150 years of keeping Germans safe - TÜV
It all goes back to beer: An 1866 brewery blast was the catalyst for creating an inspection association to ensure boiler safety. Today, TÜV keeps Germans safe on the Autobahn, in classrooms, at the office and outside.
Bad boilers
The steam engine powered the first industrial revolution. Steam was used in machines, locomotives, food processing and to store energy as pressurized air. But the first steam boilers and pressure tanks were extremely dangerous. The quality of the steel, riveting and welding was nowhere as high as today...
An association for labor safety
When a steam boiler exploded in a Mannheim brewery in 1865, Mannheim industrialists founded the first Steam Boiler Revision and Insurance Association. This later became TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein, or Technical Inspection Association). Still, explosions routinely leveled factories thereafter. The explosion depicted above occurred in 1881 in Eschweiler near Aachen, killing many workers.
Demand all over the place
In the following years, entrepreneurs founded numerous Steam Boiler Supervision Associations (DÜV) in nearly all towns and regions of Germany. After 1871, member companies could avoid inspections by the federal government. Well into the 20th century, the revision of steam boilers remained one of the primary tasks, since explosions were still common, like here in Nuremberg in 1916.
DÜV becomes TÜV
As industry further developed, so too did the tasks of the DÜV associations. One of the many new fields of work included safety inspections of motor vehicles. DÜV became TÜV - a more general Technical Inspection Association. Today, most Germans first and foremost think of their frequent car inspections when they hear the brand name TÜV.
Testing the safety of the product
TÜV does not only test the safety of cars that are already licensed. It also conducts test runs to identify weaknesses in the construction. It therefore has testing grounds at crash-site test locations like this one.
Training rescuers
TÜV also works hand in hand with rescue teams and firefighters. Here, TÜV engineers simulate a car crash involving an old East German Trabant car as part of fire crew training. The organization also offers first aid and firefighting training for employees in large companies.
Supervising humans
It's not just motor vehicles that have to function flawlessly - but the human beings driving them as well. If someone drives recklessly or while intoxicated, police authorities can require him or her to undergo a medical and psychological examination. Those who cannot pass TÜV's test - popularly called the "idiot test" - will not get their driving license back.
Is there a doctor in the building?
Companies are obliged to care for the wellbeing of their employees, and large firms usually have a company doctor - often with an agreement from TÜV. The medic will administer vaccinations for people going on business travel to dangerous places and is in charge of helping workers who return after a longer medical absences. He or she is also in charge of monitoring workplace security.
Good air, better learning
A classroom has to be safe, too. This TÜV engineer is testing the air for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). They were once used in capacitors of fluorescent lamps, and if the capacitor breaks, the poisonous substance could get into the room. Elsewhere, TÜV also tests for asbestos, an insulation material once used widely and now known to cause cancer in humans.
Fog or smog?
In Germany, there's a finely meshed network of stations controlling air quality - many operated by a local TÜV. They constantly measure for fine dust, nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides. The collected data is transmitted to state and federal environmental agencies.
How safe are our products?
Producers of food and medicines are obliged to control and guarantee the safety of their products. And they have to document how they do it. They can therefore hire TÜV experts who utilize a network of TÜV biochemical laboratories to run the tests.
Beware the electricity
Transformers provide you with low currents and can turn DC to AC. But how safe are they? Before a producers can sell transformers on the open market, they will need to have proof that they've been tested - like the GS label for "geprüfte Sicherheit" (proven safety). TÜV engineers can issue the label after a successful test.
Will the ropes withstand the storm?
A static engineer controls the quality of ropes securing light masts at the Munich Olympic stadium. TÜV also checks cable cars, industrial facilities or cranes for stability.
A thrilling rollercoaster
Rides at the fair are a tricky thing: There are strong forces and quick acceleration at work. Here, an engineer tests the connections of a rollercoaster rail. When he gives his green light, the fun can begin.
Back to the roots!
With all the additional tasks that TÜV has taken up since it's founding 150 years ago, one thing has not changed: supervising pressure tanks and steam boilers. Today, explosions are nowhere near as common today as they were in 1866.