diff --git a/app/__init__.py b/app/__init__.py
index 25ddae2..3fec361 100644
--- a/app/__init__.py
+++ b/app/__init__.py
@@ -6,6 +6,13 @@ from config import Config
 db = SQLAlchemy()
 login_manager = LoginManager()
 
+def ensure_database():
+    """Initialize database tables if they don't exist"""
+    try:
+        db.create_all()
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"Database initialization error: {e}")
+
 def create_app():
     app = Flask(__name__)
     app.config.from_object(Config)
@@ -24,8 +31,4 @@ def create_app():
     from app.routes import bp as main_bp
     app.register_blueprint(main_bp)
 
-    # Initialize database tables
-    with app.app_context():
-        db.create_all()
-
     return app
diff --git a/app/routes.py b/app/routes.py
index fe7ca91..42c86af 100644
--- a/app/routes.py
+++ b/app/routes.py
@@ -11,9 +11,23 @@ from app.models import User, Incident
 
 bp = Blueprint('main', __name__)
 
+# Lazy database initialization
+_db_initialized = False
+
+def init_db_if_needed():
+    global _db_initialized
+    if not _db_initialized:
+        try:
+            from app import ensure_database
+            ensure_database()
+            _db_initialized = True
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"Database initialization failed: {e}")
+
 @bp.route('/health')
 def health_check():
     """Health check endpoint voor Kubernetes"""
+    init_db_if_needed()
     try:
         # Check database connectivity
         db.session.execute('SELECT 1')
@@ -33,6 +47,7 @@ def health_check():
 @bp.route('/')
 def index():
     """Homepage met incident invoer"""
+    init_db_if_needed()
     return render_template('index.html')
 
 @bp.route('/add-incident', methods=['GET', 'POST'])