Thirty years after the RSPP (Head of the Prevention and Protection Service) was introduced, it is time for a retrospective on the advantages and drawbacks of this legislative change — particularly from a practical and organisational standpoint. In a field that constantly balances the urgency of effective workplace prevention against the threat of consequences for non-compliance, the RSPP’s role has been progressively enhanced. It now carries a defined scope of competences, specific professional qualifications and a corresponding liability profile, especially as an accessory to offences. The course traces the most significant Court of Cassation rulings that illuminate this evolution, from what was once a novelty to what is now a necessity. It also clarifies the various ways the RSPP’s role may be understood depending on the business context — from those who treat the RSPP as a mere consultant, to those who assign supplementary duties, to those who grant a formal delegation of employer functions.