FRENCH HR ESSENTIALS · HEALTH & SAFETY

What must be ready from the first employee?

A real risk assessment, practical prevention actions and an owner — not a generic document downloaded after onboarding.

THE STARTING POINT

Risk prevention begins with the real work.

The employer must assess occupational risks and record the result in France’s mandatory workplace risk-assessment record, known locally as the DUERP, from the first employee. The useful unit is not a generic job title: it is the real work situation, including premises, equipment, travel, remote work, psychosocial factors and vulnerable situations.

The document matters, but the prevention measures, owners, deadlines and follow-up make it operational.

A FIVE-STEP PREVENTION LOOP

  1. 01

    Observe the work

    Activities, environments, equipment, exposure, organisation and foreseeable abnormal situations.

  2. 02

    Assess the risk

    Identify hazards, exposed people, existing controls and residual risk.

  3. 03

    Prioritise action

    Use collective prevention first where possible, then procedures, training and protective equipment.

  4. 04

    Assign and evidence

    Name owners, deadlines, budget and proof of implementation.

  5. 05

    Review change

    Update after material changes, incidents, new information and the legally required review events.

FOREIGN-EMPLOYER PITFALLS

Treating home-office work as risk-free.
Using a group template without French work units.
Forgetting occupational-health registration.
Separating psychosocial risk from organisation decisions.
Recording actions without owners or completion evidence.
Updating the file but not manager practice.
VALUE OF EXPERIENCED HRMake prevention part of opening and management.

monRH@moi connects the risk assessment to onboarding, manager guidance, occupational health, employee representation and the action calendar.

OFFICIAL SOURCE

FRENCH OCCUPATIONAL-SAFETY INSTITUTEMandatory workplace risk-assessment record

Risk-assessment document, first-employee trigger and employer responsibilities.

Official page in French · browser translation may help

General information only. Prevention must reflect the actual activities, employees, premises, equipment and current risk information.