Preventing stress at work
The Foundation has been working on raising awareness of stress as a workplace health issue since 1993.
The Fourth European Working Conditions Survey (2005) reveals that stress is one of the most common work-related health symptoms affecting 22% of European workers. Stress is closely related to job satisfaction and is often an underlying factor which triggers secondary health problems.
Previous Foundation research on stress was conducted in 1996/97. As a result, two reports were produced dealing with assessing the costs and benefits of stress prevention at company and national level.
A further project was launched in 1997. Its aim was to fill the information gap as regards national policies to improve occupational psychosocial stress factors in all Member States by reviewing legislation, inspection, information, research, economic incentives, occupational insurance, preventive services, internal and quality control and workers' participation.
In order to facilitate comparisons across Member States, guidelines for the research reports were compiled in 1997. Because of budgetary restrictions and the creation of the European Agency of Health and Safety at Work this project ceased in 1997 and the information was passed on to the Bilbao Agency for further action.