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KAN, one voice and many

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Peer-Oliver Villwock
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS)
Chair of KAN

“In the 1990s, the EU Machinery and PPE Directives called for the social partners to be enabled to have an influence on standardization activity. We responded by founding the Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardization (KAN). Over the past 30 years, KAN has not only proved capable of fulfilling this task, but has also continually developed further, in the process becoming a firm part of the German occupational safety and health landscape. Whereas in the past, standardization projects were limited primarily to technical subject-matter, we now see them being launched in all areas of society. In addition, international standards in particular have long been used by countries as a strategic instrument for pursuing their own national interests. It is therefore all the more important that standardization projects be monitored critically and vigilantly. Against the backdrop of these developments, we can conclude that if KAN didn’t already exist, it would have to be invented.”

Kai Schweppe
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Kai Schweppe
Deputy Chair of KAN
Confederation of Baden-Württemberg employers’ associations

“KAN is indispensable as the collective and clearly audible voice of Germany’s federal and regional governments, its accident insurance institutions and the social partners. With direct integration of the social partners into the KAN Secretariat through their liaison offices, in particular, KAN represents a successful project of social partnership. Altogether, this enables employers’ positions on occupational safety and health in standardization to be balanced with those of all other stakeholders in KAN, and the stakeholders to become strong enough collectively to carry these positions through.”

Dr. Sebastian Schneider
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Dr Sebastian Schneider
Deputy Chair of KAN
German Trade Union Federation (DGB)

“What I particularly value about KAN and its staff is their deep expertise in a wide range of subjects. In addition, I see KAN as having an important filter function by which priorities can be set in the vast breadth of international, OSH-related standardization work.”

Marcus Hussing
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Marcus Hussing
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV)

“For over 30 years now, KAN, a project of the Association for the Promotion of Occupational Safety in Europe (VFA), which is funded by the German Social Accident Insurance, has lobbied successfully for safety and health to be considered during standardization activity. KAN is therefore an essential element in the German system of prevention in the world of work and education.

In consideration of current political and social developments, active involvement in standardization work and the exerting of influence upon it will become even more important in the future if safety and health is to be made an integral part of the process to the best effect. Not without reason, therefore, the German Social Accident Insurance contributes to standardization, both financially and through the work of numerous experts. Climate change, the digital transformation and the shortage of skilled workers also present new challenges for safety and health. The tasks are increasing in number. The challenge is to examine what we should expect of standardization, where its limits lie, and how we, as the ‘occupational safety and health’ stakeholder, can influence it collectively.”

Dr. Bärbel Wernicke
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Dr Bärbel Wernicke
DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V.

“Occupational safety and health is a protection goal and is therefore accorded high priority by DIN in standardization activity. We regard KAN as an important stakeholder when occupational safety and health aspects are being considered in standards. These aspects contribute decisively to ensuring that a high level of protection is attained. It is becoming increasingly important for us, working with KAN, to make occupational safety and health an integral part of European and international standardization activity, and to give it consideration from the outset and promote it actively in the face of topical global issues such as climate change and artificial intelligence (AI).”

Alexander Nollau
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Alexander Nollau
DKE (German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE)

“I congratulate KAN on its 30th anniversary. KAN has contributed substantially over the course of three decades to making occupational safety and health an integral part of standardization activity and improving workplace safety. Close cooperation with the DKE has produced practical, safe standards in the interests of all social partners. Thank you for your commitment and for the constructive cooperation.”

Frank Gutheil
Frank Gutheil
German Social insurance for agriculture, forestry and horticulture (SVLFG)

“We appreciate that KAN has always been sympathetic to our concerns at the SVLFG, notwithstanding our guest status, and has supported us to good effect for many years. We view KAN as a reliable partner for assessing and influencing numerous standards – a partner who has assisted and supported us on numerous occasions vis-à-vis the manufacturers in the agricultural sector when our own experts have been unable to make progress. Besides the active support, we also value the regular supply of information. We wish KAN all the best in pursuing its activities in the future as it has in the past. For us, KAN has proved its value.”