Occupational and leisure accidents rise sharply in Switzerland
Around 911,000 occupational and leisure accidents and work-related illnesses were reported to the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva) last year. This is an increase of 9.5% compared to the previous year.
There was a particularly sharp increase in leisure accidents. They rose by 12% to around 601,000, mainly due to the end of Covid-19 measures and the sunny and dry weather, Suva and the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA) announced on Tuesday.
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However, occupational accidents and illnesses also reached an all-time high of around 293,000. The amounted to a 5.9% increase over the last year. The main reason cited for this is the higher number of employees.
In contrast to leisure accidents, the weather had less of an effect on the number of occupational accidents. However, on hot days with temperatures over 30 degrees, there are 7% more accidents than usual in the construction and transportation industries, the statement said.
All accident insurers under the Accident Insurance Act paid out CHF5 billion in insurance benefits in 2021. Benefits for 2022 are not yet fully known at this time. On average, around 96% of all reported accidents and occupational illnesses are recorded.
The statistics do not include accidents suffered by children, students, people working in the home, self-employed persons and retired persons.
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