Längere tägliche Arbeitszeit beantragen

Under certain conditions, as an employer you can have longer daily working hours approved for employees in your company.

Under certain conditions, as an employer you can obtain an exceptional permit for longer daily working hours for employees in your company.

You must submit an application for this.

A deviation from the regulations on working hours is possible for

• continuous shift operations
• Construction and assembly sites
• Seasonal and campaign operations

For continuous shift operations, you may be granted longer daily working hours in order to obtain additional shifts off.

For seasonal and campaign operations, you may be granted longer daily working hours for the duration of the season or campaign. The increase in working hours will be compensated by a corresponding reduction at other times. For health and safety reasons, daily working hours of more than 12 hours are generally not permitted for continuous shift operations as well as for seasonal and campaign operations.

For construction and assembly sites, longer daily working hours in excess of 8 hours may be approved without special conditions.

They are not entitled to an exemption permit.

• For all companies:
  • Details of the activity
  • Number of employees for whom a permit is to be issued
  • Contact person in the company with contact details
  • Risk assessment (in particular with regard to mental stress caused by longer working hours)
  • Statement from the company doctor
  • Statement from the works council (if available)
  • If applicable, statement from the occupational safety specialist
• Additionally for continuous shift operations:
  • Duty/shift schedules showing that the extension of working hours will result in additional free shifts
  • Schedules for day and night shifts, showing in particular the opportunities for breaks
• Additionally for construction and assembly sites:
  • Information on the nature and severity of the work
  • Organization of working hours
  • Distance between place of work and place of residence
  • Duration of rest period at home
• Additionally for seasonal and campaign companies:
  • Information on the season or campaign
  • Organization of working hours
  • Period in which working hours are reduced

You can apply to extend the daily working hours of your employees under the following conditions:

• For continuous shift operation, if additional shifts off are achieved. Additional shifts off are deemed to exist if the extension of working hours means that the employees concerned have more consecutive days off than before.
• For construction and assembly sites, if the place of work is far away from the employees' place of residence and the employees are guaranteed a correspondingly longer rest period at their place of residence for the extended working hours at the construction or assembly site.
• For your seasonal or campaign operation, if there is an exceptional workload during the season or campaign that cannot be absorbed by other organizational measures.

You can apply in writing for authorization for deviations from shift work. The following steps must be carried out:

• You submit an informal application.
• You send this to the local competent authority, including the necessary documents.
• The local authority responsible for occupational health and safety checks the application.
• If the documents or information required for processing are incomplete, you will be contacted by the processing department.
• If the requirements for approval are met, you will receive a notice of approval, otherwise a notice of rejection.
• The decision will be sent to you by e-mail or by post.

The decision of the responsible occupational health and safety authority is made at its own discretion.

This decision involves weighing up the interests of protecting the health and safety of employees against the employer's operational interests.

Je depending on the amount of work involved in the examination (usually a few weeks after submission of the complete documents).

• There is no time limit.
• If you have submitted an application, extended working hours are only permitted once you have received approval. Retroactive approval cannot be granted.

Appeal

An appeal against the decision can be lodged with the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LAGuS) within one month of notification.

An unsuccessful appeal procedure is subject to a fee.

• Deviation from working time regulations Authorization
• Deviating from the regulations on working hours, a higher daily working time is possible for
  • continuous shift operations
  • Construction and assembly sites
  • Seasonal and campaign operations
• A permit must be applied for, which is only issued under certain conditions
• Permit is limited in time
• Responsible: local authority responsible for occupational health and safety

• Deviation from working time regulations Authorization
• Deviating from the regulations on working hours, longer daily working hours are possible for
  • continuous shift operations
  • construction and assembly sites
  • Seasonal and campaign operations
• A permit must be applied for, which is only issued under certain conditions.
• The permit is limited in time.
• Responsible: State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LAGuS)

State Office for Health and Social Affairs
Occupational Safety and Health Department
Friedrich-Engels-Platz 5-8
18055 Rostock