When German engineers check whether a structure will carry its loads, they do not calculate with the loads they expect. The standard DIN EN 1990, the basis of structural design, sets the factors. In the calculation, the dead loads are multiplied by 1.35 and the imposed loads by 1.5. The trade portal Baunetz Wissen explains the idea behind it with a quotient, γ. It divides the maximum load at which a part could fail by the permissible load. If γ equals 1, the safety reserve is missing. Only when γ is greater than 1 is there a calculated safety.