Overview
Road accidents occurring during a mission for an employer account for 20% to 40% of fatal work accidents in the majority of industrialised countries.
The objective was to set up, in France, a monitoring and epidemiological analysis of road risk incurred by the employees. The ambition was thus to integrate scientific knowledge in order to understand the links between professional organisation and employee behaviour.
The specific objectives were more in detail:
- to identify the factors of occupational hazard in mission accidents;
- to quantify the effects of these professional factors on the occurrence of accidents compared to other known factors;
- to obtain a better knowledge of professions concerned with mission accidents.
A small sample of casualties occurred during a professional mission were assessed by a researcher in psychodynamics with semi-directive interviews aimed at identifying professional factors of work accidents.
The subjects were recruited in the services taking part in the register and were questioned within one month from the accident.
Two witnesses were recruited for each work-related casualty: a witness having been victim of a road accident, and a general witness who was not a victim.
Funding
Results
The main result contributing to public health and safety at work was the identification of preventative targets to reduce the frequency of professional accidents.
The comparison of the three groups, casualties at work, witnesses of casualties during a private (non-work) trip and witnesses from the general population allowed evaluation of the impact of work hazard factors not only on work-related road accidents, but also on accidents not related to work, while taking under consideration other factors of traffic accidents.