The Institute (ZfAM) is part of the Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection in Dusseldorf and affiliated with the Medical Faculty of Dusseldorf University. The Institute is located in the Gesundheitszentrum St. Pauli.

The remit of the Institute is the performance of occupational scientific and medical investigations in order to increase knowledge about work-related adverse effects on human health. The six working groups of the Institute are responsible for basic and applied research, communicating health care methods and further training, academic lectures, the assessment of safety at work and hygiene, as well as the counseling of physicians, ministries, authorities, accident insurance claimants, local employees (including seafarers) and employer organizations.