Following approval by the Senate in February and the National Assembly in October, the French Parliament officially validated the bill authorizing ratification of Convention No. 155 of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Context of ratification

Adopted in 1981, this convention establishes standards to help governments prevent occupational accidents and diseases (OAD) and better understand issues related to occupational safety and health (OSH).

At the 110th International Labor Conference held in 2022, the ILO established the principle of a “safe and healthy working environment,” enshrined in this convention, as a “fundamental principle and right at work.” Occupational health and safety thus joins the four fundamental principles already established, namely:

• freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
• the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor;
• the effective abolition of child labor;
• the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

It is in this context that on October 22, 2025, the French Parliament authorized the ratification of this convention. This commitment meets several objectives: it is consistent with the guidelines of the 4^th Occupational Health Plan (2021-2025); it harmonizes working conditions between states (source); it meets the objective of ratifying all the fundamental ILO conventions (source) and “reaffirms France’s commitment to working at all levels to protect the health and safety of all workers” (Jean-Pierre Farandou, Minister of Labor).

The effects of Convention No. 155 in France

Overall, this text sets out the fundamental principles of a national occupational safety and health policy for governments and specifies the role of the various actors involved in risk prevention, such as employers, workers, and social partners.

It should be noted that France already has standards similar to those contained in the convention. Thus, while its ratification does not create new rights for employees or new obligations for companies, it symbolizes France’s desire to align itself with international principles in order to create a common legal basis between states.

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, announced that “France will promote this commitment at the World Social Summit and during the French Presidency of the G7 in 2026.”

Law of October 22, 2025 authorizing the ratification of Convention No. 155 on the safety and health of workers (1981)

Press release from the Ministry of Labor and Solidarity, 10/21/2025

France ratifies ILO Convention No. 155 on Occupational Safety and Health, article from Tissot Publishing