8:00 a.m.
For Lepszy, Head of the Chancellor’s Administrative Department for Occupational Safety and Environmental Protection, a typical workday begins with at least 15 minutes of quiet time in his office: checking emails, organizing his diary, and setting priorities. Last-minute changes to plans are often part of his daily routine. “Yesterday it was a training session, today an inspection with the police regarding graffiti on university walls. ‘Strategic planning’ is rather a foreign concept here because contingencies constantly thwart long-term plans,” Lepszy notes. The absolutely necessary morning sorting phase is followed by discussions with team colleagues. “Unfortunately, these are usually far too short, but after 9:00 a.m., opportunities for discussion within the department are rather scarce. After that, the day basically begins with everything related to the word ‘protection’: occupational, health, and fire safety, as well as radiation protection. But even when that specific term isn’t used, we’re the first point of contact, for example, for biosafety and hazardous waste disposal,” Lepszy explains.
11:30 a.m.
If the schedule allows, the team goes to the cafeteria for lunch – often together with colleagues from Department 6 down the hall. The exchange with colleagues is important, and anyone who knows “Mr. Lepszy” also knows that humor is never in short supply. What happens next is rarely predictable, even though the head of the safety team attaches great importance to approaching things with a plan. In particular, briefings, inspections, drills, or even providing expert supervision of a “fire” in a fire bowl at a company party are part of the usual daily routine and must be prepared for. It’s not uncommon for this to be interrupted by other events on the fringes of occupational and fire safety. Sometimes the phone rings right in the middle of a fire drill.
4:00 p.m.
Unless there is some kind of “fire or smoke,” the Head of Safety calls it a day. After all these years, he does so with the conviction that occupational safety is well established at the University of Potsdam. “However, acceptance and the willingness to participate still have room for improvement,” he sums up. “In many people’s minds, occupational safety still seems like a millstone around the neck that slows things down rather than helps.” That is why his main focus is on winning people over to occupational safety and making it a “matter of personal importance.” “After nearly 30 years at the university and with the interpersonal experience I’ve gained over the years, this is more important to me than ever. The ‘GMV rule’ is an essential part of this. Everything I do in my private life to get through the day without accidents must, of course, also be considered at work. ‘GMV’ stands for gesunder Menschenverstand (common sense), by the way,” says Lepszy with a laugh.
This article appeared in the university magazine Portal - Eins 2026 „Inklusion“.