Objective To determine the effect of psychosocial factors (PSF) on the incidence of workplace injuries (WI) among workers from of the French two-waves survey ‘Health and Career paths’. A second objective was to explore effects of gender and age.

Methodology The outcome considered here was the occurrence of WI between 2006 and 2010, reported by participants. Nineteen self-reported PSF, evaluated in 2006, explored six domains: labour intensity and working time (9 items), emotional demand (3), autonomy (2), social relationships at work (2), conflict of values (2), and job insecurity (1). Multiple logistic models were performed for each PSF. Interactions between PSF and respectively gender and age class (≤30y., 30–50y., ≥50y.) were tested using Wald test.

Results The study population consists in 3,277 men and 3,565 women in employment in 2006 and re-interviewed in 2010. Over the period, 255 workers reported at least one WI, corresponding to an annual average rate of 6 WI/1000 workers. PSF associated with the incidence of WI were mostly related to emotional demand, social relationship at work and labour intensity. The risk of WI was greater in women reporting difficulties reconciling work and family life, tensions with public, necessity to hide or fake emotions or lack of reward, and in men reporting more than 48 h/week, irregular working hours or fear for own safety or for safety for others during work. Participants under 30y. reporting tensions with public, necessity to hide or fake emotions, or fear for own safety or for safety for others during work had a greater risk of WI than the others.

Conclusion These results provide evidence for relationships between PSF exposure and the occurrence of WI. In particular, the risk of WI was greater in participants reporting exposure to emotional demand at work and varied according to gender and age.