SATO – Sciences Appliquées au Travail et aux Organisations - Science applied to work and work organisations

The SATO Division conducts scientific work aimed at improving work conditions by producing and sharing knowledge, approaches, methods and tools resulting from research, intended for occupational risk prevention players. Centred on the analysis of real work activity, business practices and experiments simulating work situations, the issues addressed cover both risk assessment in connection with the physical, psychological, psychosocial, organisational, technological and demographical aspects, and the use of strategic and managerial prevention actions to manage occupational safety and health.

To reach these goals, the Division draws on a number of disciplines and conducts research aimed at:

determining/evaluating/measuring, based on objective and subjective resources, the physiological, mental, social and socio-economic costs of work-related physical and mental strain, this strain possibly foreshadowing other malfunctions (health/safety);
proposing methods to evaluate theses costs (physiological, psychological, socio-economic indicators);
analysing the factors of this strain (technical, organisational, psychosocial factors related to the job/activity and the work situation) and the effects on occupational safety and health;
proposing and validating processes, methods and tools to control the factors of strain as early as possible and/or to strengthen factors that protect occupational safety and health.

The SATO Division is also tasked with answering requests for support made by the regional OSH and pension funds, OSH services, businesses (through different prevention players), national authorities (Ministry of Labour, Education, etc.) and international bodies having a partnership role in prevention, within the framework of training, knowledge sharing, standardisation, etc. This support is provided either as part of the results from the Division’s research, or as the starting point for research on emerging issues.

Applied mathematics (MAP)

The Applied Mathematics (Mathématiques Appliquées - MAP) team contributes to the studies and research undertaken by the Division, mainly by processing and analysing experimental data, but also developing digital optimisation tools. With vast expertise in statistics and modelling, this unit is also able to spearhead studies and applied research and development projects in collaboration with the Division’s laboratories.

Ergonomics research centred on activities and prevention (RECAP)

The laboratory for Ergonomics Research focused on Activities and Prevention (Recherche en Ergonomie Centrée sur les Activités et la Prévention – RECAP) focuses on interactions between employees’ work and their work environments/organisation, using a systematic and interventional approach. This approach is based on the analysis of work activities with a view to preventing accidents and diseases. It aims to build knowledge about work and its transformations, whether these are changes to its organisation or the introduction of new tools and technologies, in the light of the actual activities of the different stakeholders. The goal is to apprehend the occupational safety and health risks, as they appear in situations and as they are experienced by employees, in order to propose prevention measures that are easy to implement and integrate. In particular, research covers remote work and new work spaces, occupational exposure combinations, and interactions between operators and technologies, especially digital technologies, etc.

Psychosocial challenges, work and organisations (EPTO)

The laboratory for psychosocial challenges, work and organisation (Enjeux Psychosociaux, Travail et Organisations - EPTO) is devoted to the study of the organisational dimensions of work and the psychosocial mechanisms that can influence the health, safety and well-being of employees, and their professional paths and work trajectories. Based on methods stemming from several schools of psychology, the studies and research conducted by the team aim to propose and/or support prevention practices suited to the work challenges and needs of organisations, in keeping with employees’ psychosocial resources. The laboratory’s research covers psychosocial risks (PSRs) and includes the analysis of the psychosocial and organisational determinants of current and future work situations, while examining their consequences on workers in a global approach to occupational safety and health.

Management and organisation of occupational safety and health (GOSST)

The laboratory for the management and organisation of occupational safety and health (Gestion et Organisation pour la Santé et Sécurité au Travail – GOSST) brings together the human and social sciences and develops research on prevention players, tools and practices. The laboratory considers prevention as a strategic and managerial subject of action to be renewed constantly as transformations occur in businesses and in society. Prevention is based on a continuous process specific to each company. The laboratory studies the harnessing and internalisation of knowledge and tools by the different stakeholders. The laboratory considers that all of an organisation’s stakeholders (prevention experts, decision-makers, operators, HR, designers, etc.) and its environment (prevention bodies, legislators, regulators, etc.) can participate in prevention. Its goal is to work with them to address prevention based on their activity and perceptions. Research is therefore structured around two complementary areas, one based on the analysis of practices, and the other on the transformation of these practices in support of prevention. Historically grounded in issues concerning accident research and activity analysis methods, work currently covers the standards and tools for managing occupational safety and health, risk perception, the connection between occupational health and global performance and the consideration of health within the framework of organisational transformation projects such as the shift to lean systems.

Physiology, movement, work (PMT)

The Physiology, Movement, Work (Physiologie, Mouvement, Travail – PMT) laboratory, comprising a multi-disciplinary team of biomechanics, engineers, physicians and physiologists, conducts research and actions to support companies in different subject areas such as:

musculoskeletal disorders of the upper and lower limbs, lower back pain,
physical workload (manual handling, thermal environments, etc.),
ageing at work, prevention of occupational marginalisation,
accidents with movement impairment,
sedentary postures, work with display screen equipment,
physically assistive robots, exoskeletons,
motor learning and sensorimotor adaptation when the work situation changes.

Its activities are structured around:

physiological strain that is hazardous to health. These include cardio-respiratory, thermal, musculotendinous or postural constraints in particular,
movement, through understanding it, characterising it and identifying its determinants. The goal is to prevent damage to the musculoskeletal system by studying risk factors and the development of prevention methods and tools.

The laboratory conducts its different activities in real work situations and in laboratories. It uses objective resources (heart rate monitor, electromyography, dynamic and cinematic analysis of movement, actimetrics, force measurement, functional tests, etc.) and subjective methods (observations, interviews, questionnaires, rating scales, etc.). The PMT laboratory showcases its work through publications, presentations, brochures and participation in prevention and training actions, and national and international working groups (PEROSH network, standardisation, etc.).

Development, technical and administrative support (DATA)

A support and coordination body interfacing with all four laboratories (EPTO, GOSST, RECAP and PMT) making up the Division, the DATA unit implements various expertise (electronics, computer technology, mechanics, audiovisual technology, 3D printing, office technology, legal services, accounting, etc.) in order to meet the different needs associated with the preparation, implementation and follow-up of studies and research, the development and managing of in-house projects (communication, HSE) as well as the application of procedures (quality, data protection, procurement, validation, contracts, etc.). The DATA unit thus contributes to the design and implementation of methods, tools and technology (software and hardware) aimed at evaluating, measuring and analysing numerous components of work activity, both under experimental conditions and out in companies. In conjunction with the MAP team, the DATA unit also contributes to the collection, processing and management of data. It organises administrative, legal and accounting support, and technological monitoring to meet all the needs of occupational safety and health research.