Statutory accident insurance is a branch of social insurance. As a compulsory insurance, it compensates for health damage that the insured suffer as a result of an insured activity. The legal basis is the Seventh Book of the Social Code (SGB VII).
Statutory accident insurance has the task of using all suitable means:
- prevent insurance claims (accidents at work and occupational diseases) and work-related health risks,
- to restore the health and performance of the insured after the occurrence of insured events and
- to compensate the insured or their surviving dependents with cash benefits.
Employees and trainees are particularly insured. Entrepreneurs can take out voluntary insurance if they are not already compulsorily insured by law or the articles of association, as in some industries. Insurance coverage exists regardless of age, religion, nationality or income.
The occurrence of an insured event is the basic prerequisite for accident insurance benefits. Insurance claims are accidents at work and occupational diseases. Accidents at work include not only accidents sustained in the company during actual work, but also commuting accidents. Commuting accidents are accidents that employees suffer on the way to or from work. Occupational diseases are diseases that the insured suffer from work and are either described in the Occupational Diseases Ordinance or are caused by the profession based on new medical knowledge.
In addition, there must be a causal link between the insured activity and the accident, and between accident and health damage. This means that insurance cover only exists if the health damage that has occurred can be traced back to the operational (insured) area in individual cases. The benefits include, in particular, medical treatment measures, medical rehabilitation, benefits for participation in working life (e.g. retraining), cash benefits for insured persons (e.g. wage replacement benefits and pension benefits) and – in the event of death – survivor benefits (e.g. widow’s / widower’s and orphan’s pensions).
The employer pays the full cost of the statutory accident insurance. It is therefore free of charge for employees.
Further information
Overview of the statutory accident insurance of a Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs
German Statutory Accident Insurance (DGUV)
