Background
Suva, Switzerland's national accident insurance provider, insures over 2.2 million employees across more than 138,000 companies against occupational accidents and disease. Despite continuous safety improvements, Switzerland records between 260,000 and 300,000 workplace accidents each year, with construction sites accounting for a disproportionate share. Causes include protocol non-compliance, time pressure, and failure to translate safety rules into live-environment behaviour. Classroom and e-learning formats have struggled to close that retention gap.
The Platform
Swiss Safety VR is a nationally available VR training platform developed by Suva in partnership with BearingPoint. It delivers a growing library of standalone 20-minute interactive VR modules covering high-risk scenarios: falls from unprotected edges, load-securing on construction sites, high-voltage electrical hazards, tunnel and infrastructure workflows, and logistics operations. Each module places the user in the scenario and demonstrates the real-world consequences of unsafe behaviour in a repeatable, controlled setting.
The platform runs on the Meta Quest 3 headset and is available in German, French, Italian, and English. Modules are Suva-validated and free of charge to any Swiss organisation, including SMEs and schools.
Business and Funding Model
Swiss Safety VR uses a co-financing model: Suva contributes up to 50% of module development costs, with the remainder funded by sector-specific industry partners. Completed modules are then published across all industries, removing duplication and maximising reach. BearingPoint generates revenue through new module development and optional onboarding, rollout, and support services.
Industry Partnerships
Module development has been co-financed by sector-specific partners including Holzbau Vital (modular timber construction), Implenia (tunnel and infrastructure), CIFER (energy and electrical hazards), GS1 Switzerland (logistics and load-securing), and the FIS ski federation (snow sports safety). Each collaboration adds domain expertise to the shared content library.
Rollout and Support
BearingPoint handled operating model design, technology architecture, scenario prototyping, and change management. Train-the-trainer services helped Suva integrate the platform into its internal workflows and support broader organisational adoption. The platform launched in August 2025 and is available to Swiss companies and educational institutions at no licensing cost.
