2023-04-28 14:56:27
Created in 2003 by the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the United Nations, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work takes place this year on Friday April 28, 2023. The ILO estimates that there are 2 million workers who die each year as a result of work-related accidents or illnesses. France is one of the countries most at risk in this area.
► 645 fatal accidents in 2021, France in the countries most at risk
In France, 645 deaths considered to be accidents at work were recorded in 2021. This is a lower level than in 2019 (88 less), but France is among the countries of the European Union with the highest work accident rate and had even been at the top of the ranking in 2019, now overtaken by Cyprus and Romania.
Most are due to illness in the workplace (56%) while road accidents account for just over one in ten deaths at work.
► 604,565 workplace accidents in 2021
Health insurance counted 604,565 accidents at work during the year 2021. Compared to 2019, this figure is down 7.8%. The year 2020, marked by covid-19 and teleworking, had experienced a sharp drop, in particular thanks to confinements.
Manual handling is the cause of half of the accidents and falls represent a third of these. Commuting accidents between home and work are responsible for more than 14% of work accidents in France.
A special fact for the year 2021, health insurance has noted an increase of almost 20% in scooter or bicycle accidents. Next come occupational diseases, (47,000 cases covered), of which musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the vast majority responsible for sick leave (86%).
► Five dead on the construction site of the Grand Paris Express
The construction of the Grand Paris Express, creating new lines 15 to 18 and extending line 14 of the metro, is symbolic of the large number of work accidents that have occurred in the country. Since 2020, five employees have died on the site, the last of which, a 22-year-old young man, on April 6.
The use of subcontracting companies and a time constraint pushing a lack of attention to safety are at the origin of the accidents, according to the unions. The macabre assessment is added to the list of 87 accidents, including 11 serious, recorded on the Parisian site which mobilizes more than 4,000 employees.
► The construction sector responsible for 10% of work accidents
According to 2019 figures, the construction sector is the most affected by work accidents, with 82,293 accidents, or 10% of accidents in 2019. Compared to the number of employees, agriculture, industries mining, woodworking and transport are among the most dangerous sectors.
The frequency and severity of work accidents are especially present in structural work activities such as roofing and carpentry, or the handling of goods, underlines the Dares (Direction of Animation of Research, Studies and Statistics) .
In general, accidents are less frequent for older employees but more serious. Fatal ones more often concern workers. At the same socio-professional category, women are less affected than men.
►1 million students and apprentices trained in risks
Training to prevent risks is piloted by health insurance, and focuses on three main risks: musculoskeletal disorders, chemicals and falls. They are mandatory and must be carried out by the employer.
According to the National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Workplace Accidents and Occupational Diseases (INRS), training in these risks would have concerned more than a million students and apprentices in initial information and 1.2 million interns in 2021.
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