIA - Professional Association Institute for Occupational Safety. In 2003 the name was changed to BGIA - Berufsgenossenschaftliches Institut für Arbeitsschutz (Professional Association for Occupational Safety and Health), and in 2007 the institute was given its current name as part of the merger of the associations of accident insurance carriers in the commercial and public sectors. As part of the uniform appearance of the statutory accident insurance carriers, the institute has been using the abbreviation IFA since January 1, 2010.
Web links
- IFA website
- Meffert, K. et al .: Trade Association Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - BGIA (PDF; 2.6 MB). the BG (2005) No. 5, pp. 242–248
- IFA publication database
- IFA MANUAL digital
- IFA WORK FOLDER digital - measurement of hazardous substances
- Hazardous substances - keeping the air clean
Individual evidence
- ↑ German statutory accident insurance e. V. (DGUV): An overview of tested and certified products. Retrieved July 2, 2018 .
- ^ Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA): IFA interlaboratory tests. Retrieved July 2, 2018 .
- ^ Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA): International knowledge network for safety and health at work. Retrieved January 17, 2020 .
- ^ Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA): Zero Accident Forum. Retrieved January 17, 2020 .
- ↑ GESTIS substance database , accessed on October 17, 2016.
- ↑ BGIA became IFA