2. Trends in accidents involving falls from a height

Falls from height are responsible for around a hundred deaths in France every year, and are the second leading cause of fatal accidents in the workplace, after road accidents.

The risk is present in all sectors of activity, but the construction and public works sector is the most affected, accounting for 60% of accidents.

The evolution of the number of deaths and the number of work stoppages in CNAMTS (Caisse Nationale de l'Assurance Maladie des Travailleurs Salariés) statistics over the last fifteen years shows that :

• the number of deaths from falls from heights has been halved in fifteen years (figure 1 );

• Deaths due to falls from heights fell faster than deaths overall. This trend developed...