Required every two years
Your follow-up instruction under § 43 IfSG runs on the headset
Every person must be instructed every two years, and you must be able to prove it. With us they put on the headset right where they work. Content, exam questions, passed. The certificate with date, time and exam content prints straight away.
What we take off your desk
We unlock the module, your people do the rest
You remain responsible as the employer, that is what the law says. The work does not have to stay with you. The headsets are in your business anyway. We unlock the follow-up instruction module, and each person works through it whenever it fits the shift.
The initial instruction before the first assignment stays with the public health office. Everything after that you can hand to us.
- We supply the content under § 42 and § 43 IfSG and keep it current
- We unlock the module on your headsets, no appointment needed
- Each person signs in and works through the instruction individually
- The exam questions come at the end. Whoever fails repeats it
- Once passed, the certificate can be printed straight away, with date, time and the exam content
- We contact you before the two years are up
The difference on site
What you would otherwise have to do yourself
The legal duty is the same. The work for you is not.
Without support
- You compile the content yourself and keep it current
- You look for a date when everyone is available at once
- You give the talk and keep a signature list
- You keep track of when the two years run out for each person
- During an inspection you search the folder for the last documentation
With the Dr. Reifferscheid Academy
- The content is stored and kept up to date
- Each person is instructed when it suits your operation
- Put on the headset, experience the situations, answer the questions, done
- The deadline runs per person and we remind you in good time
- The certificate prints once the exam is passed, with date, time and exam content
What the law requires
Four sentences that create the whole obligation
Section 43 (4) of the German Infection Protection Act is short and unambiguous. The employer must instruct people who handle certain foods or work in communal catering kitchens after they take up the activity and every two years thereafter, about the activity bans in section 42 (1) and about their duty to report. Attendance must be documented.
Subsection 5 goes further: the public health office certificate and the most recent documentation of the instruction must be kept by the employer, held available at the premises and presented to the authority on request. Anyone unable to show them during an inspection has a defect on record, however well the business is run.
- The employer instructs, not the public health office
- After taking up the activity and every two years thereafter
- Attendance must be documented
- The proof must be available at the premises
Who is affected
Who has to be instructed
Section 42 (2) lists the foods concerned. Anyone who comes into contact with them while producing, treating or placing them on the market falls under the rule, as does every kitchen in a restaurant or communal catering facility.
Meat and poultry
Meat, poultry and all products made from them.
Milk and egg products
Milk, milk-based products and egg products.
Fish and seafood
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and products made from them.
Filled baked goods
Baked goods with a filling or topping that is not fully baked or heated through.
Delicatessen and salads
Delicatessen, raw vegetable and potato salads, marinades, mayonnaise, emulsified sauces, food yeasts, ice cream.
Kitchens and sprouts
Communal catering kitchens, infant and toddler food, sprouts and seedlings for raw consumption.
Often confused
Initial and follow-up instruction
Initial instruction, subsection 1
Before the first activity, by the public health office or a doctor it appoints. The certificate may not be older than three months when work begins. We neither can nor may take this over.
Follow-up instruction, subsection 4
After taking up the activity and every two years thereafter, by the employer himself. Content, delivery and documentation are his responsibility. This is exactly where we support you.
How we do it
Instruction with VR glasses
The content is prescribed by law, the form is not. Instead of a talk with a signature sheet, the employee puts on a headset and experiences the situations in question.
Experience instead of listen
The activity bans are not read out but shown in situations that actually occur in the business.
Each person individually
Everyone goes through the instruction themselves. Nobody signs for a colleague, because nobody can see for a colleague.
Documentation is created as you go
Attendance, date and result are recorded while the instruction runs. Nothing is entered afterwards.
Proof at the press of a button
Once the exam is passed, the certificate can be printed, with date, time and the exam content. It is then available at the site, as subsection 5 requires.
Frequent questions
What owners ask
How often must the instruction take place?
After taking up the activity and every two years thereafter. The period runs per person, not per business, so a list of dates is worth keeping.
Who may carry out the instruction?
The employer. Section 43 (4) names him explicitly, not the public health office. He may get support, but the responsibility remains his.
Does it replace the initial instruction?
No. The initial instruction under subsection 1 takes place before the first activity, through the public health office or a doctor it appoints.
What must be available during an inspection?
The public health office certificate and the most recent documentation of the instruction. Both must be held available at the premises and presented on request.
Does it apply to temporary staff and the self-employed?
Yes. The duty attaches to the activity, not to the contract. Anyone carrying out the activity independently is subject to the employer duties accordingly.
What happens if the documentation is missing?
The absence alone is a defect, regardless of the hygienic condition of the business, and it is noted in the inspection report.
Funding
We check what is possible for your business
Funding programmes for training exist at federal, state and employment agency level. Whether your business benefits, and to what extent, depends on its size, sector and training goal. We check this before quoting and support you with the application.
Let’s talk about your training needs
Briefly describe what you need. We will get back to you promptly and show you how VR training works in your business.