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05/02/2008
In 2005, 31% of employees claimed to have received either training or information about the health hazards of their job, reports an analysis of data from the 2005 Working Conditions Survey done in France.
Access to information or training on work-related risks varies widely by size of workplace: given to just 20% of workers in SMEs with under 50 employees, but double that number in firms with over 1 000 workers.
But, "the fact that workplaces with over 50 employees give them more information about work hazards is due less to their size than the presence of a health and safety committee (HSC)", qualifies the author of the analysis. Having an HSC doubles the likelihood of getting information or training on work-related risks.
Whether a worker gets information and training on occupational hazards also seems closely tied to what kind of job they do. Heavy manual labourers and workers exposed to fumes, dust, chemicals or biological agents are more apt to be given training and information about the hazards they face in their work place.
Additionally, 83% of employees were examined by an occupational health doctor in the two years preceding the survey.Contingent and part-time workers are less often seen by works doctors.
Women seem to benefit less from measures to prevent occupational risks than men. This gender difference can only partly be put down to the different kinds of job done. Even on a "like-for-like" basis, the author of the analytical study found that women still benefit from fewer preventive measures: they have a significantly lower probability than men of being given training, safety information, or a consultation with an occupational health doctor.
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