← All articles · Occupational health · France – Spain
Metabolic syndrome: how occupational medicine detects it in France and Spain
Report author: Fourage · Report written in January 2026 · Article published on 20 October 2026
A review of current knowledge and a comparison of the two systems of workers’ health surveillance.
Metabolic syndrome combines several cardiovascular risk factors: a large waist circumference, high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugar, high triglycerides and low “good” (HDL) cholesterol. A report written in January 2026 by a member of the association reviews the subject and compares how it is detected at work in France and in Spain.
Two different systems
In France, every employee receives individual health monitoring from an occupational health and prevention service, at intervals that depend on the risks of the job. In Spain, health surveillance is provided for by Law 31/1995 on the prevention of occupational risks (Article 22) and organised by prevention services governed by Real Decreto 39/1997; in principle it requires the worker’s consent.
Work as a risk factor
The report lists the work-related factors studied in the literature: sedentary work, night and shift work, stress. They are not specific to one country, but how workplace prevention takes them into account varies.
Prevention options
Informing workers, organising working hours, access to a balanced diet and to physical activity: the report sets out general options, which do not replace the occupational physician’s advice.
- Metabolic syndrome combines several cardiovascular risk factors.
- France: occupational health services; Spain: health surveillance (Law 31/1995, RD 39/1997).
- Workplace prevention must be tailored to each job.
Related articles
- Carpentry in Catalonia: one directive, two ways of applying it
- Selenium and brain ageing: what the research says
- Silicon, drinking water and Alzheimer’s disease: the state of knowledge
Official sources
Each article is based on a report whose date of writing is shown, and reflects its author’s analysis at that date. General information only: neither legal nor medical advice. The full report can be requested from the association.
A sector, a standard, a question?
Tell us which trade or regulation you are interested in: we will tell you whether a study exists or can be carried out.