Geneva  - Better working conditions would reduce back and other musculoskeletal system problems among labourers and save the Swiss economy over 4 billion Swiss francs a year (over 3.8 billion dollars), a study released Wednesday by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) showed.

"The costs for businesses due to lost productivity owing to musculoskeletal system disorders caused - in part - by the workplace is estimated at 3.3 billion francs a year," SECO said.

Absences related to the same type of problem tacked on nearly another 1 billion franc lose for businesses.

Moreover, SECO said that the disorders and pain generally lead to early retirement or people needing to go on disability leave, thereby costing the economy another indeterminable amount of money.

Most of these losses could be saved by better working conditions, the study found.

Under the plan, branches of the Swiss federal government and the local cantonal authorities would embark on a two-year project to improve conditions and assist employers in making jobs safer. This would include enforcing the labour laws as well as monitoring risk factors.(dpa)