Monday, November 15, in a logistics warehouse in Lieusaint, in Seine-et-Marne, a 25-year-old temporary worker dies in a work accident. In 2020, a year when temporary work was particularly weak, 41 temporary workers lost their lives at work; they were 81 in 2019. This tragedy highlights the very high exposure of temporary workers to occupational risks. “They are twice as victims of accidents at work than the average employee and their accidents are twice as serious,” recalls Laëtitia Gomez, secretary general of the interim CGT.
Many factors explain this overexposure. The youth of temporary workers first of all: in 2020, the average age of temporary workers was 32.1 years old and those under 25 represented 34% of the workforce. The brevity of the missions then. In 2020, the average duration of a mission was 67.4 hours and 87% of missions lasted less than a month. Temporary workers are placed in the conditions of a new hire for each assignment, they do not know the place or the work group. On arrival at their place of mission, they should, in theory, benefit from a safety briefing. “In fact, I have hardly ever benefited from this“ quarter of an hour of training ”,” regrets Faiza (1), interim collective catering agent.
Temporary workers are also often less protected than employees of user companies. “Too often, in terms of personal protective equipment (PPE), they only benefit from the safety shoes supplied by the temporary employment company”, denounces Laëtitia Gomez. User companies are however responsible for the safety of temporary employees who work at home all the time of their assignment, they must also take them into account when drafting the single document for the assessment of occupational risks (Duerp).
At the head, the building
This overexposure of temporary workers has been identified for more than twenty years. Asked about the subject, the Prism, the employers’ organization in the sector, recalls the creation in 2002 of a joint committee on health and safety at work, and, since 2008, the temporary work sector has set up an indicator of follow-up of work accidents which makes it possible to identify the most exposed sectors of activity: unsurprisingly, the building is in the lead (39% of work accidents). In 2017, a branch agreement relating to occupational health and safety was signed. Occupational risk prevention documents according to sector are made available online to temporary workers.
The Labor Code guarantees the possibility for the occupational doctor of the temporary employment company to enter the user company. But, in the field …
–
“The occupational health monitoring of temporary workers is provided by services which have specific approval, which guarantees a good knowledge of the specificities of temporary work”, explains Gérald Demortière, coordinating doctor of Ametif (Santé au job). “The Labor Code guarantees the possibility for the occupational doctor of the temporary employment company to enter the user company,” he continues. But, in the field, this possibility is rarely used.
Unreported accidents
The elected representatives of the CSEs of temporary employment companies have a hard time preventing occupational risks. “The figures for work accidents are not communicated to us by the customers, so we cannot ask for the action plans implemented by the companies!” »Protests Laëtitia Gomez. In the event of a serious occupational accident, it is also very difficult for elected officials to go to the user company. It is, in fact, the health, safety and working conditions commission (CSSCT) of the site where the accident took place that is leading the investigation. Sometimes, the elected officials obtain the authorization to accompany the prevention specialists of the temporary work company on site, but this remains marginal.
“It is very delicate, almost impossible, for us to enter the user company, for this we need to obtain its agreement and, most of the time, our management does not even take the step”, denounces Sébastien Briou, elected CSE of the Randstad France group. It is also almost impossible for a temporary worker to have the impact of work on his health recognized. In 2020, out of more than 2.7 million temporary workers, only 6 obtained recognition of an occupational disease!
–
