The single professional risk assessment document (DUERP)

Hello everyone.

As part of your company's occupational health and safety management, it's important to implement a key tool: the Single Occupational Risk Assessment Document (DUERP). Not only is this document a legal requirement, it's also a powerful tool for ensuring employee protection, improving working conditions, and securing your company's operations.

Regulatory context

The DUERP is a requirement of the Labor Code (article R.4121-1 et seq.) which requires all companies, regardless of their size, to assess the occupational risks to which their employees are exposed and to formalize this assessment in a single document. This obligation is part of an approach to preventing workplace accidents and occupational illnesses. It is imperative to update the DUERP at least once a year (if no changes are noted) but also after each accident, near accident, incident or even near incident (a marker that the preventive measures taken have not really worked...) and at each significant modification of work stations and processes within the company (new PPE or EPC, new machines, new chemical products, new work processes...), under penalty of exposing the company to financial sanctions (in the event of non-existence of the document following the visit of the labor inspectorate) and criminal sanctions in the event of an accident (if the document exists but is not complete).

What is DUERP?

The DUERP is a written document that lists all occupational risks identified within the company, for each work unit. This document helps identify the different types of hazards (physical, chemical, organizational, psychosocial, etc.), assess their severity and probability, and define appropriate prevention measures. It must be accessible to all employees, the Social and Economic Committee (CSE), the occupational physician, and the labor inspectorate.

How to complete the DUERP and by whom?

The primary responsibility for completing the DUERP lies with the employer, but the approach must be participatory. It is recommended to rely on visits to premises and workstations, discussions with employees and staff representatives, analysis of accidents and incidents, as well as the results of technical measures such as noise, chemical agents, etc. The DUERP is completed by work unit, using specific risk sheets. It is crucial to be exhaustive while being pragmatic, prioritizing the most significant risks. This analysis and drafting work can be delegated by the employer to one (or more) internal or external person holding a valid delegation of authority (therefore holding the necessary skills, authority and resources to carry out the mission).

Pitfalls to avoid when writing the DUERP

It is essential not to write a document that is too general and does not reflect the reality of the positions, not to omit psychosocial and chemical risks, not to forget to regularly update the document, not to confuse the DUERP with a simple catalog of measures and not to neglect the accessibility of the document. It is also important not to confuse the raw risk (assessment of the frequency and severity of exposure to the risk without application of prevention measures) and the residual risk (risk score reduced by the impact of the prevention and protection measures already in place in the company). Finally, if the residual risk score is not deemed satisfactory to guarantee safe work for employees, then new measures will have to be taken in the organizational, technical and human fields.

Different types of DUERP frames

The DUERP can be presented in different forms, such as Excel spreadsheets, dedicated software with work unit sheets, simplified paper forms for very small businesses, or software integrated into the quality or safety management system. The key is to ensure consistency, traceability of assessments (the Windows "overwrite" function is therefore to be avoided ...) and regular updating of the document.

Importance for occupational medicine

The DUERP is a key tool for the occupational physician, who can rely on it to target their medical visits, guide enhanced medical monitoring, identify exposures to chemical or physical risks and participate in collective prevention.

Link with the DRPCE (Document for the Reduction of Dangerous Chemical Products)

The DUERP incorporates chemical risk assessment, often detailed in the DRPCE. The latter, mandatory in certain sectors, allows for precise management of risks associated with hazardous substances. It is therefore essential that the DUERP be consistent with the DRPCE to ensure comprehensive prevention.

Assessment of RPS (Psychosocial Risks) and chemical risks

Psychosocial Risk Assessment (PSA) is now an integral part of the DUERP and should not be neglected under any circumstances. It requires a qualitative approach, such as questionnaires and interviews, as well as an analysis of organizational factors such as workload, management, and social climate.

Chemical risks are assessed based on safety data sheets, exposure measurements and internal procedures.

Conclusion

In conclusion, here are the 5 key points to remember:

The DUERP is a regulatory obligation which engages the employer's responsibility.

It must be precise, up-to-date, and constructed with the participation of employees.

The DUERP is an essential prevention tool for identifying and reducing occupational risks, including psychosocial risks and chemical risks.

It serves as a basis for occupational medicine and must be integrated with other specific documents such as the DRPCE.

Proper management of DUERP improves workplace health, overall performance and ensures company compliance.