Five times fewer fatal accidents at work than in the 1980s
The risk of fatal accidents at work has fallen by almost 80 percent since the 1980s. A success - but not a sure-fire success.
In the years 1986-1990, an average of 207 people died in work-related accidents in Switzerland each year. Between 2020 and 2024, the figure was 64, although more people have been working since then. This trend becomes even clearer when looking at the risk. The risk of a fatal accident at work has fallen from 6.7 to 1.8 per 100,000 full-time employees over the same period. This means that the risk is now almost five times lower than it was a generation ago.
Security is an ongoing task
«Progress in occupational safety is the result of a combination of various factors,» says Sévérine Müller, member of the Suva Executive Board. «Prevention measures make an important contribution to this - it is crucial that safety is at the forefront of everyday working life and that protective measures are implemented consistently.»
Experience dangers realistically thanks to virtual reality
Despite our success, there is no room for complacency. The world of work is constantly changing. New requirements and increasing complexity characterize many activities. «Prevention must also evolve accordingly,» says Müller. Suva is therefore focusing on innovation: for example, by using virtual reality glasses, employees experience dangerous situations up close and realistically - and learn how to avoid them before an emergency occurs.
Training as a central lever
But technology alone is not enough. A key lever lies in the instruction of employees: Suva is increasingly focusing on communicating and implementing the vital rules as well as systematically planning and documenting instructions. Embedded in an active prevention culture, employees not only know the safety rules, but also apply them consistently in their day-to-day work.
Overview creates security
Support is provided by the digital safety passport (DSP), which not only enables the documentation of instructions, certificates, ID cards and training confirmations, but also simplifies the entire instruction process: safety officers (SiBe) or supervisors can assign instructions specifically to individual employees. This free online service provides companies with a complete overview of the training status of their employees. For Suva, it is clear that the positive development of recent decades is not a foregone conclusion. To ensure that Switzerland remains a safe place to work in the future, prevention must be consistently developed further.
Source: Suva
