Social inequalities related to the nature of the work are increasing in France. This is the main conclusion reached during a conference organized last March by the French Ministry of Labour. It was aimed at analyzing the results of a survey on occupational risks at the request of DARES, an organization accountable to this Ministry. The outcome of the conference revealed that the percentage of manual workers and employees who cumulate three types of physical strain has increased by almost 1% since 1994. The same trend has been observed in workers exposed to chemicals. During the last decade, there has been an increasing number of workers exposed to at least three chemical agents. Results have shown a substantial increase from 22 to 30%.

The belief according to which manual workers are exposed to physical strain and managers to mental strain has been challenged. The results of the survey revealed that 32% of the manual workers are suffering from occupational strain versus only 14% of managers.

• Main findings of the survey