5. Conclusions

In its general principles, the French Labor Code places considerable emphasis on the need for company managers to develop a comprehensive prevention approach. As a consultancy and expertise organization, the electrostatic approach and ATEX had a duty to contribute to the objective of demystifying certain key notions when announcing these general principles. The terms "active" and "effective", used to describe electrostatic discharges, may seem difficult to explain to non-specialists. But they are a prerequisite for carrying out a successful electrostatic risk assessment.

At the same time, company managers and employees, as well as designers and users, are encountering a number of difficulties, as the boundary between the roles and advice of these players is not always clear-cut. This is largely due to difficulties in interpreting the texts governing and framing...