Hello knowledgable Forum-dwellers,

Long story short: due to lack of available ladder, engineer Husband was standing on a table to access some elevated machinery at his place of work when the table collapsed. Naturally he fell and his lower back took the brunt.

His employer applied the "rules" and called for the Octogenarian in charge of the Elastoplast tin; when she realized the injury was outside the scope of her experience they took him to hospital where he was X-rayed (back not broken) then injected (presumably to stop the screaming) then told to lay still for two weeks, look out for signs of internal bleeding and driven home.

I work for an American company and colleagues have suggested the first port of call should be "Workers' Comp". I assume comp is short for compensation but I'm not American so have no idea how that system works or if there even is such a thing here. Can anyone offer any insight or tale of woe based on their own experience of work place injuries incurred in Switzerland?

Merci,

Rachel

Since it is an accident all medical costs will be covered by the insurance of the company. They need to register the accident with their insurance and should give your husband the case number once they receive it. Thats about it. Not much else to know really.

Obviously I don't the circumstances, but make sure the story of how the accident happened is straight: if you injure yourself because you chose not to follow the safety procedures - like not using the correct equipment - you can get into trouble. (Doesn't affect the insurance, btw).

You need to report this, especially from a paper-load, procedural perspective.

But as this is Switzerland, where self responsibility is high on the agenda, don't expect any ambulance chasers to try and make a quick buck for you.

He did after all, do something he should not have done.

The employer provides accident insurance, SUVA being the major provider, for all accidents, in the workplace or not, which not only covers medical expenses, but also wages while unable to work and, quite different from the lawsuit culture your friends refer to, also covers long-term claims and 'compensation'.

No blame is required - it's covered by the insurance regardless of what caused the accident, and determines a cash value for injuries sustained.

Standing on a table. .. tut tut . I have known a major swiss company and suva to drastically cut the amount of payment due to gross negligence on the part of the worker.

In short.... It's covered by accident insurance. The employer should inform him of the necessary paperwork, the doctor will require this information to issue the bills, or you have to lodge them to the accident insurance, and make sure you are pro-active in getting medical advice and treatment options. You are your own advocate when it comes to the health insurance/medical system.