Overall increase in exposure to risks and job demands
Publikováno: 28 April 2005
In 2003, 20% of employees in France reported working more than 40 hours, compared with 29% in 1994. The survey, commissioned by DARES - the research and statistical unit of the French Ministry of Employment - has observed this tendency in all the professions, although the majority of white-collar workers still work more than 40 hours a week (51% in 2003, compared with 63.1% in 1994).
Between 1994 and 2003, French workers’ exposure to risks and physical job demands has tended to increase, but with considerable contrast between the kinds of exposure. Long days and repetitive work have become less frequent, while organisational constraints and physical job demands have increased. Overall, risks and physical demands increased more for factory workers and administrative staff, and in the agriculture and construction sectors.
Working time and organisational constraints
In 2003, 20% of employees in France reported working more than 40 hours, compared with 29% in 1994. The survey, commissioned by DARES - the research and statistical unit of the French Ministry of Employment - has observed this tendency in all the professions, although the majority of white-collar workers still work more than 40 hours a week (51% in 2003, compared with 63.1% in 1994).
However, it is becoming more common for people to work at weekends, usually on a Saturday, even for those who would not previously have been affected by this (industrial workers, administrative staff). Night work is also increasing, particularly among qualified and non-qualified female workers (respectively 6 and 4 points).
In 2003, 55% of workers reported having to respond quickly to external demands ( 6 points), with a noticeable increase for industrial workers (from 34% in 1994 to 41.2 % in 2003). Also increasing is the feeling of having to work to a tight schedule ( 12 points). However, 41% of workers state that they can change the set deadline.
In addition, the share of workers whose tasks are subject to electronic control has doubled ( 13 points).
Contact with public
More and more workers have direct contact with the public, either in person or by phone (71% in 2003, compared with 63% in 1994). Managers and executive are less concerned by this situation (-8 points), while industrial workers are noticeably more affected ( 14 points).
Such contact with the public or with customers can be perceived as a risk, with the feeling of a risk of physical attack increasing from 18% to 23% among these workers. Some 40% of employees in the retail trade and services feel exposed to a risk of physical attack.
| Sector: | Agriculture | Industry | Construction | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Being in contact with the public (directly or by phone): 1994/2003 | 32.6/54.4 | 37.8/40.6 | 45.5/67.7 | 79.1/80.2 |
| Risk of exposure to physical attack (among workers in contact with the public): 1994/2003 | 7.9/14.7 | 5.0/9.7 | 5.5/11.4 | 22.6/30.8 |
| Noise levels over 85 dbA: 1994/2003 | 34.7/41.9 | 26.0/34.2 | 28.2/53.7 | 3.5/8.3 |
| Noise levels over 85 dbA more than 20 hours per week: 1994/2003 | 6.2/12.4 | 15.7/15.8 | 7.6/10.5 | 1.3/2.1 |
| Manual handling of load more than 10 hours per week: 1994/2003 | 10.1/15.7 | 13.5/13.3 | 20.9/24.1 | 11.2/11.8 |
| Working on screen more than 20 hours per week: 1994/2003 | 1.7/5.2 | 10.0/20.0 | 4.4/8.0 | 14.5/23.5 |
| Exposure to at least one chemical product:1994/2003 | 48.9/55.9 | 43.6/49.7 | 55.8/66.5 | 25.8/30.2 |
| Exposure to at least three different chemical products: 1994/2003 | 20.6/29.6 | 16.6/21.8 | 17.1/30.0 | 10.4/12.6 |
Source: SUMER survey, 1994 and 2003 (DRT-DARES)
| Occupation (NACE): | Management | Intermediary professions | Administrative staff | Trade and service employees | Qualified workers | Non-qualified workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Being in contact with the public (directly or by phone): 1994/2003 | 85.0/75.8 | 79.8/81.5 | 82.6/86.8 | 86.3/92.0 | 39.1/50.5 | 19.6/32.4 |
| Risk of exposure to physical attack (among workers in contact with the public): 1994/2003 | 11.1/15.3 | 19.3/29.4 | 18.6/26.5 | 29.3/39.9 | 13.2/20.5 | 9.3/16.2 |
| Noise levels over 85 dbA: 1994/2003 | 2.7/4.8 | 8.1/11.7 | 0.6/2.1 | 0.9/2.8 | 28.8/41.9 | 27.4/36.4 |
| Noise levels over 85 dbA more than 20 hours per week: 1994/2003 | 0.6/0.5 | 2.5/2.4 | 0.2/0.2 | 0.3/0.4 | 13.1/14.9 | 14.1/15.7 |
| Manual handling of load more than 10 hours per week: 1994/2003 | 1.4/0.7 | 5.5/5.4 | 1.1/4.8 | 17.2/20.3 | 20.7/21.2 | 25.0/28.2 |
| Working on screen more than 20 hours per week: 1994/2003 | 18.3/43.9 | 14.8/28.6 | 38.3/47.4 | 2.3/5.9 | 1.8/3.3 | 0.5/1.8 |
| Exposure to at least one chemical product:1994/2003 | 8.9/8.3 | 27.6/30.0 | 3.4/4.8 | 40.8/49.1 | 56.1/64.8 | 51.8/60.5 |
| Exposure to at least three different chemical products: 1994/2003 | 3.9/3.9 | 12.8/14.9 | 0.7/1.1 | 14.3/16.3 | 22.1/30.3 | 17.6/24.1 |
Source: SUMER survey, 1994 and 2003 (DRT-DARES)
Physical job demands
Traditional heavy job demands, such as high noise levels and heavy loads, persist: three million workers are exposed to a level of noise higher than 85 decibels, and this exposure is increasing (18% of workers in 2003, compared with 13% in 1994). In some industries (wood, paper, metallurgy), more than 50% of the workers are exposed to loud noise.
The manual handling of loads also tends to be more frequent, affecting 41% of workers, compared with 38% in 1994: 7.5 million of workers have to handle ‘heavy loads’’ (according to the European definition), and women are now more exposed to this risk than 10 years ago (increasing from 26% to 30%). More than 50% of workers and employees in retail trade and services handle heavy loads, and this figure rises to almost 70% in the construction sector.
Exposure to eye strain has grown, with a significant increase in computer screen work: the numbers working on screen more than 20 hours a week has almost doubled in the 10-year period, to reach 22%.
Heavy physical demands (that imply long exposure) remain stable, but are more concentrated among men aged under 25 years.
Increased exposure to chemical risk
While the number of people concerned by chemical risks remains stable (15%) and is mainly concentrated in the health sector, an increasing proportion of workers are exposed to chemical risks: seven million workers (38%) had been exposed to at least one chemical product in the week before the survey interview. This share has increased by three points over the 10-year period, mainly in the construction sector ( 11 points) and in agriculture ( 7 points). Multiple exposures are also increasing, affecting 16% of workers ( 3 points). Here, also, the increase is particularly noticeable in construction ( 13 points) and agriculture ( 9 points).
This risk of exposure to chemical products mainly concerns qualified workers (31% in 2003, compared with 22% in 1994) and non-qualified workers (26% compared with 18%).
The most frequent source of risks in relation to chemical products are solvents and detergents.
Note on survey
This survey (full results not yet published) outlines the exposure of employees to the main workplace risks in France. The survey is administered by company doctors (all employees are required to attend these doctors at least once every two years), which enables the use of quite a technical questionnaire. Between June 2002 and the end of 2003, 1,792 physicians (20% of company doctors) filled in the questionnaire, for 49,984 workers chosen at random.
Source: DARES --- Premières Informations Premières synthèses n° 52.1, December 2004; http://www.travail.gouv.fr/etudes/etudes_h.html
Eurofound doporučuje citovat tuto publikaci následujícím způsobem.
Eurofound (2005), Overall increase in exposure to risks and job demands, article.
This website is an official website of the European Union.
All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies