Chapter IV: Professional ethics of labour inspection staff

The Director General of Labour, as the central authority for the labour inspection system, shall ensure that all authorities and all persons under his or her authority comply with the obligations, prerogatives and guarantees laid down for the labour inspectorate by this code of ethics.

All employees exercising hierarchical authority are responsible for ensuring compliance with the ethical rules applicable to all employees under their authority. To this end : 1° They shall explain the meaning of these rules to the employees and specify, through their instructions, how they are to be implemented; 2° They shall ensure that they are effectively applied in the professional situations in which the employees are placed; 3° They shall…

The enforcement officers of the labour inspection system are involved in defining the collective guidelines and priorities for labour inspection defined in accordance with the procedures set out in Article L. 8112-1. All inspectors are required to contribute to the implementation of actions undertaken in accordance with these collective guidelines and priorities. All inspectors are free to organise and conduct inspections on their own initiative.

All employees shall comply with the instructions received from their hierarchical superior. The provisions of the first paragraph apply without prejudice to article 28 of law no. 83-634 of 13th July 1983 on the rights and obligations of civil servants and, with regard to medical inspectors, articles R. 4127-5 and R. 4127-95 of the public health code.

All agents shall report on their actions to the authority vested with hierarchical power in accordance with the procedures defined by the administration, in particular those concerning the sharing, in the information system provided for this purpose, of information relating to their actions and to the undertakings inspected. These obligations apply to medical labour inspectors, subject to information covered by professional secrecy under Articles R. 4127-4 and R. 4127-104 of…

All members of staff shall immediately inform their line manager of any incident or complaint arising in the course of their duties which has led or may lead to them being summoned by a police, judicial or supervisory authority. All members of staff who are questioned by a user shall be informed by their line manager.