Managing physical strain at work

The French pension reform law sets new standards for negotiations on the problem of physical strain in the workplace, with the possibility of early retirement for workers who experience such strain. Taking the waste disposal sector as a case example, ANACT, the French national agency for the improvement of working conditions, has put forward recommendations on how to reduce physical strain and improve overall working conditions.

According to a study ANACT carried out for the Conseil d’Orientation des Retraites (Pensions Guidance Committee), improvements in working conditions in recent years have contributed to a decrease in the number of accidents at work, and to extending the life expectancy of employees over the age of 60. Nonetheless, many inequalities remain, particularly in some jobs and occupational levels. At the age of 60, the life expectancy of a worker is a further 15 years, compared with 19 years for supervisors. This gap widens when incremental health benefits are taken into account.

Under Article 12 of the pension reform law of 22 August 2003, professional and trade union organisations are obliged within a three-year period to engage in consultations on the definition of the problem of physical strain in the workplace and ways of dealing with it. Social partners representing different professional levels must meet at least once every three years to negotiate on the following: working conditions and human resource management issues; the skills of older workers; and work-related strain.

Some arrangements designed to offset the effects of physically arduous working conditions - such as bonuses, reduced annual working hours, and early retirement options - were already in place prior to the reform law. However, this is the first time that the public authorities have called for negotiations involving different professional levels specifically concerning the issue of physical strain.

Article R 322-7-2 of the Employment Code allows some employees to take advantage of early retirement under the terms of a sectoral-level agreement. If this is supplemented by a company agreement, the state will take responsibility for part of the income substitution benefit for employees aged at least 57, who have worked for 15 years on a production line, or who have worked 200 nights a year or more for 15 years.

Case example

The ANACT report examined conditions in the waste collection sector in order to highlight the significance of this problem. The objective was to identify factors causing strain and put forward actions for improvement. The research comprised three stages: analysis of data on the population and its state of health; observation and analysis of the work and the organisation; possibilities for improving career paths.

The analysis of work situations within the waste collection sector revealed that physical strain takes several forms: handling heavy loads, collecting a high volume of waste, constant travelling from one collection point to another, long working hours, the obligation to work quickly, etc. All of these factors can lead to falls and sprains, accidents at work and repetitive strain injuries. With age and length of service, health deteriorates considerably, causing fatigue, wear and tear, osteoarthritis, hypertension, sleeping problems, diabetes and other illnesses. In some companies, many refuse collectors are declared to be unfit for work often well before the age of 57.

The same study indicates that waste collectors are generally young, since they have to leave as they grow older as a result of the physical strain. Their life expectancy at the age of 60 is 16 years, which is below that of unskilled workers in France (17 years), and of the overall male population at the same age (19.4 years).

Several recommendations made by ANACT should go towards reducing physical strain and improving working conditions in the waste disposal sector. These mainly concern integrating health and safety criteria in contracts between waste collection enterprises and local authorities. The report also suggests introducing an appropriate work organisation which allows for safer working hours, rest periods, a manageable workload and greater team support.

Reference

Gilles, M., Guérin, F. and Rousseau, T., ‘Réduire la pénibilité au travail’ (Reduce physical strain at work ) in Travail et changement (Work and change ), ANACT, No. 294, Feb/Mar 2004.