On May 22, 2025, the specialist event “Healthy work design in basic work” took place in Berlin. The event was organized by the ARBEIT: SICHER + GESUND (ASUG) programme of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) in cooperation with the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft (GfA). The focus was on the question of how physically and mentally challenging activities in the field of basic work – activities that do not require formal vocational training – can be made healthy, sustainable and future-proof.

Prof. Dr. Johannes Brombach (President of the GfA) opened up perspectives on approaches in occupational science and Prof. Dr. Susanne Geister on the health situation of grassroots workers. Experts from various institutions – including REFA, MTM, MotionMiners, BAuA, IFA and ORBiT – then presented different methodological approaches that can be used to record and evaluate working conditions. These were discussed in dialog.

In the afternoon, specific insights were provided into project experiences, such as day cleaning or occupational health and safety in grassroots work. The event concluded with a plenary discussion on the future of grassroots work.