A method for monitoring the operating state of at least one electromagnetic spring-loaded brake, which at least comprises - a coil, - an armature disc - and a coil support with compression springs distributed thereon; and an operating state to be achieved being specified for the spring-loaded brake by a control module, which controls the spring-loaded brake with a voltage, specifically by a monitoring module, which at least comprises - a semiconductor element, - an ammeter, and/or - a voltmeter, characterized by the following steps: (i) measuring the status variable current and/or voltage at the electromagnetic spring-loaded brake by means of the monitoring module; (ii) calculating a further status variable from the measured status variable current and/or voltage and from the resistance value of the coil (Rs) or from a variable deduced from the measured status variable current and/or voltage and from the resistance value of the coil (Rs), wherein the further status variable is the change of the inductance over time (dL/dt); (iii) comparing the further status variable with a predefined value/curve of this further status variable stored in the monitoring module for the operating state of the spring-loaded brake predetermined by the control module; (iv) outputting at least one status signal as a function of the result of the comparison in the preceding step. - a coil, - an armature disc - and a coil support with compression springs distributed thereon; and an operating state to be achieved being specified for the spring-loaded brake by a control module, which controls the spring-loaded brake with a voltage, specifically by a monitoring module, which at least comprises - a semiconductor element, - an ammeter, and/or - a voltmeter, - a semiconductor element, - an ammeter, and/or - a voltmeter, characterized by the following steps: (i) measuring the status variable current and/or voltage at the electromagnetic spring-loaded brake by means of the monitoring module; (ii) calculating a further status variable from the measured status variable current and/or voltage and from the resistance value of the coil (Rs) or from a variable deduced from the measured status variable current and/or voltage and from the resistance value of the coil (Rs), wherein the further status variable is the change of the inductance over time (dL/dt); (iii) comparing the further status variable with a predefined value/curve of this further status variable stored in the monitoring module for the operating state of the spring-loaded brake predetermined by the control module; (iv) outputting at least one status signal as a function of the result of the comparison in the preceding step. (i) measuring the status variable current and/or voltage at the electromagnetic spring-loaded brake by means of the monitoring module; (ii) calculating a further status variable from the measured status variable current and/or voltage and from the resistance value of the coil (Rs) or from a variable deduced from the measured status variable current and/or voltage and from the resistance value of the coil (Rs), wherein the further status variable is the change of the inductance over time (dL/dt); (iii) comparing the further status variable with a predefined value/curve of this further status variable stored in the monitoring module for the operating state of the spring-loaded brake predetermined by the control module; (iv) outputting at least one status signal as a function of the result of the comparison in the preceding step.