680,000 lost days: what football costs Swiss companies
While the world's best players will soon be battling it out for the title at the World Cup, grassroots and company tournaments are also attracting fans to the pitches: The risk increases with the enthusiasm - Swiss accident insurers record around 40,000 football accidents every year. Preventive action can significantly reduce the risk. Suva supports organizers in this.
Football is one of the most accident-prone recreational sports in Switzerland - and the accidents are becoming more serious: the 40,000 annual accidents cause around 680,000 lost working days, for which accident insurers pay almost CHF 200 million per year. Today, a football accident results in an average of 15 lost days, compared to 12 ten years ago. Each lost day incurs costs of around CHF 600 to 1,000, meaning that an average football accident costs around CHF 9,000 to 15,000 in total.
Prevention pays off - for companies too
Many accidents could be avoided: A lack of warm-up, unsuitable footwear and a lack of shin guards unnecessarily increase the risk. A third of all football injuries are also caused by fouls. Fair play is therefore more than just a sporting virtue and is not just an issue for players, but also for employers. Playing fairly protects yourself and others. Where targeted prevention measures are implemented, the risk is further reduced. The goal is not less football, but safer football.
Support for safe Grümpel tournaments
Although the likelihood of accidents at Grümpel tournaments is five times lower than in organized club football, prevention is even more worthwhile because players of varying fitness levels come together here. Organizers of Grümpel and company tournaments can take advantage of support from Suva. The package includes
- Protective equipment such as shin guards and socks
- Fair play banners and posters as well as audio spots with prevention messages
- Trained referees (in cooperation with the regional associations)
- A financial contribution of up to CHF 2000 towards the tournament budget, or CHF 2500 for corporate tournaments
The prerequisite is compliance with basic conditions of participation. Experience shows: Where such measures are consistently implemented, the risk of accidents is significantly reduced. Further information on the protection of employees at football tournaments is available at here.
Source: Suva
