France · Overview
Workplace safety in France: employer guide
Find the safety regulator, employer duties and training topics for France, with government and legal sources.
English
Short answer
In France, use the Inspection du travail and Code du travail, occupational health and safety provisions to plan workplace safety and instruction.
Who oversees safety at work?
Start with the tasks and hazards at your site. This page points to the regulator and legal framework; check their current guidance before making a workplace decision. The relevant public body is Inspection du travail.
What should an employer do first?
Employers evaluate risks, document them in the DUERP, and organise prevention, information and training. Code du travail, occupational health and safety provisions For each task, write down the hazard, the control and the instruction workers need. Use the DUERP to choose what each role needs, then check whether work changes call for new instruction.
Check that the instruction matches the work and its risks; a course title cannot describe every site's controls. Code du travail, occupational health and safety provisions
Five training topics to check
Choose from these topics using the job's risks; this is not a universal course list. Code du travail, occupational health and safety provisions
1. Duerp induction — explain local hazards and the reporting route. 2. Manual handling — demonstrate the safe method for this task. 3. Falls — show the fall-prevention method for this task. 4. Machine safety — check equipment, exclusion zones and supervision. 5. Psychosocial risks — explain the reporting and support route.
Who checks workplace safety?
Start with the regulator's site for inspection information.
How should we choose instruction?
Match the topic to the task and the risk assessment under the linked rules.
Does a course replace site controls?
No. Apply the employer's prevention duties at the workplace. Read the source.
Where can workers read the rules?
Open the Code du travail, occupational health and safety provisions and Inspection du travail; ask how they apply to the job.
Useful official links
Official sources
- Inspection du travailtravail-emploi.gouv.fr · Checked 2026-10-13
- Code du travail, occupational health and safety provisionsservice-public.fr · Checked 2026-10-13