IBA editorial team With the updated DGUV Principle 315–410, the safety requirements for office work desks, office storage furniture and adaptable room-dividing elements have been brought into line with the current state of standardisation. It supplements European standards with national requirements relating to safety and ergonomics. Volker Weßels, responsible for standardisation and Quality Office certifications at the IBA, explains why this principle remains important, why the IBA was actively involved in its revision and why product safety extends far beyond compliance with standards.
Mr Weßels, DGUV Principle 315–410 has recently been revised again. Why was this necessary?
The original DIN Technical Report on which it is based dates back to 2006 and has been continued as a DGUV Principle since 2021. Since then, both the legal framework and European standardisation have continued to evolve. Another update was therefore necessary. The aim was to retain the established national requirements while bringing them into line with the current state of the art. This is precisely what the new 2026 version of the DGUV Principle achieves.
Manufacturers generally work with German and European standards. Why is there a need for an additional national DGUV Principle?
Standards naturally provide the foundation. They regulate many safety-related characteristics of office furniture. At the same time, however, there are aspects that they do not cover, or do not cover sufficiently. These include, for example, ergonomic requirements, long-term usability and typical load situations encountered in practice. The DGUV Principle closes precisely these gaps. It describes the state of the art for Germany and supplements European regulations where additional requirements are considered appropriate. Ultimately, this provides greater safety and better usability.
The DGUV Principle was developed with the involvement of the IBA. What role did the association play?
For many years, IBA has contributed manufacturers’ product expertise to DGUV committee work on office-related issues. Our aim is to ensure that safety requirements are not only theoretically sound, but also prove effective in practice. With this principle, too, the exchange between manufacturers, testing institutes and the DGUV is particularly valuable. It brings together experience from product development, testing and practical application. The result is a document that combines high safety standards with practical implementation.
What specifically has changed compared with the 2021 edition?
The scope remains unchanged. The main updates concern references to standards, which have been revised to reflect the current state of European standardisation. For office storage furniture, the testing procedure has been updated in line with the current DIN EN 16121. Requirements for surfaces have also been adapted to the more recent material and testing standards. Other tests, such as the vibration test for office work desks, have been retained to ensure the usability of the desks.
The vibration test in particular is regarded as a specifically German requirement. Why does it remain important today?
Anyone who works at a desk every day will be familiar with the problem. If a desk continues to vibrate noticeably after every movement, it can significantly affect concentration and the overall working experience. That is why the DGUV Principle assesses not only the stability of a desk, but explicitly its vibration behaviour as well. The aim is to create high-quality ergonomic workplaces where disruptive vibrations do not occur in the first place. This is a good example of how product safety encompasses more than simply preventing structural failure.
Ergonomics also plays a major role in the principle. Are safety and ergonomics inseparably linked?
Absolutely. A product can be technically safe and still have ergonomic shortcomings that place a long-term strain on the user. That is why the DGUV Principle takes both aspects into account. Factors such as edge radii, surfaces, degrees of reflection and vibration behaviour all contribute directly to making workplaces both safe and comfortable to use. Today, modern product safety always includes ergonomic quality.
What does the updated principle mean for manufacturers?
Many manufacturers have been applying the principle and its predecessor for many years and therefore already operate at a very high level of quality. This regular update provides further clarity about the requirements that are important in today’s market. This facilitates both the development of new products and testing and certification processes. At the same time, it provides guidance for planners, purchasers and testing institutes.
Who ultimately benefits from this document?
Ultimately, everyone involved benefits. Manufacturers have a reliable technical framework. Testing institutes have transparent and comprehensible testing criteria. Planners and purchasers gain additional assurance when selecting products. And, of course, the people who work with this furniture every day benefit most of all. Ideally, good product safety goes unnoticed. It simply ensures that workplaces function reliably, ergonomically and over the long term.
Finally, will Germany continue to need national supplements to standards in the future?
I believe so. Standardisation is indispensable and creates the basis for a common market. At the same time, there will always be areas in which specific national market requirements should be addressed. The important thing is not to regard these requirements as contradicting standardisation. Rather, they supplement standards where additional insights from practical experience, ergonomics and occupational health and safety can provide added value for users.
Mr Weßels, thank you for the interview.
