That Christmas feeling is in the air, strings of fairy lights are hanging in the windows and there are candles on the table. But the things that brighten our spirits in dark December can quickly set the office on fire. Patrick Sievert from the Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Department and our web editor, Ina Götze, discuss what staff need to bear in mind when they decorate their workplaces for the festive season in the latest episode of the University of Magdeburg’s podcast.

Our Guest Today

Since 1st December 2022, Patrick Sievert has been a valuable member of the team in the Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Department. Together with the Occupational Medicine department, the trained industrial mechanic advises and supports the management in all matters pertaining to the occupational health and safety of the university’s employees. After finishing his schooling, Patrick Sievert first acquired qualifications as a specialist in technical management at night school and then went on to study to become a technical business economist; these qualifications were followed by further training as an occupational safety specialist and specialist planner for fire prevention. Before he joined the team at the University of Magdeburg, Patrick worked in the tobacco industry and at Hermes Fulfillment, first as a team leader, then as departmental manager for Occupational and Fire Safety and Environmental Protection for the entire company.

*the audio file is only available in German

The podcast to read

Ina Götze: My first official act. On a morning at work...

Patrick Sievert: I greet my colleagues and on the way back I absolutely have to have a coffee, which I go and get for myself. And then I check my emails.

Ina Götze: What I think we need more of at the university...

Patrick Sievert: Sometimes quick decision-making processes.

Ina Götze: What I think is especially good about the uni...

Patrick Sievert: The campus especially, because I feel really at home there. There are always lots of people to meet, including from the past, when you were still young.

Ina Götze: The strangest thing that I have experienced so far at the uni...

Patrick Sievert: Well I haven't been here all that long. So actually there isn’t anything that was so strange that I could tell you about it now.

Ina Götze: Something in Magdeburg that you absolutely have to try once...

Patrick Sievert: You definitely need to check out the Theater an der Angel, especially the summer theater. I can absolutely recommend that. I’m a real fan of it.

Intro voiceover: Listening to the University. The podcast about the working environment at OVGU.

Ina Götze: The weeks before Christmas are always really special: the festive atmosphere in the city, the comforting smell of cookies in the air and the sparkling illuminations in the streets. And not only there, but here at the university too, in many of the offices the Christmas mood moves in and with it, candles smelling of cinnamon. Today, Patrick Sievert from the Department of Occupational Health and Safety & Environmental Protection and I will be discussing whether or not that is a good idea and the things that staff should think about when they decorate their offices. Welcome!

Patrick Sievert: Hello!

Ina Götze: Before we get started, a quick side note: So that we can write a description for each episode, we ask our guests to provide us with a short CV. And you started here just in time for Christmas last year. So this podcast is highly topical. We are pretty much celebrating your first anniversary at OVGU.

Patrick Sievert: Exactly!

Ina Götze: Congratulations! Patrick, hand on heart: are you a fan of Christmas or more the Grinch?

Patrick Sievert: I’m a real fan of Christmas! Just because of my two daughters the whole thing is a so much better and I am already really looking forward to it.

Ina Götze: Yes, your inner child comes out.

Patrick Sievert: Yes, and I get to take part again.

Ina Götze: Do your daughters still believe in Father Christmas?

Patrick Sievert: Yes, both of them!

Ina Götze: Excellent! How old are they?

Patrick Sievert: The big one is 11 and the little one is 8 on 6th December, so just in time for St. Nicholas!

Ina Götze: Even at 11 years old, are you still managing to pull it off?

Patrick Sievert: Yes, it still works really well. Of course she knows, but when Father Christmas comes, she is completely in the moment, really excited and happy. We’ll see how long it lasts for.

Ina Götze: Were you once Father Christmas, with your beard?

Patrick Sievert: No, but I have dressed up as him and have often gone from house to house in the neighborhood. It was really fun, but unfortunately I don’t do it anymore.

Ina Götze: We are sitting in your office right now. I can’t see any Christmas decorations here yet though. Will there be some?

Patrick Sievert: No, not for me personally. I don’t really know what I’m doing when it comes to decorations. And to be honest I’m not really a great fan of them in the office. At home - then definitely! Especially lots of lights and decorations too, but my wife is in charge of that.

Ina Götze: And so we turn to the cinnamon-scented candles: are we allowed to put candles in our offices and to light them so that they smell of cinnamon?

Patrick Sievert: No. Well, let me clarify: having the candles there in itself is not a problem, but candles do suggest the possibility of being lit. Having naked flames, fires and so on is forbidden here at the uni. And so it would be better to refrain from putting candles on display.

Ina Götze: So perhaps the scented diffuser reeds would be better?

Patrick Sievert: Exactly! Fragrances, diffuser reeds etc. are all ok. But nothing that spreads the fragrance with fire.

Ina Götze: And what kinds of decorations are allowed; what should I bear in mind? If, for example, I want to put up a string of fairy lights. Can I just do that?

Patrick Sievert: No, you can't do that either. But there are, of course, different kinds of lights too. There are strings of lights that have a plug that needs to be plugged into a socket and there are lights that are powered by battery. For starters, the lights with batteries can be used. But if I have to plug anything into a socket, which includes fairy lights with a plug, then they need to be tested first. But getting them tested isn’t such a simple matter. You’ll already know about monitors and other electrical devices being tested - once a year a colleague comes round who tests everything and puts a sticker on them. And if those strings of lights were to be tested, then they could be used. Of course I would always have to make sure that I had put them somewhere where nobody would walk into them and trip over them and so on. Which is why I recommend that if you are going to have lights, then perhaps they should be battery-powered, and then only a few.

Ina Götze: Or to remember in good time, before the tester comes, that the lights need testing too.

Patrick Sievert: Exactly, simply leave them out and if you’re lucky, they will be tested and then they can be used.

Ina Götze: Do we need to tell somebody in advance that they need checking too? Or will the tester look around the office and see that there is a string of lights with a plug and just test them?

Patrick Sievert: As a rule there will be a notice saying that electrical tests will be conducted in a particular building during a certain week. And so they are left out they will be tested with everything else. Of course we should be aware that it is the university’s money that is being spent on the testing. And if everyone brought their lights in to have them tested, there would be costs incurred by the university. Which is why I strongly recommend using battery-powered lights.

Ina Götze: So that’s the main point about decorations, I’d say. But not only candles can cause a fire - kettles can be hazardous too - although they’re also very practical if there aren’t any tea and coffee-making facilities near the office. Are kettles or other electrical devices allowed?

Patrick Sievert: I am not saying no, because they are allowed. But kettles do have a plug and therefore absolutely must be tested before use. That is the first point. And if there is no pantry or tea-making area nearby and the kettle is really needed, then it should be put on an open, fireproof base, such as a tile, glass surface etc. We often see that there is a kettle in every office. Perhaps we should come to an agreement with our colleagues. Perhaps the one kettle would be enough: if it was in a central location, tested and standing on a fireproof base, then why not?

Ina Götze: Lovely, then our Christmas tea is saved! So if my kettle or the candles go up in flames accidentally, who is liable?

Patrick Sievert: Ultimately, that would be a decision for the courts. But basically it is true to say that if a candle were to go up in flames, then I would have to say to myself that I had violated the fire safety regulations. The university has a fire safety regulation that can be found in part 2 of its official announcements. It is clearly stated in the regulations that fire and naked flames are forbidden. If a kettle goes up in flames, then it is because of a technical defect. Normally such equipment should be used under supervision, which means that it is possible to intervene quickly. But it is also true that the plug is not removed from the socket and plugged back in again every time that the kettle is used, and a technical fault can actually happen at any time. If the kettle was tested, then the state would step in as the university’s insurer and repair the damage. However, if the damage is caused willfully or a kettle is used that hasn't been tested, which, for example, has been brought from home, then it might well be the case that the employee would be asked to pay for the damage.

Ina Götze: That is good to know. Not that I would have one, but good to know.

Patrick Sievert: I will drop by sometime and have a look!

Ina Götze: Luckily for us we have coffee-making facilities nearby. You can send me a copy of the fire safety regulations again though and then we can add a link here in the transcript.

(Editorial addition: Further information on fire protection can be found on the website of the Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection Department)

Patrick Sievert: And while we are on the subject of fire safety regulations, another point: it is currently also being updated. So there will be a publication soon with a new fire safety regulation, because new statutory requirements are introduced regularly and/or new issues arise. E-bikes are becoming increasingly common, rechargeable batteries are brought to the office more often and possibly even charged here, which again can only mean an increase in the risk.

Ina Götze: At my partner’s workplace, there is a rule that they are not allowed to recharge their bike batteries or mobile phones in the office. Now when it comes to occupational safety, it isn’t just a matter of making sure the employees do not set the university on fire, but above all it is about preventing accidents at work and especially injuries. What are the most common accidents that happen here at the university?

Patrick Sievert: The most frequent accidents are the typical tripping and falling. In other words, someone has an errand to complete somewhere, there is something in their way, they fall over it and hurt themselves. That is the most common cause of an accident. Then there are cuts - they happen relatively often - or a trapped finger, but, thank goodness, these are quite rare.

Ina Götze: That’s good to hear! And in which department do the most accidents happen?

Patrick Sievert: They happen in every department. There is no faculty or department that stands out where a large number of accidents happen. The severity of the accidents increases with the risk, for example in a mechanical workshop. If an accident happens there, it is usually serious. In the office and administrative area, the accidents tend to be less serious. And that brings us back to falls.

Ina Götze: Have you ever had a really serious accident? You probably aren’t there on site when it happens? I mean you don’t get to see what happens when something really serious takes place. Do you have to go there?

Patrick Sievert: So when something really serious happens or we suspect that something serious has happened, then we do go there. We are called there with others, because it is entirely possible that the public prosecutor or the police will also be there investigating. I knock on wood that nothing extremely serious like a serious injury has happened. It was once suspected, at one of my former employers, that a death that happened at work had been caused by a substance, but thank goodness, it turned out not to be the case. But we did have to go to the site immediately, assist with the investigation and I was pleased that it wasn’t an accident at work that was the cause, though it was very sad and difficult, nonetheless.

Ina Götze: And that is exactly why we have you here at the university - to prevent fatal accidents and less serious ones too - you and your team. How do you contribute towards ensuring that such accidents do not happen?

Patrick Sievert: So essentially our role is to act as advisors and provide support. But also, when we see that there is imminent danger, we intervene, we prohibit work, we interrupt work - that of our colleagues and of students and external companies - that is underway on campus. And we contribute to raising awareness of why people should pay attention to occupational safety, even though a project needs to be completed quickly or somebody has to finish their Master’s thesis very soon and really needs to press the button now. We try to increase understanding among people of the fact that they should always be conscious of safety as they work.

Ina Götze: When you are out and about on campus, for example to identify such cases or to conduct risk assessments, as you carefully examine workplaces and tell people what they could do better, do you often throw up your hands in horror and think: “Oh God! These are professionals!”?

Patrick Sievert: Not always. There really are employees, colleagues who are really very professional in this team. But there are also situations where you find yourself thinking: “take a deep breath and talk in a bit more detail about this!” But in truth the positive outweighs the negative.

Ina Götze: So we are quite responsible and not really so inept here at the university. That’s good to hear! We have what is known as an Occupational Health and Safety Committee. That’s quite a mouthful. Can you explain what it does?

Patrick Sievert: Certainly! So, the Occupational Health and Safety Committee, or OHSC for short. Fundamentally, it is a statutory requirement placed upon the university, and in fact, all companies. This OHSC must meet at least four times a year and members of the OHSC are, of course under the leadership of the current Chancellor, safety specialists, representatives of disabled people, safety officers and subject specialists. And in the OHSC we talk about all of the occupational safety topics that apply at the university. This ranges from accidents and issues that arise at the university where there might be occupational safety problems, to deciding on matters such as, for example: at present we would like to procure a new software program that will assist us with risk assessments and also make them easier to draw up for the users and departments. That is the kind of thing that is discussed.

Ina Götze: Little tutorial videos would be really good; do you know “dumb ways to die”? That is a little song from an awareness campaign. We should do something like that for the university sometime.

Patrick Sievert: So, our plan is to go more for digitalization. We still have a very great deal of paper and paper is patient and paper can also be quickly tidied away.

Ina Götze: ...and paper burns quickly!

Patrick Sievert: Paper burns quickly too. Although actually paper, when it is compact and stacked in dense piles doesn’t burn all that quickly at all. You shouldn’t think that at all. Screwed up paper is a bit worse. But it is also because digitalization can no longer be stopped. We would really like to be able to access our documents at any time, in any place and for them to be easily usable. Including with the underpinning of online instructions, tutorial videos etc. And we simply don’t have the foundations in place for this yet. But we think that we can put it in place quickly.

Ina Götze: I’m excited to see it. During my research I stumbled upon the fact that we have a lot of forms on the subject of genetic engineering. What’s that all about?

Patrick Sievert: The topic of genetic engineering is, of course, very wide-ranging and a special one for us. In our department it is very important that all work that is carried out in the field of genetic engineering is in compliance with the statutory regulations. There are so-called S1 and S2 facilities and that relates to the safety class. And particular requirements are placed upon each safety class. This is to ensure that the work that goes on there remains there and does not reach the outside world. And to this end we are in close contact with the State Administrative Department in Halle, where all these facilities are applied for and approved. We need project managers, biological security officers - and only then when everything is in place will we receive approval to carry out research in these S1 and S2 facilities.

Ina Götze: In which department do we have this?

Patrick Sievert: So, I’ll tell you which buildings. It is mainly in building 28, but there are also quite a few in the Faculty of Medicine too.

Ina Götze: And another exciting thing: we have a laser safety officer. I can just imagine that when you meet new people, and they ask what you do for a living, and you can say “I’m a laser safety officer” - that must be quite cool! What does this person do?

Patrick Sievert: Well, we don’t just have one - overall we have nine laser safety officers and even one senior laser safety officer. And again the whole thing revolves around statutory requirements. Lasers are grouped into different levels or classes. There are classes 3 and 4 and their subgroups. The lasers are so hazardous that it is essential to have somebody who is tasked with safety in their connection. In other words, somebody who can advise the researchers and managers on the subject of risk assessment. How should this equipment be shielded? And sometimes too to check that the equipment is in line with the state of the art and that all safety devices and systems are working. And there is a statutory requirement for this. We make sure that officers are appointed and also, in cooperation with the laser safety officers, check new equipment or changes to equipment.

Ina Götze: I am a web editor, but senior laser safety officer would be cool too!

Patrick Sievert: Just now I said senior laser safety officer, but there is also a technical term for it. Actually, the role is leading laser safety officer.

Ina Götze: That’s cool too!

Patrick Sievert: Maybe we should introduce the word now.

Ina Götze: Not only do you deal with hazards at work, but also on the way there and back - known as way-to-work accidents. What exactly is a way-to-work accident and if I have one, what should I do?

Patrick Sievert: Exactly, good question. We need to differentiate. There are indeed accidents at work and there are way-to-work accidents. Accidents at work always have to be reported, if someone is sick for more than three days or certified unfit for work. Way-to-work accidents must also be reported, however there is another part. Essentially, a way-to-work accident can happen as soon as you walk out of the door at home. A lot of people might think to themselves, “If I live in an apartment building, leave my apartment door and fall, then it isn’t yet an accident at work per se.” But there are some really interesting court judgments that state that the way to work begins once you leave home through your door. I am insured on my direct route to work and back again. Including if I take my child to nursery or to school, if I carpool and have to make a couple of detours, then I am also insured.

However, the insurance protection soon becomes inapplicable if I say, “I need to refuel the car now or have to withdraw some cash.” As soon, for example, as I turn on to the gas station forecourt, my insurance protection no longer applies in this area. But if I resume my journey promptly, then I am once again insured. So always be very careful. If someone has a way-to-work accident, then we are also required to report it. It should always be reported, because there may be consequential damage. We are insured via the accident insurance fund and/or the employees and civil servants are insured via the state of Saxony-Anhalt and sometimes there can be serious cases that occur, such as a long-term illness. If somebody has a way-to-work accident, it isn't the case, that after 6 weeks the continuing remuneration stops, rather until that person is rehabilitated they receive their full salary and also a benefit via the accident insurance fund, if it is really serious.

Ina Götze: So, if I go shopping and the supermarket is directly on my route to work, then, for as long as I am in the supermarket, I have to watch out. But when I come out again, everything is ok again?

Patrick Sievert: Provided that you keep within an appropriate time frame. Usually that sort of case ends up in court, as a decision has to be made regarding whether the hour spent shopping was still on the way to work, or was the journey interrupted for so long that it no longer counts as being on the way?

Ina Götze: So no shopping excesses, instead just pop in to pick up a cucumber and then get on your way again! We know that most accidents happen in the home. These days, many colleagues regularly work from their home office. What counts as an accident at work in one’s home office, and here too, the question arises: what do I do if something happens to me when I’m at work within my own four walls?

Patrick Sievert: Exactly, and once again, we need to draw a distinction between working from a home office and mobile working. Mainly we have mobile working. When it comes to mobile working, it is true that I am insured, but only within the scope of the job. In other words, everything that is part of my job is insured. Everything else, like: standing up, fetching a cup of tea from my kitchen and burning myself there, that would need to be clarified. Is that part of the causal activity because here in the uni I sometimes fetch myself a coffee or a tea. We can’t say across the board, but I would report it nevertheless and we would forward it to the accident insurance fund, and they would then decide whether ultimately that was an accident at work or not.

Ina Götze: Two questions, one after the other: what is the difference between working from one's home office and mobile working?

Patrick Sievert: When it comes to working from a home office it is like this: it is subject to regulations, primarily an employment agreement. And in the case of working from a home office, the university has to provide the furnishings. Table, chair, everything that goes with it. It has to be just a suitable as everything that we have here in our offices. And it is also the case that, for example, an occupational safety specialist must inspect the office because it is counted as the workplace. So it could also be the case that we come to the house some time, carry out an inspection or have the worker show us photographs so that we can assess it. Is the workplace sensibly set up or not? A home office workplace must be at least eight meters square. And often it is the case that people work from their kitchen table and that is not suitable. And that is why there is this possibility of mobile working. That is where we tend to have the problem of employees taking their laptops home with them, sitting at their kitchen table and wondering why, after two or three weeks, their necks or backs are hurting. There we mostly have the problem of ergonomics. But there I would simply refer to health management. We currently have our Ergonomics Weeks, and I would simply sign up for an appointment. So that is what it is all about in terms of mobile working and working from a home office: how can I stay healthy?

Ina Götze: I think that when the podcast comes out, they will just have finished. But nevertheless, you are welcome to simply speak to the relevant people and it should be possible to do something.

Patrick Sievert: Even when the podcast is over too. In any case there will be a new web page about ergonomics, where all of the relevant subjects will be dealt with and presented again for information.

Ina Götze: And when it is finished, we will, of course, provide a link to it here. An essential service! Certainly! And the second question: if I am in the office and accidentally pour boiling water over myself, then is that insured?

Patrick Sievert: The accident insurance fund will decide. Again, there are many exceptions within the university, within companies. For example, insurance protection stops if I am eating. The way to the canteen is insured and the way back too, but the actual eating is not. So make sure your food doesn't go down the wrong way.

Ina Götze: I think it is also true to say that if you are on the toilet, you are not insured then either.

Patrick Sievert: Correct. The way there is insured, but not when you are on the toilet, then the way back is insured once more.

Ina Götze: Something that is really hazardous here, if I can tell a few tales out of school, is if someone is just washing their hands, turns round and wants to leave again, if somebody else comes... usually the door is pulled open with such force, that it’s surprising that there haven’t been any accidents. Knock on wood. But that is still unfair, there’s nothing I could do about it. Are there any exceptions?

Patrick Sievert: We should definitely take a look at the toilets to see if we can make arrangements, before we go about making a sign. Perhaps it would be helpful to move the wash basin a little to prevent the risk in the first place.

Ina Götze: To finish with, another personal question: are you an extremely cautious person because of your job, and do you always run every possible horror scenario through your mind? Or are you able to shake it off quite well?

Patrick Sievert: I am able to put it aside quite well. So when I leave the university, it isn’t exactly that I reset everything to zero, but work is work and home, home. I myself ride a motorbike and enjoy snowboarding and if I were to think about safety every time, then I would never have any fun. When it comes to my children, though, it’s different. With them, I can see what might happen in advance. Thank goodness, it doesn’t apply all that much, but it tends more to be the case that I often have to take a deep breath and say, no, it will be alright.

Ina Götze: So as not to pass on your fears to the children. Thank you very much for your insights into your work. I hope that you have a fantastic Christmas with your loved ones, and you too, out there, listening through your headphones or speakers. Stay healthy, and watch where you are going, and when you're in the canteen, make sure you chew your food properly! Until the next time!

Outro voice: Listening to the University. The podcast about the working environment at OVGU.