Abroad|06/02/19

FRANCE: Recognition of electromagnetic hypersensitivity as an occupational disease

Home > The news of EUROGIP and occupational risks in Europe > FRANCE: Recognition of electromagnetic hypersensitivity as an occupational disease

By a ruling of 17 January last, the Cergy-Pontoise administrative tribunal ordered the public organization which is the employer, to recognize the electromagnetic hypersensitivity of a research technician as due to service, which for civil servants is equivalent to recognition as an occupational disease.

According to Sophie Pelletier, president of PRIARTEM, “It’s the first time that the administrative court – which deals with the cases of civil service employees – has given a favourable ruling on this issue. And the icing on the cake is that for the first time in France a court decision recognizes intolerance to electromagnetic waves as a disease attributable to work”. This decision comes after a long battle by the employee, suffering from neurovegetative disorders. He fell ill ten years ago after working for two years on a device emitting strong electromagnetic fields.

According to Me Lafforgue, the plaintiff’s lawyer and also the lawyer for PRIARTEM, the decision handed down by the administrative tribunal is extremely substantiated: “Based on the grounds that we have outlined, the judges have considered that there was a sufficient probability that, in the absence of any other obvious cause, the chronic and prolonged exposure and heightened sensitivity of the subject allowed them to conclude on the disease’s imputability to service”.

To find out more

Discover other news

Abroad

29/09/23

SWEDEN: Serious accidents and long-term sick leave in the food industry

Workers in the food industry run a higher risk of serious accidents at work than other occupational groups. The average risk over the period 2017-2021 was 9.7 serious accidents at work per 1,000 employees. It was 15.5 for butchers and 8.9 for machine operators, who suffered the most serious accidents at work. Bakers and confectioners, although less affected, were still affected, with a rate of 5.3.

Community news

29/09/23

Working at home and OHS with a new OiRA tool

Teleworking has developed strongly since the COVID-19 pandemic, transforming the way companies operate and employees work. However, the issue of occupational health and safety (OHS) remains fundamental. A new interactive online risk assessment tool (OiRA) offers a practical solution for employers and teleworkers, helping them to create safer and healthier home workspaces.

Abroad

22/09/23

BELGIUM: what to expect from occupational illnesses in 2022

In 2022, around 38,500 people received compensation for permanent disability due to an occupational disease. And nearly 13,000 workers (private sector and provincial or local administrations, APL) filed a claim for compensation; 211 deaths were recognised, 73% of which were due to asbestos, 17% to silicosis and 10% to other diseases. These are the findings of the Fedris “Statistical Report on Occupational Diseases” 2022.