In Switzerland, the LAA is the compulsory accident insurance scheme. It covers all employees in the event of an accident at work or whilst travelling on their usual route to work. So far, so good. If anything happens at work or on the way there, you’re covered.
But there is one condition that few people are aware of and which affects many: if you work fewer than 8 hours a week for the same employer, you are only covered for accidents at work. Accidents outside work – such as those at the weekend, during sport or at home – are not covered. Your employer has no legal obligation to cover you beyond that threshold.
This directly affects those who juggle several very part-time jobs. If you work 6 hours in one place, 5 hours in another and 4 in a third, none of those employers will cover your accidents outside work. If you break your ankle playing football one Saturday, your health insurance fund will cover the costs, provided that accident cover is included in your LAMal policy. When you work more than 8 hours a week for a single employer, that employer pays for your accident insurance and the health insurance fund automatically deducts the accident insurance premium from your monthly premium. If you don’t reach that threshold at any of your jobs, you’ll need to check that this cover is active under your LAMal policy and pay for it yourself. It’s a detail that sounds technical but which, in practice, can make the difference between a hospital bill that’s covered and one that leaves you breathless.