Non-occupational accidents: 7.5 million working days lost
Every year, half a million employees in Switzerland are injured in their free time. Non-occupational accidents have serious consequences for companies: They cause a loss of 7.5 million working days. Added to this are the uncompensated days off work.
Every year in Switzerland, one million incidents occur in Non-occupational accidents. Half of those injured are in paid work, but they cannot work if they are absent because of the accident. Each year, these accidents result in 7.5 million compensated days during which companies have to do without their employees. This is roughly equivalent to a company the size of SBB, where all employees would be absent from work for a year. This does not include the uncompensated days of leave.
The absences due to non-occupational accidents have drastic consequences for companies and mean administrative and organizational expenses. Temporary employees have to be hired and Overtime fall. Deadlines cannot be met and customers are lost. The financial impact on the Swiss economy amounts to several billion francs annually.
Pan ready aids
Preventing non-occupational accidents has only advantages for companies. It is particularly effective when the employer itself sensitizes its employees to the issue. That is why the bfu, as the Swiss competence center for the prevention of non-occupational accidents, supports these efforts of companies with simple and exciting offers and outreach tools.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can use the "SafetyKits"of the bfu free of charge. These ready-to-use tools include a poster, a video spot, a flyer, and a presentation to raise employee awareness. The various "SafetyKits" address the most common non-occupational accidents and range from road traffic (distraction, e-bikes, motorcycles, visibility) to sports (hiking, skiing, snowboarding) to home and leisure (falls, DIY). The offering is being expanded on an ongoing basis.
"The SafetyKits help us to make employees aware of certain dangers in their free time and to make them aware in a good way that even a Recreational accident hurts," explains Peter Lyner, owner of a bakery in a Videoin which the bfu's offer for companies is shown.
In addition, the bfu offers consultations tailored to the size and needs of the companies, individual training, courses, as well as topic presentations and outreach resources for employees.
Text: bfu
