Stress
| For more information on Stress click here for the relevant chapter of the TUC guide to health and safety "Hazards at Work |
HSE research in 2001/2 has revealed about five million workers in the UK experience stress and half a million believe it makes them ill, costing the nation £3.7 billion. The 2003 Stressed Out survey by the Samaritans, the UK emotional support charity, found: "People's jobs are the single biggest cause of stress... with over a third (36 per cent) of Briton's citing it as one of their biggest stressors."
Our hearts and minds can face intolerable pressures from work. Overwork, bullying, low job control and satisfaction, job insecurity, new ways of working, poor work organisation and pace of work can all cause work stress.
The mental symptoms of stress range from sleeplessness and listlessness through to clinical depression and suicide. The physical effects range from appetite loss and nausea through to heart damage and stroke.
A workplace with a lot of stress may suffer from high absenteeism, higher risk of accidents, industrial relations problems, demotivation and high labour turnover.
The HSE have produced Management Standards on how employers should tackle workplace stress. In the absence of specific legislation, these standards, based on the risk assessment approach, are seen as the most useful method of tackling stress in the workplace. The TUC has produced guidance for safety representatives on these Standards. The guide outlines the standards and explains what safety representatives need to do to ensure that their employer takes effective measures to reduce stress. You can view the guide here
Links
Tackle the hassle: risk assessing stress A step by step Powerpoint guide
Hazards Worked to death webpages
UK National Work Stress Network
The most recent documents available on this subject are:
Work stress causes heart disease
Stressed workers suffer a greatly increased risk of heart disease, a study of UK civil servants has found
25 January 2008
Tragedy highlights deadly teacher stress
Further evidence of the deadly stresses facing education staff has emerged after another teacher suicide.
PDF version available for download
21 December 2007
NHS workloads are stressing staff out
Overworked and overloaded health service workers are so stressed six out of ten say they have considered packing in their jobs in the past year.
PDF version available for download
9 November 2007
Partnership Working to reduce the impact of Stress at Work in the Northern Region
Working jointly with the TUC the HSE held a lively and productive seminar with around 60 trade union safety reps from the 25 organisations involved in this programme. Downloads of resources from the event are now available.
25 September 2007
Stress is top threat to workers
Stress is still seen as the biggest threat to the welfare of UK workers, according to research by health benefits provider HSA.
PDF version available for download
7 September 2007
Stressful jobs cause depression
Having a high pressure job doubles the risk of depression and anxiety in young adults, UK researchers have warned.
PDF version available for download
3 August 2007
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