Hazardous Substances Training — Online Instruction for Employees in Germany

16 modules · about 36 minutes · final test with 20 questions, 14 correct to pass · certificate of participation as PDF

What this course is about

Anyone who works with cleaning agents, paints, adhesives, oils, acids or alkalis works with hazardous substances — even if the product comes from the DIY store. This online instruction conveys the knowledge part: recognising a hazardous substance, reading the nine pictograms and the H and P statements …

No registration needed. We only ask for your name and e-mail address before the final test – just for your certificate. Your progress is saved in this browser. You can stop at any time and continue later.

Module 1 of 16

Why this course alone is not enough

Anyone who works with cleaning agents, paints, adhesives, oils, acids or alkalis works with hazardous substances. This also applies when the product comes from the DIY store and looks harmless.

This instruction conveys the basic knowledge: how do I recognise a hazardous substance, where is the information, which protective measures apply, what do I do in an emergency. It ends with a test and a certificate that documents which knowledge you have demonstrated.

And now the point that other providers keep quiet about:

Remember

Section 14(2) of the Gefahrstoffverordnung (GefStoffV, the German Hazardous Substances Ordinance) expressly requires that the instruction is given “orally” — workplace-related, before starting work and at least once a year thereafter. An online course alone does not fulfil this duty. The occupational safety authority of North Rhine-Westphalia has expressly confirmed this, for the initial instruction as well as for the annual repetition.

This course is therefore the first of two parts:

Experience shows that part 2 takes a quarter of an hour instead of an hour — which is exactly why part 1 is worthwhile. Anyone who sells you a pure online course as a “legally compliant instruction” sells you a record that will not hold up at the next inspection.

Caution

For apprentices and other young workers, Section 29 of the Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz (Youth Employment Protection Act) additionally applies: instruction at least every six months, not once a year. This confusion is one of the most frequent findings in inspections.

Module 2 of 16

The legal framework as of 2026

This module collects all the legal references of the course in one place. If something changes, only this module needs to be maintained.

The four levels

1. Arbeitsschutzgesetz (ArbSchG, Occupational Safety and Health Act). The umbrella. Section 5 requires the risk assessment, Section 12 the instruction — during working hours, related to workplace and task, before starting work and at every change. In temporary agency work, the instruction duty lies with the hirer, not the agency.

2. Gefahrstoffverordnung (GefStoffV, Hazardous Substances Ordinance). The specialist ordinance. Version of 26 Nov 2010, last amended on 17 Dec 2025, in force since 20 Dec 2025. The sections most important for you:

3. Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances (TRGS). They specify the ordinance. Anyone who complies with them can assume to comply with the ordinance (presumption of conformity). The versions relevant for this course:

4. European chemicals law. The CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 regulates classification, labelling and packaging. REACH (EC) No 1907/2006 regulates, among other things, the safety data sheet.

What has changed recently

• 5 Dec 2024 — GefStoffV amendment: cancer prevention, risk-based concept of measures in Section 10, new Section 11a on asbestos.
• 20 Dec 2025 — GefStoffV amendment: implementation of the EU asbestos directive, permit requirement for asbestos demolition work also in the low and medium risk range. Section 3 GefStoffV was repealed.
• 1 May 2026 — the new hazard classes (endocrine disruptors, PBT/vPvB, PMT/vPvM) apply to mixtures newly placed on the market.
• 11 May 2026 — ArbMedVV: adjustment of the air limit values in the annex.

Remember

One point on which many documents are wrong in 2026: the major CLP revision (EU) 2024/2865 is not fully in force. Regulation (EU) 2025/2439 of 26 Nov 2025 (“stop the clock”) has postponed the central obligations — label format, minimum font size, advertising, online trade — to 1 Jan 2028. Refill stations and digital labelling follow on 1 Jan 2027.

Module 3 of 16

What a hazardous substance is

A hazardous substance is not the same as a “chemical”. What matters is the classification under the CLP Regulation — and the activity in which it occurs.

Hazardous substances also include substances that only arise during work: welding fumes, wood dust, diesel engine emissions, quartz dust when grinding, vapours when heating. This group is regularly overlooked because nobody bought it and there is no label for it.

The four routes of uptake into the body:

Remember

The skin is the most underestimated route of uptake. A substance that passes through the skin gives no warning signs — no burning, no smell, no irritation. That is why skin protection stands on an equal footing with respiratory protection.

Module 4 of 16

The nine pictograms

The label is your quickest access to the hazard. Nine pictograms, diamond-shaped, red border, white background.

The four confusions that count in the company

GHS07 versus GHS08. The exclamation mark looks more harmless than the person with the star — and usually is: acute, mostly reversible effects versus serious, often irreversible and delayed damage. Anyone who replaces a GHS08 product with a GHS07 product when purchasing has substituted. Not the other way round.

GHS02 versus GHS03. GHS02 burns by itself. GHS03 does not burn, but makes sure that other things burn all the better. That is why the two must not be stored together.

GHS05 versus GHS07. Corrosive destroys tissue. Irritant reddens and itches.

GHS04. Says nothing about flammability — it is about the pressure.

Signal word

Exactly two are permitted: “Danger” for the more serious, “Warning” for the less serious categories. On German labels they read “Gefahr” and “Achtung”.

Remember

If “Danger” is on the label, “Warning” must not appear there as well. And: a product without a signal word is not automatically harmless — some classifications come without a signal word.

Module 5 of 16

H statements, P statements, EUH statements

The pictograms say what kind of hazard. The statements say which exactly and what to do.

H statements (hazard) — the hazard

Other H statements common in companies: H302 “Harmful if swallowed.”, H315 “Causes skin irritation.”, H319 “Causes serious eye irritation.”, H336 “May cause drowsiness or dizziness.”, H350 “May cause cancer.”

P statements (precautionary) — the measure

The three you should have in your head:

• P210 — “Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.”
• P280 — “Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection …”
• P305+P351+P338 — “IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.”

Caution

The wording of individual P statements has been changed in recent years. P210 used to read “Keep away from heat/sparks/open flames/hot surfaces.” If you fill in an operating instruction from an old template, check the statements against the current safety data sheet — not against the template.

New: four additional hazard classes

Since Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707 there are four classes that have no pictograms of their own but are labelled with EUH statements:

• ED HH / ED ENV — endocrine disruption (hormonal effect) for humans and the environment
• PBT / vPvB — persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic
• PMT / vPvM — persistent, mobile, toxic

For mixtures newly placed on the market they apply since 1 May 2026. For existing mixtures the deadline runs until 1 May 2028. In practice this means: newly delivered containers may carry details that are still missing on the old container of the same product. That is not an error.

Module 6 of 16

The safety data sheet

The safety data sheet (SDS) is the user manual of the hazardous substance. The legal basis is Article 31 REACH in conjunction with Annex II as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/878, binding since 1 Jan 2023.

Your rights as a company:

• The SDS is supplied without being asked for, at the latest on the day of the first delivery.
• It is free of charge.
• It is in German (the official language of the country of supply).
• When new findings arise, the supplier must update it without delay and send the new version to all recipients of the last twelve months.

The 16 sections — the order is fixed EU-wide:

Remember

Two numbers are enough for everyday work: Section 4 = first aid. Section 8 = which protective equipment. If something has happened, open Section 4 — not the search engine.

The SDS is not the operating instruction. It is the source from which the operating instruction is written. A safety data sheet pinned to the wall does not fulfil Section 14 GefStoffV.

Module 7 of 16

The operating instruction

The operating instruction (Betriebsanweisung) is the document that turns the general safety data sheet into a concrete instruction for action at your workplace.

Duty under Section 14(1) GefStoffV: in writing, in an understandable form and language, accessible at the workplace, to be updated at every significant change.

The seven blocks under TRGS 555 — in this order:

1. Work area, workplace, activity
2. Hazardous substances — designation
3. Hazards for people and the environment
4. Protective measures and rules of conduct
5. Behaviour in case of danger
6. First aid
7. Proper disposal

What distinguishes a good one from a bad one

TRGS 555 requires clear requirements that can be put into practice. Words such as “regularly”, “sufficient” or “as needed” are to be avoided. Requirements are worded with “must”, prohibitions with “must not”.

Remember

The operating instruction is workplace-related, not product-related. For an activity with five similar products, one joint operating instruction may be enough — for the same product at two very different workplaces, two may be needed.

“In an understandable form and language” does not necessarily mean the mother tongue — but understandable for those who actually work there. If nobody in the team reads German well, a German operating instruction is not legally compliant, however correct it is.

Module 8 of 16

Risk assessment and register of hazardous substances

The risk assessment

It comes before everything else: under Section 7(1) GefStoffV an activity may only be started after the risk assessment has been carried out and the protective measures have been taken.

• It must be documented — regardless of the number of employees (Section 6(8)). There is no exception for small companies — the Arbeitsschutzgesetz has not known one since 2013 either.
• It may only be carried out by competent persons (Section 6(11)). Anyone without the knowledge must seek advice — occupational safety specialist or company doctor.
• To be documented, among other things: the hazards, the result of the substitution check, the reasons if no substitution was made, the protective measures and the results on compliance with limit values.

Caution

There is no statutory deadline for updating the risk assessment. The widespread rule of thumb “every three years” is not a legal norm. Section 6(10) requires: review regularly, update without delay in case of significant changes or new information. The interval is set by the employer — who must be able to justify it.

Occasions for immediate updating: new hazardous substance, changed activity or procedure, changed limit values, findings from occupational medical check-ups, accident or near miss.

The register of hazardous substances

Section 6(12) GefStoffV. Five mandatory details per hazardous substance:

1. Designation of the hazardous substance
2. Classification or details of the hazardous properties
3. Quantity ranges in the company
4. Work areas in which exposure may occur
5. Reference to the respective safety data sheet

Details 1, 2, 4 and 5 must be accessible to employees and their representatives. The register is only dispensable if exclusively low-risk activities are carried out.

Remember

The register of hazardous substances is not a stock list. It is an overview of where in the company what occurs in what order of magnitude. That is why it contains a quantity range and a work area — not a stock to two decimal places.

Module 9 of 16

Substitution and the hierarchy of protective measures

Replace first, then protect

Section 6(1) requires checking whether a hazardous substance can be replaced by a less hazardous one. Section 7(3) requires that the result is then also implemented: “to carry out a substitution as a priority”.

Substitution does not only mean a different substance. A different procedure also counts: brushing instead of spraying, cold instead of hot, granules instead of powder, ready-to-use solution instead of mixing it yourself.

The hierarchy under Section 7(4)

Three levels, in this order:

Remember

You may know this as the STOP principle — Substitution, Technical, Organisational, Personal. It is a good mnemonic, but it is not written like that in the law: the “S” is found in Section 7(3), “T”, “O” and “P” in Section 7(4) numbers 1 to 3, with the organisational part running alongside in number 2. The order is right — the section reference must be correct.

PPE is the last level, not the first. A company whose only hazardous substances measure consists of handing out gloves has not applied the hierarchy — and that can be read in the risk assessment.

Module 10 of 16

Limit values and carcinogenic substances

Occupational exposure limit (AGW)

The AGW (Arbeitsplatzgrenzwert) is the time-weighted average concentration of a substance in the air, based on a shift average over eight hours (TRGS 900). If it is complied with, acute or chronic damage to health is generally not to be expected.

Because the concentration fluctuates, there is additionally the short-term value: AGW multiplied by an excursion factor, at most 8. With an eightfold excursion, at most four phases of 15 minutes each per shift are permitted.

The biological limit value (BGW, TRGS 903) does not measure the air but the body — substance or metabolite in blood or urine. It therefore also captures uptake through the skin, which no air measurement makes visible.

Remember

An AGW is a shift average, not a maximum value. “The value was complied with” does not mean that there were no high peaks in between. Conversely, a short-term exceedance is not automatically a violation — the short-term value is decisive.

Carcinogenic substances: the traffic-light model

For carcinogenic substances there is no value below which nothing happens at all. That is why TRGS 910 does not work with a limit value but with a risk, based on a working life of 40 years:

The legal basis is Section 10 GefStoffV for substances of categories 1A and 1B. Whether a substance belongs to them is stated in TRGS 905; carcinogenic activities and procedures are listed in TRGS 906 — both are valid and are continuously updated.

Module 11 of 16

Decanting and in-company labelling

As soon as a hazardous substance leaves its original packaging, it loses its label. That is the moment in which most accidents are prepared.

What must be labelled

Section 8(2) No. 2 GefStoffV: within the company, a label must be present that contains sufficient information on classification, hazards and safety measures. Specified in TRGS 201:

• Full labelling: designation + pictograms + signal word + H and P statements + supplementary information.
• Simplified labelling: designation + selected pictograms. Permitted only if the risk assessment allows it and the operating instruction and the instruction of employees cover all hazards.

Remember

The simplified labelling is only permitted at all because the operating instruction and the instruction of employees close the gap. Anyone who skips the instruction retroactively makes every simplified label inadmissible.

The ban that knows no exception

Caution

Section 8(5) GefStoffV: hazardous substances must not be kept or stored in containers whose shape or designation could lead to the contents being confused with food. Drinks bottle, jam jar, yoghurt pot, coffee mug — forbidden. Even if you label them perfectly. The ban is tied to the shape and designation of the container, not to the quality of the sticker.

From the same paragraph: hazardous substances are to be kept clearly arranged and not in the immediate vicinity of medicines, food or animal feed.

How much may stand at the workplace

Only the quantity required for the work to continue may be kept at the workplace — usually the daily or shift requirement. Everything above that belongs in the store. The reason is not tidiness but the fire load and the quantity that can escape in an incident.

Module 12 of 16

Storage under TRGS 510

TRGS 510 (version of 16 Feb 2021) regulates storage in portable containers — i.e. canisters, drums, bottles, packages.

The quantity thresholds

Below the thresholds of table 1, hazardous substances may be stored outside an actual store. Important values:

Remember

Above all of this there is an overall cap: the total quantity of all hazardous substances must not exceed 1,500 kg per fire compartment or building when stored outside a store.

The three forms of storage

Small quantity rule: up to 200 kg total quantity, the requirements on joint storage do not apply. Up to 400 kg — at most 200 kg per storage class — deviations are permitted if this does not increase the hazard.

When substances must not be stored together

Four criteria, all of equal rank:

1. The substances require different extinguishing agents.
2. They need different temperature conditions.
3. They can form flammable or toxic gases with each other.
4. They can react with each other causing a fire.

For gas cylinders: at least 2 metres between flammable and oxidising gases — or a non-combustible partition at least 2 metres high and 5 metres distance from combustible stored goods.

Caution

The widespread rule “the drip tray must hold 10 % or 110 %” is not in TRGS 510. It says: the retention facility must hold at least the volume of the largest container. The percentages come from water law (AwSV) and apply there — not automatically here. Anyone who cites them in occupational safety cites the wrong standard.

Module 13 of 16

PPE and skin protection

Personal protective equipment

PPE is the last level of the hierarchy — and the only one whose effect depends on someone putting it on correctly.

Duties of the employer under the PSA-Benutzungsverordnung (PPE Use Ordinance) and Regulation (EU) 2016/425:

• selection on the basis of the risk assessment
• only CE-marked PPE
• provision free of charge; maintenance, cleaning, replacement by the employer
• instruction in the intended use (Section 3 PSA-BV), training if necessary; user information in an understandable form and language

Chemical protective gloves, chemical protective clothing and respiratory protection fall into category III — the category for risks with irreversible damage or death. The strictest requirements apply to them.

Respiratory protection (DGUV Regel 112-190, edition November 2021): devices of group 1 are considered non-stressful up to 30 minutes per day; above that and for groups 2 and 3, wearing is stressful and triggers occupational medical check-ups. The wearing time limits do not apply to rescue operations, fire fighting and self-rescue.

Caution

Disposable respiratory protection is disposable. A filtering half mask is not cleaned and not passed on. And: a glove is not just a glove — the material must match the substance. Which one is stated in Section 8 of the safety data sheet.

Skin protection

The skin absorbs substances without you noticing. Hence the three steps:

Remember

Skin care products do not replace skin protection products. Their caring ingredients can even promote the uptake of harmful substances. Cream after work is good — but it is no substitute for the protective product beforehand.

Which products are to be used at which workplace is stated in the skin protection plan displayed at the washing areas. TRGS 401 does not prescribe a binding structure — what is binding is that the operating instruction specifically names the protective equipment and skin products.

Module 14 of 16

Hygiene in the work area

This module is short, and it is the one with the best ratio of effort to effect.

Caution

Section 8(3) GefStoffV: in work areas in which employees may be exposed to hazardous substances, no food, drink or tobacco products may be consumed. The employer must set up separate areas for eating — and do so before the activities are started.

The German term “Genussmittel” (luxury foodstuffs) includes smoking and e-cigarettes. An express smoking ban is not literally in Section 8 — it follows from that term, from fire and explosion protection and from Section 5 of the Arbeitsstättenverordnung (Workplace Ordinance).

Further, from TRGS 500 and Section 8(1):

• store break-time food separately from the work area
• change soiled clothing without delay
• keep protective clothing and street clothing separately
• do not take soiled work clothing home for washing — cleaning is the employer's responsibility
• appropriate hygiene measures and regular cleaning of the work areas

The reason for the ban on home washing is not convenience: it is called carry-over. What lies in the car boot later lies in the family washing machine.

Module 15 of 16

When something happens

Release of a hazardous substance

The order is always the same — and it does not start with mopping up:

1. Self-protection. Do not walk into a puddle or a vapour cloud.
2. Warn endangered persons, clear the area.
3. Stop further release if this is possible without endangering yourself — stand the container upright, close the valve.
4. Ventilate, provided this does not make the situation worse.
5. Inform your supervisor.
6. Take up with a suitable absorbent and suitable PPE — which one is stated in Section 6 of the safety data sheet.
7. Dispose of under Section 13 of the safety data sheet. Not in the household waste, not down the drain.

Remember

Switching off ignition sources means: do not operate light switches, do not use a mobile phone, do not switch devices on or off when flammable vapours are escaping. The spark at the switch is the classic pattern.

First aid

• Eyes: rinse immediately and for at least 10 minutes with plenty of water or the eyewash station, keeping the eyelid open. Remove contact lenses if possible, but do not interrupt rinsing to do so.
• Skin: remove wetted clothing, rinse the affected area thoroughly.
• Inhalation: into the fresh air, ensure rest and warmth.
• Swallowing: rinse the mouth, do not induce vomiting, medical help immediately.

Always: take the packaging or safety data sheet with you when someone goes to the doctor or hospital. The treating doctor needs the details from Section 4 — without them, treatment is guesswork.

Emergency call 112. The number of the poison information centre and the first aiders of your company are on the notice board and in block 6 of your operating instruction.

First aiders (DGUV Vorschrift 1 Section 26): with 2 to 20 employees at least one first aider must be present; above 20 employees 5 % in administrative and trading companies, 10 % in other companies. Refresher usually every two years.

Emergency showers

The Hazardous Substances Ordinance does not contain a blanket duty to provide emergency and eyewash showers — it follows from the risk assessment. In laboratories, TRGS 526 and DGUV Information 213-850 expressly require them. The technical basis is DIN EN 15154; the shower must be reachable within at most 10 seconds, in the laboratory within 5.

Caution

An emergency shower that has not been operated for a year may not work in an emergency: the valve is stuck, the standing water is contaminated. Hence regular function tests — in laboratories at least monthly; elsewhere the employer sets the interval in the risk assessment.

Signs in the company

Safety and health signs follow ASR A1.3 and DIN EN ISO 7010. The transition period for old signs expired on 31 Dec 2020; old and new signs must not be mixed. Emergency, escape and fire safety signs must be photoluminescent if there is no emergency lighting.

Module 16 of 16

Your procedure in the company, a case study and the record

Case study: the bottle in the store

Starting situation. A colleague decants cleaning concentrate from the 10-litre canister into an empty 1.5-litre mineral water bottle so that he can carry it more easily. He labels it with a strip of tape: “Cleaner — do not drink!”. He puts the bottle next to the coffee machine in the social room.

How many violations is that? Four.

What would have been right. Decanting into a suitable, resistant container intended for the purpose with full or permitted simplified labelling; only the quantity needed for the shift; keeping it in the area intended for it, not in the social room.

And the part that is often forgotten. The colleague did nothing malicious — he wanted to carry what can be carried. If no suitable decanting containers are available in the company, that is an organisational defect, not a personal one. That is why the question of the procedure in your own company is the decisive one.

The procedure in your company

Values and regulations alone are no proof of effectiveness. Clarify these five points for yourself — they are in your operating instruction and on the notice board:

1. Where do I find the register of hazardous substances and the safety data sheets?
2. Where is the operating instruction for my workplace displayed?
3. Who is the first aider, where is the first-aid kit, where is the eyewash station?
4. To whom do I report a release, a near miss or defective protective equipment — and what happens with it then?
5. Whom do I turn to if I believe that a protective measure does not work in everyday practice?

Remember

A near miss that nobody reports is an accident that is still pending. The report is not a complaint about a colleague — it is the only way for the risk assessment to learn that it is wrong.

Occupational medical check-ups

They are part of this instruction — the general occupational medical and toxicological advice informs about the conditions of entitlement. Three forms:

Example wet work: from 4 hours daily mandatory check-up, from more than 2 hours offered check-up.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women may not work with a number of hazardous substances — among others substances toxic to reproduction of categories 1A, 1B and 2 and lead (Sections 11, 12 MuSchG, Maternity Protection Act). As soon as a pregnancy is notified, the employer must determine protective measures without delay and offer a conversation.

Young workers may generally not be employed with hazardous substances. For apprentices an exception applies only if all three conditions are met: necessary to achieve the training objective, under the supervision of a competent person, and the air limit value is not exceeded (Section 22 JArbSchG).

Keeping records — what to do now

Remember

Take your certificate with you to the company part. Then the whole subject no longer has to be gone through there, only what actually applies at your workplace — your substances, your extraction, your reporting paths. That is the difference between an hour of lecture and a quarter of an hour of real instruction.

Final test

20 questions, one correct answer each. You need 14 correct answers to pass (70 %). Scoring happens on the server — there is no answer key on this page.

Your result