The Role of Insurance in the Prevention of Work-Related Accidents in France in the First Half of the 20th Century
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Ruffat, MichèleEditorial
Universidad de Granada
Date
1998Referencia bibliográfica
Ruffat, Michèlle. «The role of insurance in the prevention of work-related accidents in France in the first half of the XXth century». Dynamis: Acta Hispanica ad Medicinae Scientiarumque Historiam Illustrandam, 1998, Vol. 18, p. 447-463, https://raco.cat/index.php/Dynamis/article/view/106138.
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.