Health and Safety at Work
Interview with Mag. (FH) Thomas Marks, Managing Director of ASZ- Das arbeitsmedizinische und sicherheitstechnische Zentrum in Linz GmbH
Austrian labor law places great emphasis on the protection of employees and mandates that every company must provide statutory preventive hours. The 1990 Employee Protection Act forms the basis for the services of the ASZ-Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Since its establishment in 1995, the company has been dedicated to promoting health and safety in the workplace and offers much more than the legally required services.
"The company was founded in 1995 by my father and other occupational physicians," explains Thomas Marks, who has been acting as the managing director since 2024. "The founding was based on the Employee Protection Act, which regulates the prevention time that companies must provide to their employees." Originally, asz focused on occupational medicine, but over the years it has expanded to include safety engineering and health management. "We are celebrating 30 years of asz this year, which is a significant milestone for us," adds Thomas Marks.
Legal Requirements and Services
"We fulfill the legal mandate, but are organized privately," emphasizes Thomas Marks. With over 120 employees, asz serves customers throughout Austria. "We are one of the few centers that can operate nationwide," stresses the managing director. Occupational health care is more important than ever, as the number of physical and psychological illnesses is increasing. asz offers comprehensive services that cover primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. "We enable early detection of diseases and support the restoration of health for existing illnesses," explains Thomas Marks. This happens on site, regularly and without long waiting times.
Flexibility for Businesses
The option to utilize external service providers like asz offers businesses flexibility. "Smaller companies often only need sporadic support, while larger companies have our professionals on site regularly," explains Thomas Marks. This allows asz to consolidate expertise from various industries and provide valuable consultancy to businesses.
Health Promotion and Holistic Approach
"We see ourselves not just as service providers, but as partners for the companies," explains Thomas Marks. asz-Arbeitsmedizin focuses on designing workplaces in a way that they are safe and healthy. In addition to statutory requirements, asz also offers programs for corporate health management. "We no longer speak just of occupational medicine, but of occupational health," the managing director explains.
Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle
This includes areas such as nutrition, ergonomics, and psychological health. "In our hectic world, awareness of a holistic lifestyle is increasingly important," says Thomas Marks. "The asz prevention team supports employees on their way to a healthy, active lifestyle with professional fitness checks and targeted coaching." Furthermore, asz offers workshops and lectures to train employees on topics such as stress management, resilience, and mindfulness.
The Changing World of Work
Thomas Marks emphasizes that the requirements for occupational medicine have changed over time. “The Employee Protection Act was last revised in 2012 and does not reflect today's work reality,” he says. Topics such as home office and telework are not considered in the law, although they are of great importance in the modern world of work. Despite these challenges, Thomas Marks observes a growing interest from companies in services that cover these additional needs, especially in view of the increasing shortage of skilled workers and efforts to retain employees. “Companies are increasingly recognizing that healthy and satisfied employees are more productive,” says Thomas Marks, adding, “Occupational health management has become an important pillar of our work.”
Always up to date
With ongoing digitalization and the use of robotics and AI, companies are facing new challenges. "Exoskeletons and robots will play a bigger role in the future," explains the managing director. "We – asz – provide consulting on these topics and help companies create safe working environments."
Promoting employee satisfaction
asz naturally strives to practice the positive behaviors it recommends to others. "Work must be fun for us too, and the good days must outweigh the bad days," emphasizes Thomas Marks. asz places great value on a positive corporate culture. "We have very fulfilling work because we help people work healthily," he explains. "This is a great motivation for us all." The asz employees are permanent, which strengthens loyalty and team cohesion. "We offer our employees flexible scheduling and support them in balancing their professional and private lives," says Thomas Marks. Summarizing the goal for the future, he states: "Our goal is to continuously have a positive impact on the working world and provide our employees with a positive work environment."