FRANCE

INTERNATIONAL SECTION OF THE ISSA ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS
(COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL ÉDUCATION ET FORMATION A LA PRÉVENTION DES ACCIDENTS)

CRAMIF
17-19 Place de l'Argonne
F-75019 Paris, France.

Tel: 00 33 1 4005 3802
Fax: 00 33 1 4005 3884

President: G Ehrhard Secretary General: F Jerome

Status: Subsidiary body of the International Social Security Association founded in 1991.

Principal functions and activities: Promotion of education, training and teaching as a strategic component of the prevention action and provision of a forum for encounters, debate, exchanges and studies on the teaching of risk prevention for all partners in prevention. Organisation of international conferences, seminars and symposia; four international working groups are currently operating on: (i) education of young people, (ii) training of decision makers, (iii) training of experts, (iv) vocational training.

INTERNATIONAL SECTION OF THE ISSA FOR RESEARCH ON PREVENTION OF OCCUPATIONAL RISKS
(COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL POUR LA RECHERCHE DANS LE DOMAINE DE LA PRÉVENTION DES RISQUES PROFESSIONNELS).

INRS
30 rue Olivier-Noyer
F-75680 Paris Cedex 14, France

Tel: 00 33 1 4044 3000
Telex: 203 594 Fax: 00 33 1 4044 3099

Secretary General: B Moncelon

Status: Subsidiary body of the International Social Security Association founded in 1970. Its Secretariat is situated at the National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases (INRS).

Principal functions and activities: Compile and disseminate information concerning research in the field of occupational risk prevention and the improvement of working conditions; promote international co-operation and exchange; facilitate and co-ordinate research. Organises conferences and seminars and working groups. Bilingual data bank on research organisations and their work, available through CCINFO-CDROM.

Major publications: Newsletter, technical brochures, records of proceedings symposia.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AND HAZARDS
(INSTITUTE NATIONAL DE L'ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRIEL ET DES RISQUES) (INERIS)

Parc Technologique,
ALATA-BP2,
60550 Verneuil-en-halatte, France

Tel: 00 33 344 55 66 77
Fax: 00 33 344 55 66 99

Director: M Lavérie Deputy Director: G Labroye

Status: Public organisation with a commercial activity under the auspices of the French Ministry of Environment.

Principal functions and activities: The objective is to carry out research and development, technical support and consultancy to prevent and minimise the impacts and hazards of industrial activity on man and the environment. INERIS' expertise covers industrial risks and environmental protection; co-ordination and execution of applied research projects; advice and technical assistance to public authorities and inspectorates and sales of service to the industry. It is specifically involved in risks (fire, explosions); environment (air emissions, water, soil and waste storage); hygiene and toxicology.

Major publications: References INERIS; La Lettre de l'INERIS;INERIS reports.

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
(ORGANISATION DE COOPRATION ET DE DÉVELOPPEMENT ÉCONOMIQUES) (OCDE)

Environment Directorate,
Environmental Health and Safety Division,
2 rue André-Pascal, 75775 Paris.

Tel: 00 33 1 4524 9316
Fax: 00 33 1 4524 1675

Head, Environmental Health and Safety Division: Dr R Visser

Status: Inter-Governmental organisation.

Principal functions and activities: Main objectives of OECD work on environmental health and safety consist of assisting Member Countries in: identifying, preventing and reducing chemical risk to health and the environment; preventing unnecessary distortions to trade by harmonising environmental policies and regulations affecting chemicals; facilitating optimal use of national resources available for chemicals management through cost-sharing of testing procedures and data sharing; promoting integrated approaches to chemicals management; and transferring OECD experience and approaches to non-Member countries. Principal activities: guidelines for the testing of chemicals; good laboratory practice; hazard assessment; harmonization of classification and labelling systems; data gathering, testing and assessment of high production volume chemicals; risk prevention; risk reduction of selected chemicals; integration of economic and chemicals control decision-making; information exchange mechanisms; harmonisation of regulatory oversight in biotechnology; chemical accidents; pesticides management.

Major Publications: OECD Guidelines for Testing of Chemicals; Safety Evaluation of Foods Derived by Modern Biotechnology: Concepts and Principles; Aquatic Biotechnology and Food Safety; Users Guide to Hazadous Substance Data Banks Available in OECD Member Countries; Users Guide to Information Systems Useful to Emergency Planners and Responders Available in OECD Member Countries; several environment monographs; Good Laboratory Practice : consensus document.

THE FRENCH NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORT AND SAFETY RESEARCH (INRETS)

INRETS Arcueil
2, Avenue de Général Malleret-Joinville
F-94114 ARCUEIL CEDEX

Tel:+33 1 47 40 70 00
Fax:+33 1 45 47 56 06
http://www5.inrets.fr/html/english/server.html

Director General Edouard BRIDOUX

Status state-financed reserach institution.

Principal functions and activities THE FRENCH NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORT AND SAFETY RESEARCH was created by interministerial decree on 18th september 1985. The INRETS is a state-financed scientific and technological body under the dual administrative supervision of the Ministry of Research and the Ministry of Transport.

INRETS has the following tasks :

To organize, execute and assess technological research and development concerned with the
improvement of the means and systems of transport and of traffic from technical, economic and social viewpoints.
To carry out evaluative and advisory studies within these domains.
To promote the results of these research and study programme, to contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and participate in training by and for transport research both in France and abroad.

ORGANIZATION

INRETS is administered by a board of directors composed of nine representatives of the transport professions (manufacturers and operators), eight representatives of the ministries concerned, and four representatives of INRETS personnel.

The Director General is assisted by the board of directors, the Secretary General and official representatives, who are responsible for the orientation, coordination and diffusion of the research programmes, and who act as advisors to the institute's research units. Of these, seven are located in the Paris region at Arcueil, six at Bron in the Rhone-Alpes region, three at Villeneuve-d'Ascq and one at Salon-de-Provence.

STAFF AND DISCIPILNARY FIELDS

Staff at INRETS totals 400 : 189 researchers, 157 technicians and assistants, and 54 administrative and management personnel.

Two thirds of the researchs have training in the physical sciences, and one third in the social sciences.

The institute's activities involve such diverse fields as economics, sociology, psychology, physiology, ergonomics, biomechanics, acoustics, mechanics, meahematics, computer science electronics and electro-technical.

The diversity of approach used to carry out the different research programmes gives a multidisciplinary characteristic to the INRETSresearch teams, which correspond to their methods.