2. Regulations applicable to construction sites

2.1 Origin and evolution

From time immemorial, people have been concerned with their own safety, striving to prevent anything that might harm them or their property; fortified towns bear abundant witness to this.

The worsening working conditions in industry at the end of the 19th century were the driving force behind labor legislation, and in particular the decree of July 10, 1913, which later became part of the French Labor Code.

It should be noted that the system of lump-sum compensation for accidents at work, instituted by the law of April 9, 1898, had been preceded by the founding of a mutual accident insurance company by the Paris Chamber of Masonry in 1859.

The decree of July 10, 1913, which laid down general...