Equipping business to prevent stress

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), has launched an innovative three month consultation campaign asking managers and employers for their views on proposals to reduce work-related stress. A video explanation of the proposals is available via HSE’s website and feedback can be delivered online.

The proposals are based around a set of Management Standards that will enable employers to gauge stress levels, identify causes and work with employees to resolve any difficulties. The Standards are clear and practical statements of good management practice and are supported by a body of research and by an ongoing dialogue with a range of businesses, professional bodies and unions.

The Management Standards are not new regulations: they are a non-legislative yardstick to help organisations meet their existing duty of care and their duty to assess the risks to work-related stress. The Standards highlight the components of good organisation, job design and management that keep stress levels in check and enhance productivity.

Work-related stress has overtaken musculo-skeletal disorders as the biggest cause of working days lost through injury or ill-health. It accounts for over 13 million days lost in UK industry a year, and costs society as a whole about £3.7 billion a year. In 2001/2, over half a million individuals in Britain experienced stress at levels that made them ill, as reported by the most recent Labour Force Survey.

About The Author:

Beate Radke is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-wellness.com. Obtaining and keeping good health through healthy living, natural healing, great mental health and healthy finances.