Accident insurance for part-time work with irregular hours

Anyone employed in Switzerland is, in principle, covered by the Accident Insurance Act (UVG). It distinguishes between mandatory insurance for occupational accidents (BU) and insurance for non-occupational accidents (NBU). For part-time employees, cover for occupational accidents usually works without difficulty. NBU cover, however, has a few pitfalls.

Part-time employees have to meet certain conditions to be covered outside working hours too. Companies that employ part-time employees on irregular assignments often find this a challenge. So how exactly is NBU regulated, what do you need to watch out for, and what should employees with irregular hours in particular keep in mind?

Why weekly working hours decide

In principle, part-time employees need an average of at least eight working hours a week to be covered by NBU. Alternatively, it can be enough that they worked at least eight hours in the majority of the weeks considered. But how do you determine these “weeks considered” for employees whose assignments vary greatly or are irregular?

The guidance of the Ad-hoc Kommission Schaden UVG

To ensure consistent practice, the Ad-hoc Kommission Schaden UVG (the accident insurers’ claims committee) has issued specific recommendations. It recommends the following approach:

1. Choose the relevant period
   The calculation is based on either the last 3 or the last 12 months before the accident. The period used is whichever is more favourable for the person concerned. This also helps even out short-term fluctuations or seasonal assignments.
2. Count only full weeks
   If the relevant period starts or ends mid-week, these partial weeks are generally left out. This is meant to produce an average that is as realistic as possible.
3. Decide: all weeks, or only weeks with assignments?
   This is one of the key points. According to the guidance, it depends on whether weeks with actual assignments make up the majority of the relevant period.
   1. If most weeks include actual assignments, only the weeks in which any work was done count towards the calculation, even if it was just a single hour. Employees who work in most weeks can then calculate their average from the weeks they actually worked, without weeks without assignments pulling it down.
   2. If most weeks have no assignment, however, all weeks of the relevant period count. This prevents someone with only occasional assignments in a few weeks from automatically passing the eight-hour threshold.
4. Add hours lost to illness or accident
   If the hours worked are not yet enough for the eight-hour threshold, the guidance allows hours lost to the employee’s own illness or accident to be added. To do this, the average daily working time is calculated, rounded up to the next full hour and added for the days concerned. Absences for other reasons (such as military service, public holidays or annual leave) are not added.

Let’s work through an example

Imagine the following. In scenario A, a person worked in 8 of 12 weeks over the last three months, even if only for one hour in one of the weakest weeks. In the remaining 4 weeks, they had no assignment at all. Since most weeks did include work (8 against 4), only these 8 weeks count towards the calculation. If the person averages eight hours a week over them, they have NBU cover.

Now compare scenario B. A person looks back over three months (12 weeks). In 5 of those weeks, they worked 9 hours each; in the other 7 weeks, they had no assignment at all. Weeks without assignments are in the majority (7 against 5). So all 12 weeks must count towards the calculation.

This means the total of 45 working hours (5 weeks × 9 hours) is divided by 12, which gives an average of only 3.75 hours a week. Since this is clearly below the eight-hour threshold, there is no NBU cover in this example.

Fixed-term assignments

Fixed-term assignments are particularly relevant for NBU cover. What always counts is the nature of the employment: what the parties agreed in the contract and how the work is actually organised. For fixed-term contracts, the planned duration of the employment is used for the assessment. If, for example, it sets a workload that works out at an average of eight hours a week, this can lead to NBU cover even for a short assignment, provided the weekly hours calculated reflect the nature of what was agreed.

Why premiums don’t automatically mean cover

A common misunderstanding is that paying accident insurance premiums automatically guarantees full NBU cover. But if the hours worked turn out to be too low when a claim is made, the insurer can reduce or refuse benefits. So employers and part-time employees must make sure together that the relevant weeks are calculated and documented correctly.

How to handle part-time and NBU questions with confidence

Reflecting NBU cover correctly for part-time employees can be a challenge for payroll, especially when assignments are irregular or working hours vary greatly. With a structured approach and clear steps in day-to-day payroll administration, though, it can be handled well.

For employers: It’s advisable to deduct NBU premiums for all part-time employees, or at least for those at risk, to begin with, and to check only at the year-end declaration or when someone leaves whether the minimum requirements (such as an average of eight hours a week) were actually met. If the hours worked are shown to be below this threshold, premiums paid in excess can be refunded through the last payslip of the year or on leaving. This prevents short-term changes in workload from leading straight to gaps in cover or unnecessary claw-backs.

For employees: If you are not sure whether your hours will consistently be enough for NBU cover, consider taking out private accident insurance through your own health insurer. This may lead to some double cover, but if in doubt it is more sensible than suddenly finding yourself without adequate cover after an accident. Without such a policy, the costs would be settled through basic health insurance, which in our experience can mean higher out-of-pocket costs through the deductible (franchise) and co-payment.

Conclusion

Whether it’s working out the right average of hours worked, charging premiums fairly or taking out additional private insurance, clarifying NBU cover early removes uncertainty for employers and employees alike. Applying the steps described consistently reduces the risk of gaps in cover and spares everyone unexpected costs. With part-time employment and fluctuating assignments in particular, a well-thought-out approach to NBU cover is essential. Clear time tracking, regular checks and, where needed, private insurance avoid the most common pitfalls. That way, employers and employees create a reliable framework and avoid unpleasant surprises when a claim arises.