Abweichen von Regelungen zur Schichtzeit Bewilligung

As an employer, you can, under certain conditions, apply for employees in your company to be granted working hours that deviate from the regulations on working hours.

As an employer, you can apply for authorization for longer daily working hours for your employees under certain conditions.

Authorization is provided for by law for

• continuous shift operations
• Construction and assembly sites
• seasonal and campaign operations
• special activities for the construction, modification or operation of structures, artificial islands or other installations at sea (offshore activities).

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, particularly relevant 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 for the particular season that cannot be absorbed by other organizational measures.

You can apply in writing for approval for deviations from shift work.

• You submit an informal application.
• You send this to the local authority responsible for occupational health and safety, including the necessary documents.
• If the documents or information required for processing are incomplete, you will be contacted by the processing department.
• The local competent authority will review the application.
• Once the official review has been completed, you will receive a notice of approval or a notice of rejection.
• The local authority responsible will send you the decision by e-mail or post.
• The notification of fees will usually be sent to you later.

The decision of the competent 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 operational interests of the employer.

Night work and shift work are regulated by the Working Hours Act.
If there are other reasons, these will be examined and longer working hours approved if necessary.