Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
The French ESAW data for the reference year 2022 come from three sources: the CNAM, which covers the majority of private sector employees and contract workers in the public sector; the CNRACL, for civil servants in the territorial and hospital public sectors; and the CCMSA, for employees covered by the agricultural social scheme. Overall, these sources cover 84.5% of the employees (estimation based on the France 2021 Labour Survey).
The 2022 French ESAW data does not cover civil servants of the state public sector, due to the absence of a centralized information system that collects data on accidents at work. Employees covered by minor work accident insurance schemes and employees of private individuals are also excluded, mostly because of issues related to data accessibility and/or data quality. Overall, the categories not covered by the 2022 French ESAW data represent 15.5% of employees.
Up to 2020, data from French surveys on working conditions were used to estimate work-related accidents among state civil servants. These estimates were previously included in the French ESAW data.
In France, all insurance schemes for work accidents are public. Work accidents recognition in France has some unique particularities when compared to other countries as explained below.
Presumption of Causality
In France, any accident causing physical or mental injury that occurs at work or during work, regardless of its cause, is recognized as work accident. It is the employers’ responsibility to prove that the accident has no link at all with work. Failing to establish a link between the accident and the work is not sufficient to consider that the accident is not work-related.
Until 2017, this presumption of causality for victims of accidents at work was only applicable to employees in the private sector. Since 2017, the presumption of causality is extended to civil servants [1].
Recognition Criterion
Reported accidents are subject to a recognition procedure by the health insurance funds or by their administration (for accidents reported by the National retirement fund for local collectivities workers (CNRACL)).
For the employees in the private sector, the recognition system is based on declarations of work accident made by the employers. The second mandatory element that will allow the recognition of the accident as a work accident is the initial medical certificate (IMC). IMC is a medical report about the health consequences of the accident. Any physician can provide an IMC. It is the responsibility of the physician to establish an initial medical certificate of accident at work, as soon as the patient indicates that it is an accident at work. It is not necessary for the employee to have a proof of any declaration of accident at work made by his employer. In case of disagreement between the employee and the employer, there is a dispute, and the decision is made by a court.
Once all the elements of a recognition demand are gathered, insurance schemes decide if the accident at or during work is a work accident or not. In 2022, 94 % of all the complete recognition demands were validated by the primary work accident insurance scheme (CNAM).
French ESAW data covers all accidents thus recognized as work accidents if they resulted in 4 days or more of absence from work.
During the year 2022, a reform of the declaration procedure has been implemented. This change is one of the suspected sources of the significant decrease in the number of work-related accidents this year, in break with previous trends.
[1] Article 21 bis of Law No. 83-634 of July 13, 1983, as amended by Ordinance No. 2017-53 of January 19, 2017.
3.2. Classification system
National data use the same classification as ESAW (NACE Rev. 2, ISCO-08 and latest NUTS version).
3.3. Coverage - sector
Employees of the general social security scheme, agricultural social scheme and civil servants in the territorial and hospital public sectors are covered.
Civil servants of the state public sector, employees of minor work accident insurance schemes and employees of private individuals are excluded.
3.3.1. Sector Coverage ESAW
COVERAGE OF ECONOMIC SECTORS (NACE), (Annual update expected).
NACE
NACE Rev.2
Coverage
A
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
y
B
Mining and quarrying
y
off shores
y
others
y
C
Manufacturing
y
D
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
p
E
Water supply, sewerage, steam and air conditioning supply
y
F
Construction
y
G
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles
y
H
Transportation and storage
p
maritime transport (NACE 50)
p
air transport (NACE 51)
y
transport via Railways (NACE 49)
p
post & telecomunications (NACE 53)
p
I
Accomodation and food service activities
y
J
Information and communication
y
K
Financial and insurance activities
y
L
Real state activities
y
M
Professional, scientific and technical activities
y
N
Administrative and support service activities
y
O
Public administration and defence;compulsory social security
p
of which police and firebrigades (NACE 84.24 and 84.25)
p
P
Education
p
Q
Human health and social work activities
p
R
Arts, entertainment and recreation
y
S
Other service activities
y
T
Activities of households as employers; undiferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use
p
U
Activites of extra territorial organisations and bodies
y
Additional comments on coverage of economic sectors
Codes:
y Sector fully covered;
n Sector not covered at all;
p Sector partially covered;
n.a. Not applicable, i.e. sector does not exist in country.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
In the French social security system, an accident at work is defined as 'any accident causing physical or mental injury, regardless of the cause, that occurs as a result of or during work to any person employed or working, in any capacity or location, for one or more employers or company managers.' An employee who is the victim of an accident benefits from a presumption of causality: as soon as an accident occurs in the workplace or during working hours, it is presumed to be an occupational accident.
French ESAW data includes accidents at work resulting in more than 3 days’ absence of work, permanent incapacity or death of the victim.
In France, with few exceptions, any death that occurs in the workplace or is related to work activities is presumed to be a fatal workplace accident. This includes fatal heart attacks and other sudden deaths that cannot be definitively proven to be unrelated to work. These accidents accounted for over half of all fatal workplace accidents in 2019.
3.4.1. Definition of ESAW variables
COVERAGE OF ESAW VARIABLES (Annual update expected)
Economic activity of the employer
y
Occupation of the victim
p
Age of victim
y
Sex of victim
y
Type of injury
y
Part of body injured
y
Geographical location
y
Date of the accident
y
Time of the accident
y
Size of enterprise
y
Nationality
n
Employment status
y
Days lost
y
Workstation
p
Working environment
p
Working process
p
Specific physical activity
p
Material agent of Specific physical activity
n
Deviation
p
Material agent of Deviation
p
Contact – mode of injury
p
Material agent of Contact - Mode of injury
p
Road traffic accidents (RTA)
y
Weight
y
Type of weight (under-reporting - U; sampling - S; special sampling - Sp)
S
Additional comments on coverage of ESAW variables
The French data come from three sources (CNAM, CNRACL, MSA) and all variables could not be obtained for all those sources. Sampling applies to CNRACL data only.
Codes:
Coverage:
y Variable fully covered;
n Variable not covered at all, i.e. variable is so far not collected in country;
p Variable partially covered.
Days lost:
y num Days lost are covered and in data file listed by numbers (004 - 182);
y cat Days lost are covered and in data file listed by categories (A01 - A06);
p num, p cat Days lost are partly covered and listed by numbers (categories).
Type of weight:
U weight to correct under-reporting;
S weight to account for sampling;
Sp weight to correct special sampling.
3.5. Statistical unit
Data are collected for each accident.
If a person is a victim of more than one accident during the reference year, several cases are reported (one for each accident).
If there are several victims in the same event of accident, also several cases are reported (one for each victim).
3.6. Statistical population
All employees of the general social security scheme are covered.
The civil servants of the state public sector, employees of households as employers, and employees of certain special social security schemes are excluded.
This excludes a large part of workers in sectors D, H, O, P, and T.
3.6.1. Statistical Population ESAW
COVERAGE OF PROFESSIONAL STATUS (Annual update expected)
Professional status
Coverage
1. Self employed
N
1.1 Self employed with employees
N
1.2 Self employed without employees
N
2. Family worker
N
3. Employee
Y
3.1 Part time workers
Y
3.2 Casual workers
Y
3.3 Trainees/Apprentices
Y
4. Students
Y
5. Others
N
Additional comments on coverage of professionnal status
-
Codes :
y Professional status fully covered;
n Professional status not covered at all;
p Professional status partially covered;
n.a. Not applicable, i.e. professional status does not exist in country.
COVERAGE OF ACCIDENTS OUTSIDE PREMISES (Annual update expected)
Accidents in the course of work
Coverage
1. Commuting accidents
N
2. Accidents in a public place or in a mean of transport during a journey in the course of work
Y
2.1 Road traffic accidents in the course of work (public highways, car parks, internal ways inside the premises of the enterprise)
Y
2.2 Number of fatal road traffic accidents during a journey in the course of work for persons employed outside the NACE Rev. 2 sector H Transportation (PLEASE INSERT THE MANDATORY NUMBER)
70 (2.2 and 2.5 cannot be distinguished)
2.3 Other accidents (slips, falls, aggressions, etc.) in a public place (pavement, staircases, etc.) or in the arrival and starting points (station, port, airport, etc.) of any mean of transport, during a journey in the course of work
Y
2.4 Accidents on board of any means of transport (underground railway, tram, train, boat, plane, etc.) used during a journey in the course of work
Y
2.5 Number of fatal accidents on board of any other means of transport during a journey in the course of work for persons employed outside the NACE Rev. 2 sector H Transportation (PLEASE INSERT THE MANDATORY NUMBER)
70 (2.2 and 2.5 cannot be distinguished)
3. Accidents occurred within the premises of another company than that which employs the victim, or in a private individual, in the course of work
Y
4. Accidents having only a medical origin, in the course of work
Y
Additional comments on coverage of accidents outside premises
Codes:
y Accidents fully covered;
n Accidents not covered at all;
p Accidents partially covered;
F Data of fatal road traffic accidents and fatal accidents on board of any means of transport provided in the main CSV data file.
3.7. Reference area
France.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data are available since reference year 1994.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The following measurement units are used in ESAW data:
Numbers of accidents;
Percentages of accidents (in relation to different totals and breakdowns);
Incidence rates of accidents: number of accidents per 100,000 workers;
Standardised incidence rates: number of accidents per 100,000 workers adjusted for the relative sizes of economic sectors at EU level.
2022 French data reports accidents that were recognised in 2022, that is to say that they gave rise to a first administrative payment procedure during the reference year (with more than three days' absence from work or which resulted in disability or death).
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Not applicable.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
No applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Not applicable.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Not applicable.
8.1. Release calendar
French data for the reference year 2022 were released between January & May 2024 by the national insurance funds, with no threshold related to the number of days absent from work. Therefore, the number of accidents disseminated nationally is higher than those published by Eurostat due to differences in the underlying methodologies. Eurostat published accidents data resulting in at least 4 days absence from work.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not applicable.
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applicable.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not applicable.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not applicable.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not applicable.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not applicable.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not applicable.
11.1. Quality assurance
The occupational accident insurance schemes that produce the data ensure its quality. Dares carries out verifications and reports anomalies to the insurance schemes.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not applicable.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Not applicable.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable.
12.3. Completeness
Not applicable.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
12.3.1.1. Data completeness rate of ESAW variables per sector
REPORTING LEVELS OF ECONOMIC SECTORS (NACE), (Annual update expected)
Data are scarce on this subject but a report (Rapport sous-déclaration AT-MP 2024) points out that there seems to be under-recognition of work accidents: according to estimates based on a 2017 survey, 930,000 work-related accidents causing at least one day of absence occur each year, while 560,000 are recognized that same year by the insurance scheme. But we do not have a proper estimation for under-recognition concerning work accidents with 4 days of absence or more. There is no data on sectoral under-recognition.
Global reporting level
UNK
Reporting levels by sector
A. Agriculture, forestry and fishing
UNK
B. Mining and quarrying
UNK
off shores
UNK
others
UNK
C. Manufacturing
UNK
D. Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
UNK
E. Water supply, sewerage, steam and air conditioning supply
UNK
F. Construction
UNK
G. Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles
UNK
H. Transportation and storage
UNK
maritime transport (NACE 50)
UNK
air transport (NACE 51)
UNK
transport via Railways (NACE 49)
UNK
post & telecomunications (NACE 53)
UNK
I. Accomodation and food service activities
UNK
J. Information and communication
UNK
K. Financial and insurance activities
UNK
L. Real state activities
UNK
M. Professional, scientific and technical activities
UNK
N. Administrative and support service activities
UNK
O. Public administration and defence;compulsory social security
UNK
of which police and firebrigades (NACE 84.24 and 84.25)
UNK
P. Education
UNK
Q. Human health and social work activities
UNK
R. Arts, entertainment and recreation
UNK
S. Other service activities
UNK
T. Activities of households as employers; undiferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use
UNK
U. Activites of extra territorial organisations and bodies
UNK
Additional comments on global reporting level
Codes:
N sector not covered by data collection;
UNK sector covered but unknown reporting level;
(value %) reporting level;
(e) rough estimate (instead of "medium" or "high").
Explanation: Please fill in every cell with information, either "N" for sector not covered by the data collection, "UNK" for sectors covered but unknown reporting level, or a percentage value for sectors covered for which the reporting level is known (such as "52%"). Instead of "medium" or "high" please fill in a approximate value and flag it with "(e)" at the end, such as "50% (e)". Please fill in both, the global reporting cells and the detailed rows for individual sectors. If for example no sector is covered for your country, then fill into every cell "0", if all sectors are covered but all reporting levels are unknown fill in "UNK" in every cell. "N/A" should be replaced by either "N" or "UNK".
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Not applicable.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Not applicable.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
There is no concern when comparing accidents between French regions, because work accidents are dealt with the same regulations and by the same institutions in all parts of French national territory.
Furthermore, work accidents recognition in France has some unique particularities when compared to other countries, as explained in §3.1.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Break in time series in 2017 and in 2022.
For the year 2022, accident data appear to diverge from previous statistical series, which cannot be fully explained by ‘natural’ favourable trends in accidents at work. It is partially due to the change in the recognition process mentioned in 3.1, since there is a substantial rise in incomplete declarations (without initial medical certificate or without declaration of an accident at work).
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not applicable.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Caisse nationale de l'assurance maladie, National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM).
Mutualité sociale agricole, Agricultural Social Mutuality (MSA).
Caisse nationale de retraites des agents des collectivités locales, National retirement fund for local collectivities workers (CNRACL).
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annually.
18.3. Data collection
Direction de l'Animation de la Recherche, des Études et des Statistiques, Directorate for the Coordination of Research, Studies, and Statistics (Dares).
18.4. Data validation
Direction de l'Animation de la Recherche, des Études et des Statistiques, Directorate for the Coordination of Research, Studies, and Statistics (Dares).
18.5. Data compilation
Direction de l'Animation de la Recherche, des Études et des Statistiques, Directorate for the Coordination of Research, Studies, and Statistics (Dares).
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
Not applicable.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
No further comments.
The French ESAW data for the reference year 2022 come from three sources: the CNAM, which covers the majority of private sector employees and contract workers in the public sector; the CNRACL, for civil servants in the territorial and hospital public sectors; and the CCMSA, for employees covered by the agricultural social scheme. Overall, these sources cover 84.5% of the employees (estimation based on the France 2021 Labour Survey).
The 2022 French ESAW data does not cover civil servants of the state public sector, due to the absence of a centralized information system that collects data on accidents at work. Employees covered by minor work accident insurance schemes and employees of private individuals are also excluded, mostly because of issues related to data accessibility and/or data quality. Overall, the categories not covered by the 2022 French ESAW data represent 15.5% of employees.
Up to 2020, data from French surveys on working conditions were used to estimate work-related accidents among state civil servants. These estimates were previously included in the French ESAW data.
In France, all insurance schemes for work accidents are public. Work accidents recognition in France has some unique particularities when compared to other countries as explained below.
Presumption of Causality
In France, any accident causing physical or mental injury that occurs at work or during work, regardless of its cause, is recognized as work accident. It is the employers’ responsibility to prove that the accident has no link at all with work. Failing to establish a link between the accident and the work is not sufficient to consider that the accident is not work-related.
Until 2017, this presumption of causality for victims of accidents at work was only applicable to employees in the private sector. Since 2017, the presumption of causality is extended to civil servants [1].
Recognition Criterion
Reported accidents are subject to a recognition procedure by the health insurance funds or by their administration (for accidents reported by the National retirement fund for local collectivities workers (CNRACL)).
For the employees in the private sector, the recognition system is based on declarations of work accident made by the employers. The second mandatory element that will allow the recognition of the accident as a work accident is the initial medical certificate (IMC). IMC is a medical report about the health consequences of the accident. Any physician can provide an IMC. It is the responsibility of the physician to establish an initial medical certificate of accident at work, as soon as the patient indicates that it is an accident at work. It is not necessary for the employee to have a proof of any declaration of accident at work made by his employer. In case of disagreement between the employee and the employer, there is a dispute, and the decision is made by a court.
Once all the elements of a recognition demand are gathered, insurance schemes decide if the accident at or during work is a work accident or not. In 2022, 94 % of all the complete recognition demands were validated by the primary work accident insurance scheme (CNAM).
French ESAW data covers all accidents thus recognized as work accidents if they resulted in 4 days or more of absence from work.
During the year 2022, a reform of the declaration procedure has been implemented. This change is one of the suspected sources of the significant decrease in the number of work-related accidents this year, in break with previous trends.
[1] Article 21 bis of Law No. 83-634 of July 13, 1983, as amended by Ordinance No. 2017-53 of January 19, 2017.
18 December 2024
In the French social security system, an accident at work is defined as 'any accident causing physical or mental injury, regardless of the cause, that occurs as a result of or during work to any person employed or working, in any capacity or location, for one or more employers or company managers.' An employee who is the victim of an accident benefits from a presumption of causality: as soon as an accident occurs in the workplace or during working hours, it is presumed to be an occupational accident.
French ESAW data includes accidents at work resulting in more than 3 days’ absence of work, permanent incapacity or death of the victim.
In France, with few exceptions, any death that occurs in the workplace or is related to work activities is presumed to be a fatal workplace accident. This includes fatal heart attacks and other sudden deaths that cannot be definitively proven to be unrelated to work. These accidents accounted for over half of all fatal workplace accidents in 2019.
Data are collected for each accident.
If a person is a victim of more than one accident during the reference year, several cases are reported (one for each accident).
If there are several victims in the same event of accident, also several cases are reported (one for each victim).
All employees of the general social security scheme are covered.
The civil servants of the state public sector, employees of households as employers, and employees of certain special social security schemes are excluded.
This excludes a large part of workers in sectors D, H, O, P, and T.
France.
2022 French data reports accidents that were recognised in 2022, that is to say that they gave rise to a first administrative payment procedure during the reference year (with more than three days' absence from work or which resulted in disability or death).
Not applicable.
The following measurement units are used in ESAW data:
Numbers of accidents;
Percentages of accidents (in relation to different totals and breakdowns);
Incidence rates of accidents: number of accidents per 100,000 workers;
Standardised incidence rates: number of accidents per 100,000 workers adjusted for the relative sizes of economic sectors at EU level.
Direction de l'Animation de la Recherche, des Études et des Statistiques, Directorate for the Coordination of Research, Studies, and Statistics (Dares).
Caisse nationale de l'assurance maladie, National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM).
Mutualité sociale agricole, Agricultural Social Mutuality (MSA).
Caisse nationale de retraites des agents des collectivités locales, National retirement fund for local collectivities workers (CNRACL).
Annual.
Not applicable.
There is no concern when comparing accidents between French regions, because work accidents are dealt with the same regulations and by the same institutions in all parts of French national territory.
Furthermore, work accidents recognition in France has some unique particularities when compared to other countries, as explained in §3.1.
Break in time series in 2017 and in 2022.
For the year 2022, accident data appear to diverge from previous statistical series, which cannot be fully explained by ‘natural’ favourable trends in accidents at work. It is partially due to the change in the recognition process mentioned in 3.1, since there is a substantial rise in incomplete declarations (without initial medical certificate or without declaration of an accident at work).
