The curves are reversing: while cancers attributable to asbestos are on the decline, those linked to other causes are on the rise. But the former still represent 81% of cases.
Musculoskeletal disorders make assets creak. According to the latest figures from the “Occupational Risks” branch of Health Insurance, they represent 87% of occupational illnesses. A massive share and which started to rise again in 2014.
Occupational diseases are up slightly compared to 2013, whereas they had started to decline since 2011. The fault lies mainly with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which develop with the repetition of bad movements for years.
The primary sector is widely represented among the victims: the food industry, automobile and metallurgy, but also construction are severely affected by these affections of muscles, tendons, nerves, joints and bones.
The tertiary sector is not spared, as evidenced by the data from the Health Insurance. Employees in mass distribution and in the personal care and assistance sector consult regularly for MSDs.
Asbestos-related cancers are on the decline
The report underlines an upsurge in cases of scabies among the working population of hospitals and medico-social accommodation, as well as an ever-increasing number of mental illnesses of occupational origin. In 2014, 315 cases were recognized.
Asbestos-related diseases are also very present in French registers: 7% of the working population is affected. Cancers are far from episodic in this case: those attributable to this insulator are very predominant (81%), although they mark a decline.
But the trend is rather reassuring in the face of other tumors of occupational origin, which stand out by an increase of 10.3% compared to the previous year. In this category, bladder cancers are the most common, followed by those caused by wood dust.
750,000 claims in total
But the vast majority of the activity of the “Occupational risk” branch remains work accidents. In 2014, the Health Insurance enumerated 34 of them which resulted in one stop per 1,000 employees. Handling is the leading cause, with half of the incidents, followed by falls on the same level or from a height.
If the construction industry sees the number of accidents decrease, the frequency remains extremely high, in particular in the work of framework and roofing. On average, twice as many incidents are counted than in the general labor force. On the other hand, it is in the personal assistance and care sector that the increase is most marked (+ 6%).
In total, 750,000 claims (work accidents, commuting accidents and occupational diseases) resulted in a work stoppage or permanent incapacity. The weight on the health insurance budget is not negligible: 3.7 billion euros have been disbursed.
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