The Role of Insurance in the Prevention of Work-Related Accidents in France in the First Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

Insurance has played a role in the development of prevention of work-related accidents in severa1 ways in France since the industrial revolution. The first attempts at prevention were taken at the initiative of manufacturers' associations, but it remained a matter of goodwill for manufacturers. The 1898 law gave systematic, if partial, financial responsability for occupational hazards to employers, who turned to insurance companies to carry the risks. As a result a new branch of insurance (cwsurance-h] appeared, which accounted for 40% of general accident revenue for companies at the time of World War 11. But the new law made no mention of prevention and even had a negative impact, since compensation was taken care of by insurance. However, after World War 1, insurance companies created an association for the prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses and started to adjust rates according to the prevention efforts of corporations. When social insurance was generalized in 1946, insurance of occupational hazards went under state control and became compulsory. But the experience accumulated in the field of prevention by insurance companies was put to use in this new context, both on the technical side and the financial side.