The following tasks are performed in a health department:

Hygienic monitoring is carried out for the following facilities (regulated differently in the individual federal states):

retirement and nursing homes
Respite care facilities
day care
Ambulatory nursing service private
welfare stations
hospitals
Facilities with outpatient surgical activities
dialysis stations
Psychosocial day clinics
medical practices
dental practices
naturopath
Social Pediatric Centers
Bath therapy practices
massage practices
physiotherapy practices
blood donation facilities
foot care facilities
body and beauty care facilities
Cosmetic studios with manicures/pedicures
sauna commercial
Solarium commercial
Tattoo and piercing studios
gyms
community facilities
schools
day care centers
Community accommodation for asylum seekers
Transitional homes for asylum seekers
homeless shelters
Other Home Facilities
facilities for the disabled
Assisted living, community
youth hostels/recreation centers
Campsites/tent camps
Leisure facilities/riding stables
police departments
Civil defense and disaster control facilities
cemetery and crematorium
Ships
ports/airports
outdoor pools
indoor pools
EU bathing water
swimming spots
water supply systems
central drinking water systems
Drinking water self-supply system
healing water springs
Village fountain/fountain
Drinking water house installations public
Mobile drinking water supply
sewage disposal plants
landfills
Hazardous waste interim storage
Ambulances/ambulance facilities
sports facilities
children’s playgrounds
Major events/fairs/fairs
Restaurants/hotels/guesthouses
Food processing companies/catering services
public toilets etc.
In principle, hygiene monitoring only affects the hygienic conditions for people in the facilities mentioned. A distinction must be made between food hygiene and food monitoring, which are carried out by specially trained specialist staff. These tasks or the tasks of the veterinary office are only organizationally combined with the health office in individual municipalities.

Some of the tasks mentioned above have been privatized in some federal states, others are only partially or not assigned as a task to the health authorities, so that the responsibilities can differ from federal state to federal state.

Further tasks are the implementation of examinations for the extension of a driver’s license from the age of 50 (this is no longer the case in all federal states), the school entrance examinations for children before they start school by the child and youth health service (KJGD), help for mentally ill people (socio-psychiatric services), support for addicts and health information, education and advice for the population, and support for health self-help groups.

Participation and sometimes also coordinating management of activities to record child endangerment, such as B. the control of participation in preventive medical check-ups (U1 to U9/J1 for children) together with the youth welfare offices and with the involvement of paediatricians is one of the newer tasks of the ÖGD in some federal states.

Other tasks of the health authorities include health reporting. The legal basis for the work of health authorities are the state laws on the public health service that have been passed in most states in recent years or legal regulations at federal level such as the Infection Protection Act and the Drinking Water Ordinance. It sets out the framework for the work of the health authorities.

In fulfilling their tasks, the health authorities work together with other responsible enforcement authorities. For example, within the scope of averting danger, measures to prevent communicable diseases or protective measures to combat them are ordered by the competent authority on the suggestion of the health department (§ 16 Para. 6, § 28 Para. 3 IfSG).