IntroductionIn general, workers represent half of the population in Europe and are the main contributors to economic and social development. The main social determinants of health include the dangers and risks present in the work environment. The health, working capacity and well-being of the working population are some of the priority areas of good governance that pursues health in all policies. The occupational health system in Germany has existed for over a century and is based on compulsory accident insurance [1,4]. Following International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, Germany has a comprehensive national occupational safety and health system. (SSL). Germany has ratified 83 ILO conventions and all OSH legislation is harmonized with EU directives. A joint German OSH strategy ("Gemeinsame Deutsche Arbeitsschutzstrategie", GDA) was developed and implemented on 5 November 2008. The German federal government, the 16 regional governments and the accident insurance institutions have joint and equal responsibility for the strategy, as well as an important role for the social partners, i.e. employers and employees (Figure 1) [1,4]. The main aims of the joint OSH strategy are to maintain and strengthen employability, which includes promoting lifelong learning, supporting general health objectives, reducing the costs of the social security system and increasing the competitiveness of companies [4,5]. This review document focuses on the features and central elements of the joint strategy for safety and health at work in Germany. After the introduction, the document is structured as follows: the next section deals with an overview of the objectives of the strategy and its implementations; followed by... half of the document..., promoting and motivating the implementation of safety management systems and so on. ii. Reduction of health risks and work-related diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system iii. Protection and strengthening of health in case of work-related psychosocial loads (mental fatigue). Conclusion The joint OSH strategy in Germany is a strategic approach to carrying out occupational safety and health tasks, in line with European and international requirements. The central issues of the joint OSH strategy in Germany are the development of common OSH objectives, the agreement on priority fields of action and priority work programmes, which are executed according to uniform principles; the evaluation of OSH objectives, areas and work programmes. The results of the first phase are discussed, further improvements and new objectives have been agreed by all parties involved.