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This issue was at the heart of the EUROGIP Discussions on 9 March 2021. It was an opportunity to present the actions and tools – training, guides, technical and financial aid, etc. – to deal with the high number of accidents in this sector. A summary of the exchanges and the videos are now available.
Twice as high as in the building and public works sector, the accident rate is “unworthy”, according to Myriam El Khomri, former French Minister of Labour and author of a report on the attractiveness of old age professions. However, with the ageing of the population and “the increase in the number of dependent persons”, as Emmanuelle Cambois of the French Institute for Demographic Studies or INED pointed out, the sector will have to hire more and more people. But “the attractiveness of these professions is in free fall; 81% of establishments for dependent elderly people (EHPADs) are declaring job vacancies”, pointed out Christian Expert, President of EUROGIP. The challenge of occupational risk prevention in the elderly care sector is therefore considerable.
Indeed, employees – in EHPAD or at home – are exposed to multiple risks: MSD, RPS, violence from patients, conflict situations, biological risks, road risks, etc. But the number of accidents at work in this sector “is not inevitable”, according to Thierry Palka, Consulting Engineer at Carsat Aquitaine. Solutions exist to help employers and employees manage these risks. These range from initial and continuing training, information, technical and financial assistance, equipment, partnerships with risk prevention players to more coercive solutions such as legislation or the labour inspectorate…
The panorama of thoughts, studies and actions presented on 9 March by the 23 speakers at the EUROGIP 2021 Discussions is rich in lessons. We are publishing today an initial summary, which will be supplemented by the proceedings, containing a more exhaustive account of their comments. In addition, the replay of the conference (in French) is online.
