Recognised psychological occupational diseases ×2 in 4 years, psychosocial risk-related workplace accidents +14%: the 2024 AT/MP report sounds the alarm. What HR Directors need to understand and put in place now.
The Figures HR Needs to Know
2024 | Trend | |
Recognised psychological occupational diseases | 1,805 | ▲ +9% |
Change since 2020 | — | ×2 |
Workplace accidents linked to psychosocial risk context | 29,000 | ▲ +14% vs 2023 |
Share of total workplace accidents | 5% | — |
Daily allowances | €4.9 Bn | ▲ +10.8% — top expenditure item |
Days not worked | 78 million | ≈ 334,000 FTE |
What These Figures Don't Show
The 1,805 recognised cases represent only the tip of the iceberg. Recognising a psychological occupational disease requires going before a Regional Committee (CRRMP) with strict criteria: a direct and essential link to work, and a significant permanent disability rate. Only the most severe and best-documented cases make it through. Thousands of situations involving burnout, chronic anxiety, and work-related depression go unrecognised, uncounted — and often untreated every year.
Who Is Most at Risk?
- 2/3 of applications for recognition of psychological occupational diseases concern women
- More than half of cases involve employees over 50
- Overrepresented sectors: medico-social · social work · land transport · retail trade · human health services
What the €4.9 Billion in Daily Allowances Really Says
Daily allowances became, for the first time, the top expenditure item of the workplace accident and occupational disease branch in 2024, up +10.8% in a single year. This is not a sign of abuse. It is a sign that conditions are more severe and absences longer — because people are arriving exhausted and receiving support too late. In total: 78 million days not worked, equivalent to 334,000 full-time positions. Behind that figure: teams under pressure, managers absorbing the overload, and HR departments on the front line.
The Mistake to Avoid
Waiting for a declared case before taking action. Between the first signs of distress and a long-term absence: months. Between an absence and official recognition: years. In the meantime: disorganised teams, exhausted managers, mounting costs. The only effective response is primary prevention — before things break down.
What HR Can Put in Place
Raise understanding and awareness Managers and teams cannot detect what they don’t know how to recognise. Awareness-raising without clinical jargon is the first lever. → Mental Health Workshop
Address mental load Invisible on HR dashboards, it builds up in silence. When it overflows, it means absence. → Mental Load Workshop
Identify exhaustion before breakdown Burnout is not an individual problem. It is the symptom of an organisation that demands more than it gives. → Burnout Workshop
Improve communication Many psychosocial risks are rooted in unspoken tensions and unresolved conflicts. Non-Violent Communication is not a “soft” tool — it is primary prevention. → Non-Violent Communication Workshop
Integrate sleep into HR policy An employee in chronic sleep debt has an impaired capacity for emotional regulation. It is an aggravating factor in almost all psychosocial risks — and almost always absent from diagnostics. → Sleep & Recovery Workshop
In One Sentence
Psychological disorders have doubled in 4 years. Psychosocial risk-related workplace accidents are up 14% in a single year. This is not cyclical — it is structural. Organisations that wait for a serious case before acting pay the human and financial cost of that inaction. View our Mental Health and Quality of Work Life workshops →
Conclusion
Psychological disorders have doubled in four years. Psychosocial risks are up 14% in a single year. These figures do not call for a one-off response — they call for a strategy. C2D Prévention supports HR teams and managers in moving from awareness to action: raising awareness, detecting early warning signs, building a lasting culture of prevention. Let’s talk about your mental health challenges →
Sources :
Assurance Maladie – 2024 Annual AT/MP Report: https://www.assurance-maladie.ameli.fr/etudes-et-donnees/2024-rapport-annuel-assurance-maladie-risques-professionnels
Vie-publique.fr: https://www.vie-publique.fr/en-bref/301137-accidents-du-travail-mortels-764-deces-en-2024
INRS – Psychosocial Risks: https://www.inrs.fr/risques/psychosociaux/accidents-travail-maladies-professionnelles.html
Ministry of Labour – Psychosocial Risk Prevention: https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/la-prevention-des-risques-psychosociaux-rps
ANDRH – Mental Health First Aid: https://www.andrh.fr/article/se-former-aux-premiers-secours-en-sante-mentale-pssm