The German statutory accident insurance system celebrates its 125th birthday

The first German statutory accident insurance institutions began work on 1 October 1885

12.08.2010

Fortune in misfortune, you might say. On 2 October 1885, Ernst Buck, a carpenter, fell from a beam on a construction site in Berlin. He was seriously injured - but help was at hand. On the day before the accident, 57 German statutory accident insurance institutions had begun their work. Buck's employer was therefore able to report the accident to the accident insurance institution responsible for construction sites. The insurer awarded the injured Buck a pension. Had the accident happened just a few days earlier, Buck could have expected no support whatsoever, and he and his family would have become dependent upon social security.

1 October 1885 marks the genesis of the German statutory accident insurance system. Its foundations had been laid with the 1884 accident insurance act, and a year later, the accident insurance institutions - the "BGs" - began their work. In the early days, their main task was that of improving the catastrophic working conditions in factories. In the modern world of work, people face quite different challenges. As Dr. Joachim Breuer, Director General of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), the institutions' umbrella association, says: "Traditional occupational safety and health continues to be the core business of the statutory accident insurance institutions. At the same time, however, we are ready to address new subjects. The consequences of demographic change and the rise in complaints of mental stress at the workplace are just two such subjects."

A comprehensive service

Over the 125 years of its existence, the statutory accident insurance system has always been a mirror of the changing world of work. It has moved with the times, and attempts to research new hazards as they emerge and to reduce existing risks. Its mandate was, and continues to be, that of improving the underlying conditions for safe and healthy work. The system benefits here from having its own research institutes. These support the prevention mandate of the accident insurance institutions. Their success in this activity is one reason why the occupational accident rate in Germany has consistently fallen over the decades.

Should an accident or occupational disease nevertheless occur, the statutory accident insurance institutions support the insured individuals and their companies by "all suitable means", in accordance with their statutory mandate. The services extend from curative treatment to occupational reintegration. The accident insurance institutions' own accident clinics guarantee medical care of the highest standard. They pursue an integral approach to treatment which is focused from the outset upon successful rehabilitation. The insured individuals are to return to the world of work, even when health impairments make this difficult. Specially trained rehabilitation consultants provide them with support. Should an insured individual suffer a permanent reduction in earning capacity, they receive a pension.

The German Social Accident Insurance is characterized by its delivery of services, i.e. prevention, rehabilitation and compensation, "from a single source".

Since its inception, the German Social Accident Insurance has been managed by an autonomous administration. Since 1951, this administration has involved employers' and employees' representatives in equal numbers. This management structure has proved effective, guaranteeing as it does close contact with the companies. Says Breuer: "By being rooted in practice, prevention and rehabilitation activity is geared closely to the needs of insured individuals and enterprises. Precisely for this reason, the statutory accident insurance system enjoys a high level of acceptance among both groups."

Having come into being in 1885 as an insurance system for "dangerous occupations", the organization has therefore developed in 2010 into a modern service provider for insured individuals and companies, and serves as a model for other countries seeking to create their own accident insurance systems.

Further information (in German)