Occupational diseases are illnesses that you suffer as a result of your work and are listed in the Occupational Diseases Ordinance.
They can be caused by various harmful effects to which you are exposed to a greater extent than the rest of the population in the course of your work. These effects can be, for example
- certain chemicals
- physical effects such as noise
- heavy loads
- Pathogens
If you suspect that your illness is work-related, it must first be clarified whether your illness can be recognised as an occupational disease. This is not possible for every illness. The list of occupational diseases can be found in Annex 1 of the Occupational Diseases Ordinance.
If you suffer from an occupational disease, you are entitled to benefits from the statutory accident insurance. These benefits include, for example
- Treatment costs
- Costs for necessary reorganisation of the workplace
- Pension
However, a pension is only paid if the injury exceeds a certain threshold (MdE).
- Retraining measures
Note: If an illness is not recognised as an occupational disease, the necessary medical benefits may be provided by the health insurance and any pension benefits by the statutory pension insurance.