Digital Badges and QR Certificates: How Germany’s Electrical Sector Is Automating Safety Compliance Amid New Legal Duties

Reform of §22 SGB VII effective May 29, 2026 changes safety officer thresholds and reinforces vEFK role; new digital tools emerge to manage training deadlines.

Just days after a major reform of Germany’s occupational safety rules took effect, a software company has launched a tool that uses QR-coded certificates to track annual training deadlines. The product from KIWIS & BROWNIES is one of several digital solutions rushing to meet the demand created by the updated legal landscape.

The DEKRA Akademie will begin a series of safety briefings for electrical professionals on June 8, 2026, focusing on the DIN VDE 0105 standard and core safety rules. For the metalworking industry, a separate qualification course titled “Electrical Skilled Persons for Defined Activities” is scheduled for September 14–25 in Schweinfurt. These offerings reflect the pressure on employers to document that every worker meets the continuous-training requirements now formally linked to a key supervisory role.

That role — the Verantwortliche Elektrofachkraft (vEFK), or designated electrical supervisor — has regained prominence under the reform, which itself flows from a change to §22 of Book VII of the Social Code (SGB VII) that took effect on May 29, 2026. The law redraws the line for mandatory safety officers: companies with 20 to 49 employees no longer need to appoint Sicherheitsbeauftragte (safety representatives) unless special hazards exist. Conversely, firms with 50 to 250 workers now must appoint at least one Sicherheitsfachkraft (professional safety officer).

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The vEFK, however, remains mandatory for all electrical firms regardless of size. The employer must appoint one in writing, placing the full organizational responsibility for electrical work on that individual. The vEFK’s tasks include verifying that all employees satisfy the qualification standards laid out in DGUV 209-093, which prescribes annual and triennial training intervals, comprehensive hazard assessments, and checks on the effectiveness of protective measures. A separate role, the Fachkraft für Hochspannung (FHV), handles operational work on high-voltage installations; the vEFK keeps the overarching organizational responsibility.

Critics of the pre-reform system had long complained of paperwork burdens, but federal accident data shows why the government tightened the rules for mid-sized firms. Between 2000 and 2015, Germany recorded 36 to 100 deaths each year from electrical accidents, according to the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). Roughly 90 percent of those incidents involved low voltage (50–1,000 V AC); only 10 percent occurred on high-voltage equipment. Authorities warn that danger begins as low as 25 V AC or 60 V DC once certain current thresholds are exceeded.

The economic backdrop for the sector remains mixed. At the ZVEH annual meeting in Warnemünde (May 27–29, 2026), the trade association reported that electrical-trades revenue fell 0.3 percent in 2025 but is expected to grow 0.8 percent this year. President Stefan Ehinger stressed the industry’s capacity to deliver the energy transition swiftly and with high quality, despite a 1.2 percent decline in social-security-contributing employees last year and persistent skilled-worker shortages.

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A highlight of the conference was the presentation of the E-Markenpartner Awards 2026. OBO Bettermann won the industry category, while Elektro Braun took the wholesale segment. Over 8,500 businesses now belong to the “E-Familie” network. The next awards ceremony is set for May 20, 2027, in Leipzig.