As part of managing occupational health and safety within your company, it is important to implement a key tool: the Single Document for the Assessment of Occupational Risks (DUERP). Not only a legal requirement, this document is a powerful tool for ensuring employee protection, improving working conditions, and securing the company's operations.
Regulatory context
The Single Risk Assessment Document (DUERP) is a requirement of the French Labor Code (article R.4121-1 et seq.) which mandates that all companies, regardless of size, assess the occupational risks to which their employees are exposed and formalize this assessment in a single document. This obligation is part of a process for 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 prevention measures taken have not really worked…) and with each significant change in the positions and work processes within the company (new PPE or CPE, new machines, new chemical products, new work processes…), under penalty of exposing the company to financial sanctions (in the event of the absence 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 the DUERP?
The Single Risk Assessment Document (DUERP) is a written document that lists all the occupational risks identified within the company, for each work unit. This document makes it possible to identify the different types of hazards (physical, chemical, organizational, psychosocial, etc.), to assess their severity and probability, and to define appropriate preventive 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 Single Risk Assessment Document (DUERP) lies with the employer, but the process must be collaborative. It is recommended to draw upon site visits and workstation assessments, discussions with employees and staff representatives, analysis of accidents and incidents, and the results of technical measurements such as noise and chemical exposure. The DUERP is completed for each work unit, using specific risk assessment sheets. It is crucial to be comprehensive yet pragmatic, prioritizing the most significant risks. This analysis and drafting work can be delegated by the employer to one or more internal or external individuals with valid delegated authority (thus possessing the necessary skills, authority, and resources to carry out the task).
Pitfalls to avoid when drafting the DUERP
It is essential not to draft a document that is too general and does not reflect the reality of the jobs, not to omit psychosocial and chemical risks, not to forget to update the document regularly, not to confuse the DUERP (Single Document for Risk Assessment) with a simple list of measures, and not to neglect the document's accessibility. It is also important not to confuse gross risk (assessment of the frequency and severity of exposure to risk without the application of preventive measures) and residual risk (risk score reduced by the impact of prevention and protection measures already in place within the company). Finally, if the residual risk score is not deemed sufficient to guarantee safe working conditions for employees, then further measures must be taken in the organizational, technical, and human domains.
Different standard DUERP templates
The DUERP can be presented in different forms, such as Excel spreadsheets, dedicated software with sheets per work unit, simplified paper forms for very small businesses, or software integrated into the quality or safety management system.
Importance for occupational medicine
The DUERP is a key tool for the occupational physician, who can rely on it to target medical visits, guide enhanced medical monitoring, identify exposures to chemical or physical risks and participate in collective prevention.
Link with the DRPCE
The Single Risk Assessment Document (DUERP) incorporates the assessment of combustible and oxidizing chemical risks and the risk of explosions, detailed in the Hazardous Materials Risk Prevention Plan (DRPCE). The latter, mandatory in certain sectors, enables precise management of risks related to hazardous substances. It is therefore essential that the DUERP be consistent with the DRPCE to ensure comprehensive prevention.
Assessment of psychosocial risks and chemical risks
The assessment of Psychosocial Risks (PSR) is now an integral part of the Single Risk Assessment Document (DUERP) and must 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 the social climate. Chemical risks are assessed using safety data sheets, exposure measurements, and internal procedures.
Conclusion
- The DUERP is a regulatory obligation which engages the responsibility of the employer.
- It must be accurate, up-to-date, and built with employee participation.
- The DUERP is an essential prevention tool for identifying and reducing occupational risks, including psychosocial risks and chemical risks.
- It serves as the basis for occupational medicine and must be integrated with other specific documents such as the DRPCE.
- Good management of the DUERP improves occupational health, overall performance and ensures company compliance.
