Mandatory Accident Insurance (UVG)
The UVG governs the mandatory insurance of employees in Switzerland against the financial consequences of occupational accidents, non-occupational accidents, and occupational diseases.
Concept
The Federal Accident Insurance Act (Unfallversicherungsgesetz, UVG) requires employers to mandatorily insure all employees in Switzerland against the financial consequences of occupational accidents, non-occupational accidents, and occupational diseases. Employees working at least eight hours per week for an employer are additionally insured against non-occupational accidents; for lower employment levels, non-occupational accident coverage is generally provided through health insurance instead.
Benefits and Administration
The UVG covers medical treatment costs, daily allowances during incapacity for work, disability pensions for permanent loss of earning capacity, integrity compensation for permanent impairment of physical, mental, or psychological integrity, and survivors’ pensions. Mandatory accident insurance is administered by SUVA for a legally defined range of businesses (primarily commercial and industrial operations) and by private accident insurers and health insurance funds for all other businesses.
Relevance for Insurance Practice
Since the UVG provides comprehensive benefits for accidents that are often more generous than corresponding health insurance benefits for illness, the precise distinction between accident and illness, and between occupational and non-occupational accident, is of great practical importance for benefit coordination. Supplementary UVG insurance can cover salary components above the UVG maximum threshold as well as additional comfort benefits.