Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are currently one of the most pressing issues in occupational health. They are the leading cause of work-related morbidity—a figure that is, moreover, significantly underestimated by occupational disease statistics, largely due to underreporting. This phenomenon is not unique to France. In 2005, the leading work-related health problem affecting workers in the European Union was pain in the spine, shoulders, or limbs, and MSDs ranked first among recognized occupational diseases in several European countries. The epidemiological surveillance program for MSDs, implemented since 2002 in the Pays de la Loire region, has made it possible to describe this epidemic more precisely across the entire working population, to estimate the role of occupational activity in their occurrence, and to better understand the medical and professional outcomes of individuals with MSDs. Data from the Pays de la Loire region will soon be supplemented by data from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Île-de-France regions. Efforts to address this issue have grown significantly in recent years and must continue in the face of the occupational health challenge posed by MSDs. (R.A.)