[Practical industrial medicine in Switzerland]

The actual state of the industrial medicine in Switzerland, which has not reached yet a satisfying level, is brought in connection with the development of the corresponding legislation as well as the traditionally rather negative attitude of the social partners towards the introduction of an efficient industrial medicine. The revised law of accident prevention might promote the completion of the necessary infrastructure. To our own behoof, we should take advantage of the experiences made in our neighbour states. The independent and competent activity of an industrial physicians is considered as the essential condition of an efficient protection of the worker to the advantage of themselves as well as the employers. The lack of postgraduate instruction and the deficient image of this specialty of medicine in our country are responsible for the difficulties in providing our industry with a considerable number of doctors of industrial medicine. The paper concludes with an information on the tasks of the Service of Occupational Medicine of the Federal Office for Industry and Labour and on examples of its work during the past years.