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Over 1 mln Swiss suffer work-related health issues in 2013: statistics

Xinhua, June 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) revealed on Tuesday that 316,000 Swiss workers who had exercised a professional activity over the last 12 months in 2013 had experienced an accident at work.

Representing 6 percent of the active population, the FSO furthermore indicated that 11 percent of those who had worked at least once in their lives, representing some 750,000 people, suffered from health issues caused or worsened by past professional activities (excluding accidents) in 2013.

Combined, this means that two years ago over 1 million people were directly affected by work-related health issues in Switzerland.

Figures show that men (8 percent) were more affected by accidents at work than women (5 percent), and that almost a quarter of all work-accident victims were forced to take at least two weeks off work to recover.

According to FSO, those under 30 (11 percent) and apprentices (17 percent) were particularly prone to work-related accidents.

Data also indicates that those working in the agricultural and construction sector were over five times more likely to have an accident at work than a bank or insurance employee.

Concerning work-related health problems (excluding accidents), 15 percent of those aged between 50 and 64 who had worked at least once in their lives reported health issues in 2013 resulting from their professional activities.

Similarly, 15 percent of those who worked in the agricultural sector, 12 percent of construction workers and 11 percent who worked in health and social-services declared suffering from job-related health problems.

FSO recorded that 59 percent of reported work-related problems in 2013 were associated with disorders linked to bones, joints and muscles, while 20 percent of cases were related to stress, anxiety and depression. Endit