Safety managers at wind farms and construction sites can now beam inspection footage live to experts hundreds of kilometres away. Dekra’s Remote Assisted Inspection (RAI) service uses drones, smart glasses and action cameras to document checks in real time, and the technology is already deployed on wind turbines and cranes. The shift towards digital surveillance of dangerous equipment forms part of a broader regulatory overhaul that took effect on 1 January 2026.
Under the revised DGUV Vorschrift 2, the threshold for simplified mandatory occupational safety support has risen from 10 to 20 employees. More small and medium-sized businesses can now opt for less paperwork-heavy models. Digital consultations are explicitly permitted, provided the company doctor or safety specialist knows the workplace conditions. At most one-third
On the technical side, a new Europe-wide standard — DIN EN 17975 — sets a uniform procedure for energy isolation during maintenance. The lockout-tagout method requires companies to implement holistic concepts covering labelling, documentation and staff training to control hazardous energy sources.
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Documentation requirements are also tightening on the IT front. The NIS-2 directive and Germany’s KRITIS umbrella law now oblige companies with 50 or more employees or annual turnover exceeding €10 million to adopt stricter cybersecurity measures, including extensive reporting and evidence obligations. Working time recording becomes systematically mandatory from 2026, with a draft German bill calling for daily digital documentation. Transition periods range from one to five years; violations can trigger fines of up to €30,000.
Administrative digitalisation is progressing on both sides of the border. Austria’s federal government presented its “Project X” digitalisation package on 17 June, committing roughly €15 million by 2029 to the dadeX data infrastructure. The once-only principle will make registers such as the company and residence registers accessible, aiming to cut processing times by 25 percent and boost efficiency by up to 30 percent. In Germany, the Wetteraukreis district is piloting full digitalisation of driving licence applications and immission control procedures by the end of 2026.
Despite the push towards technology, regulators insist that human expertise remains central. The Technical Rule for Operational Safety (TRBS 1203) demands that inspectors update their knowledge regularly — in practice, every three years, mirroring the revision cycles of the VDE standards. Emerging technologies such as 3D concrete printing and virtual reality on construction sites are raising the bar further; the Technical University of Braunschweig is currently researching their effects on worker safety and strain.
