Serious work accident in Hundwil: client trapped between wooden fiction!

Serious work accident in Hundwil: client trapped between wooden fiction!

Hundwil, Schweiz - On June 2, 2025, a serious work accident occurred on a construction site in Hundwil, Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland. According to Vol.at , a 27-year-old builder was involved in an incident, in which he was squeezed by a 1.5 ton wooden roof element. The accident happened around 1:00 p.m. when the client tried to charge the wooden element from a truck with a crane.

The wooden element was first placed on the concrete wall of the new building. While the client wanted to solve the straps, the element overturned for unknown reasons and clamped it between the wooden element and a wooden beam. After the accident, the client was released by the alarmed emergency services and he received first aid before he was transported to the hospital with the Rega. The Cantonal Police Appenzell Ausserrhoden and the cantonal labor inspectorate have initiated investigations into the cause of the accident.

dangers on construction sites

The accident illustrates the dangers that insist on construction sites. According to BMAS.de , the working conditions on construction sites are characterized by constant changes, unfavorable weather influences and high pressure situations. The construction industry is an important industry and has shown the highest accident rate in Germany in 2018. In order to reduce work accidents and professional diseases, legal regulations were issued.

Important regulations for improving security include the Workplace Ordinance and the Operational Safety Ordinance, which regulate the lifting of loads and the use of ladders and scaffolding. In addition, a construction site regulation was introduced, which requires better coordination when planning and execution, including the appointment of a security and health protection coordinator.

statistics and decline in accidents

In 2022, a decline in reportable work accidents in the construction industry was found. According to bgbauaktuell.bgbau.de there were 99.380 reportable work accidents, which represents a significant acceptance compared to the 103.525 accidents in 2021. The thousand-person quota dropped from 49.84 in 2021 to 45.51 in 2022. Dirk Müller, alternating chairman of the BG Bau board, commented on this decline as positive and as an indicative for the relative frequency of accident per 1,000 fully employed.

The current statistics and regulations underline the importance of occupational safety on construction sites and illustrate the need for preventive measures to prevent accidents such as the latest incident in Hundwil.