Who is insured?

Every year some 1,400,000 accidents occur in the Federal Republic of Germany involving employees who are either working or on their way to or from work. These are joined by around 18,000 cases of recognised occupational illnesses and some 1.5 million school accidents. For those affected, the consequences often entail wide-ranging changes in their way of life. Restoring these people's health and, as far as possible, their ability to work is the task of statutory accident insurance.

Every employee and trainee is covered by statutory occupational accident insurance. In industry and agriculture the employers' liability insurance funds (Berufsgenossenschaften) are responsible for accident insurance. Providing coverage in the public sector are the municipal accident insurance associations (Gemeindeunfallversicherungsverbände) and other public-sector accident funds. Coverage is provided for accidents at work or school or on the way to or from work or school - as well as for occupational illnesses.

Who is insured?

Statutory occupational accident insurance protects the following groups:

  • workers and salaried employees,
  • farmers and their family members,
  • children in day-care/nursery school/kindergarten,
  • schoolchildren and university students,
  • disabled people employed in sheltered workshops,
  • people who help at the scene of an accident or disaster,
  • civil defence and emergency rescue workers,
  • blood and organ donors,
  • caregivers and household helpers,
  • helpers on non-commercial construction projects,
  • persons doing volunteer work for the federal, state or municipal governments or another public institution, including court witnesses/jurors,
  • unemployed persons and social assistance recipients, provided they are properly registered,
  • prisoners and development workers, and
  • voluntarily insured entrepreneurs.

Special rules apply for civil servants.

You can find detailed information on the benefits provided by statutory occupational accident insurance in Germany on the following websites: