Move to fill stress guidance gap

BSI and Nottingham University are developing a standard to help

organisations assess and manage the risks associated with work-related

stress.

Psychosocial risk management is a focus of the European Council Directive 89/391/EEC, which stipulates the assessment and management of all types of risks to workers’ health as the responsibility of employers. According to the BSI, there is currently no recognised standard, or official benchmark for good practice in the area of psychosocial risk assessment and management.
 
Combined with related training courses being developed by Nottingham University, the standard should benefit occupational health and safety managers, therapists, HR managers, and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, says the BSI.
 
A steering group has been set up to manage the standard’s development, and includes representatives from Nottingham University, the World Health Organisation, the HSE, the PRIMA-EF consortium, the European Commission, and several other European and international occupational health and safety organisations.

Stress is one of the most common problems of the modern workplace, affecting the mental and physical well-being of more than 40 million workers in the European Union each year, and resulting in an estimated cost of around 20 million euros.
 
The World Health Organisation’s Evelyn Kortum said: “WHO recognises the impact of psychosocial risks at work as a public-health issue, with 8 per cent of depression attributed globally to environmental factors – in particular, occupational stress. The development of a standard in psychosocial risk management will provide a welcome basis for policy development in traditional and emerging risks affecting the modern workplace.”      
 
Dr Stavroula Leka, associate professor in occupational health psychology at the University of Nottingham, concurred: “Work-related stress has been a priority in modern working life for the past years but, despite a number of good initiatives at national, European and international levels, there is still a clear need for an official benchmark in this area.

“The standard will assist organisations to implement best practice in the area of psychosocial risk assessment and management, so that they can promote good health among their staff.”
 
To contribute to the development of the standard, e-mail [email protected]