BearingPoint helps Suva to launch VR training platform

When Suva, Switzerland’s largest accident insurer, sought to launch a virtual reality training platform, it hoped to deliver immersive safety training to more than two million workers. To deliver on that huge goal, it enlisted the help of European consultancy BearingPoint, which provided data insights, and designs for a sustainable operating model.

Founded in 1918, Suva employs over 4,700 people at its headquarters in Lucerne, across 18 agency locations throughout Switzerland, and in its two rehabilitation clinics in Bellikon and Sion. In its more than 100-years in business, the firm has come to insure more than 138,000 companies and over 2.2 million employees against the consequences of occupational accidents and diseases.

However, prevention is better than a cure – and preventing workplace accidents are crucial not only to reduce the financial and operational risks of businesses, but for the sake of employee welfare – especially in the construction sector. Despite increasing safety measures, between 260,000 and nearly 300,000 accidents still occur each year in Switzerland, often due to non-compliance with regulations, time pressure, or negligence.

To tackle this challenge, Suva has been aiming to revolutionise workplace safety training. While terrifying workplace safety tapes are nothing new, using virtual reality (VR) to deliver interactive courses to make workplace risks easier to see, understand, and prevent through immersive learning, could significantly enhance safety protocols.

To scale this approach, and encourage its widespread adoption across industries, Suva needed to pursue systematic support in developing a new business model. This support would focus on three core areas: producing high-quality VR content, designing interactive training modules, and implementing effective change management strategies. A key goal was also to integrate this innovative approach into Suva’s internal processes.

BearingPoint

The solution took shape through close collaboration between Suva and BearingPoint, who developed a next-generation training platform combining VR, augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (XR). After assessing the capabilities of these technologies, BearingPoint created immersive training scenarios that focused on high-risk tasks such as securing heavy loads in construction or preventing falls from unprotected areas. This marked a pivotal step in enhancing traditional prevention methods.

These insights enabled the team to develop several prototypes that clearly demonstrated how immersive technologies can support accident prevention and the effective delivery of safety instructions. From the outset, the platform was designed to be both scalable and user-friendly, regardless of the user’s profile.

As part of this effort, Suva and BearingPoint also developed a robust operating model, a sustainable technology architecture, and a turnkey service offering tailored to the Swiss market: Swiss Safety VR. This ever-expanding library features 20-minute interactive modules that vividly illustrate the consequences of workplace accidents. The format is not only more engaging and educational than conventional approaches, but also more cost-efficient. BearingPoint supported the business model development as well as the design and simulation of new application scenarios.

VR platform

Nathanaël Bonvin, programme manager for new technologies at Suva, explained, “The Swiss Safety VR platform allows us to offer truly engaging and effective training experiences, that not only motivate participants, but significantly improve safety outcomes. We chose to work with BearingPoint, because their expertise and innovative approach were a perfect match for Suva’s commitment to advancing safety training.”

The platform is available on the Meta Quest 3 headset, in German, French, Italian, and English, and is expected to significantly reduce the need for in-person workshops, resulting in considerable time and cost savings. It also leads to better retention of safety guidelines compared to traditional classroom or e-learning formats.

Looking ahead, Suva hopes that its launch will usher in a new way to train and raise awareness: more mobile, more interactive, and more accessible. Companies and their partners now can modernise their internal processes, accessing the platform free of charge, while adopting forward-looking training and communication practices.