Almost 17,000 teachers at compulsory schools in Vienna have so far had no occupational health care. The Vienna School Law provides for corresponding protective measures for teaching staff. Now the Education Directorate is responding with a pilot project: Occupational health care is to be established at eleven schools with special educational challenges. The project is planned for three years. However, there is criticism regarding the limited scope.

As reported by ORF on October 21, 2026, Vienna’s Education Director Elisabeth Fuchs confirmed the previously missing offer. The Vienna ÖVP has long been demanding to ensure occupational health care for teachers.

Occupational medicine deals with the question of how health burdens in the workplace can be detected early and prevented as much as possible.

While there are corresponding offers for employees in hospitals, such care has so far been lacking for Vienna’s state teachers.

Vienna’s Education Director Elisabeth Fuchs admitted to ORF that the issue had not been adequately addressed so far.

„What is correct is that the medical care of state teachers really needs to be tackled now because it has not happened until now,“ explained Fuchs.

The Vienna ÖVP sees this as a violation of the state’s legal obligations.

Teachers are exposed to various health burdens in their professional everyday life.

This includes physical strains as well as psychological pressure, such as conflict situations, high workload, or challenging caregiving situations.

Occupational physician Alexander Großbichler from the Samaritan Association explained on ORF that occupational health care can already begin before employees fall ill.

„We see people in their everyday work, even before they become patients,“ said Großbichler.

If strains are identified, measures can be developed together with those responsible to improve working conditions.

This involves not only medical examinations but also prevention and health-appropriate workplaces.

Thomas Krebs, a trade unionist close to the ÖVP, sees significant problems in the lack of offerings.

He reported to ORF about longer and more frequent sick leaves as well as teachers increasingly feeling exhausted.

In addition to physical strains, psychological health must therefore be given more consideration.

As an example, Krebs mentioned the expansion of individual supervision, i.e., professionally guided conversations for reflection and coping with professional burdens.

However, whether and to what extent the lack of occupational health care has actually led to more sick leaves cannot be quantified from the available information.

The Education Directorate now wants to counteract with a new offer.

Occupational health care is to be tested at eleven schools with special educational challenges.

The pilot project is planned for three years and will be evaluated afterwards.

The goal is to gather experience and develop measures for other school locations from it.

Which specific medical services will be offered as part of the project and how many teachers can participate were not detailed in the ORF report.

The Vienna ÖVP demands comprehensive occupational health care for all teaching staff.

Club chairman Harald Zierfuß criticized to the ORF that almost 17,000 teachers have so far had to manage without a corresponding offer.

Even staff representative Thomas Krebs expressed doubts about the pilot project.

In the Vienna compulsory school sector, there are well over 500 school locations. Therefore, eleven participating schools would only cover a small part of the system.

Additionally, Krebs pointed out that previous pilot projects were sometimes discontinued after a short period.

He therefore calls for a permanent solution for all affected teachers.

Whether and when occupational health care will be extended to all Vienna compulsory schools is currently open.

Initially, the three-year pilot project is intended to show which measures prove effective and how they can be transferred to other school locations.

A binding timetable for a comprehensive introduction was not mentioned.

This leaves a central question unanswered for the time being: When will occupational health care be available for all Vienna compulsory school teachers?

(Red)

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