Work related stress leads health and safety week

Manufacturing News, Source : TheManufacturer.com
Published : 16 Oct 2002 8:46

This week is European Health and Safety at Work Week and this year the emphasis is on work-related stress.

Recent research shows that work related stress is now the second largest occupational health problems in the EU and can affect not only mental health, but physical health as well.

Dr Jason Devereux of the University of Surrey is leading a survey into Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace, part of an ongoing research study into the relationship between work-related mental stress and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The research, funded by the Health and Safety Executive, is being conducted in 20 organisations across a wide range of occupations in the UK.

Early data from the survey indicate that there is significant variation across professions in the extent of stress in the workplace. Those who suffer the greatest degree of perceived job stress include managers, process, plant and machine operatives. The occupations with the lowest degree of job stress include professional, administrative and secretarial staff.

Some employees suffering from work-related stress have realised the severity of their condition and have sought legal advice for gaining compensation from their employers. As well as the cost in terms of absence through stress-induced sickness, employers also have to consider the potential cost of expensive legal challenges. European Health and Safety at Work Week aims to focus employers attention so that more action is taken to reduce the size of work-related stress across the EU.

The research, conducted at the Robens Centre for Health Ergonomics at the University of Surrey, is showing that every occupation has risks associated with work-related stress to varying extents. Speaking of the findings, Dr Devereux said: “Every employer must be concerned with work-related stress, not simply because there is a duty of care under the Management of Safety and Health at Work Regulations, but because there is likely to be a financial and organisational health problem if work-related stress is not being actively prevented by management using good job design guidelines. Employers would be well-advised to act now!”

Comments on this story

click here to add a comment