HSE Press Release E193:02 - 11 October 2002

Health and Safety Executive takes the initiative on work-related stress for Euro Week

HSC Chair Bill Callaghan speaks out about the urgent need to tackle stress in the UK.

"I am amazed at the complacent attitude to work-related stress in some quarters. Too often I hear phrases such as "a little stress doesn't do any harm". HSE research shows quite clearly that in monetary terms alone, work-related stress costs UK employers approximately £400 million per year. In terms of society, that figure reaches £4 billion. In human terms, depression, anxiety or a physical condition ascribed to work related stress - on average -results in half a million people per year reporting stress at levels that is making them ill."

"No one should have to tackle stress on their own - regardless of whether they are an individual, organisation, or business. European Week for Safety and Health, which this year focuses on stress, is a catalyst for action to prevent stress and make work a better place. The way forward is by working together, sharing knowledge and building foundations to put in place the policies, guidelines and eventually legislation that can not only overcome complacency about stress in the workplace but actually prevent the condition."

Between 14 and 18 October many events will be taking place around the country, raising awareness of what organisations can do to tackle stress in the workplace, establishing an environment in which to share knowledge and promote best practice.

For the past two years, the Health and Safety Commission has been tackling occupational stress as one of its Priority Programmes. Last year the Health and Safety Executive published new guidance aimed at helping managers undertake effective risk assessments to tackle stress in the workplace. They are now working with partners from industry, local authorities and practitioners to help develop Management Standards that will act as a yardstick in measuring how successful employers actually are in dealing with this issue.

Elizabeth Gyngell, HSE's Stress Priority Programme Manager said:

"We intend using European Week to set out our expectations about what organisations should be doing immediately. We believe that they will have appreciated the business benefits of having staff in work and functioning well. We also expect that managers, in partnership with staff, will be implementing our guidance (HSG 218) and tackling work related stress and that everyone will be identifying best practice and sharing it."

Stress is the second biggest cause of sickness absence days of employees in the UK. This figure is also growing, and costs UK industry approximately £6.7million each year in lost revenue.

Some of the initiatives being undertaken by the HSE include:

• Launching a new training and resource website www.hse.gov.uk/resources;
• Encourage the sharing of case studies and best practice working www.ohstrategy.net;
• Generating information to build the business case for action on stress; and
• Working in partnership with others to develop management standards for measuring the effectiveness of dealing with occupational stress.

Bill Callaghan sums up:

"The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) recognises that unless we tackle work related stress, we stand little chance of realising the challenging targets set in Revitalising Health and Safety and Securing Health Together. That is why we made stress one of our Priority Programmes. The HSC have agreed a programme of work that includes the development and dissemination of guidance and recognises as an important plank the need to develop Management Standards. I am very pleased that some of the big UK companies are working closely with HSE to develop these."

The following is a list of some of the activities that are taking place around the UK during stress week:

Notes to editors

1. Stress is the second biggest cause of work-related illness in the UK with one in five workers reporting their job as either very stressful or extremely stressful.

2. Work-related stress is one of eight priority programmes the Health and Safety Commission has chosen to meet the targets of in its occupational health strategy 'Securing Health Together'.

3. HSE has published 'Tackling work-related stress: A manager's guide to improving and maintaining employee health and well-being', HSG 218, ISBN 0 7176 2050 6, priced at £7.95, aimed at larger organisations. For firms with fewer than 50 employees, there is a free booklet 'Work-related stress'. Both are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA, tel: 01787-881165 or fax: 01787-313995. HSE priced publications are also available from all good bookshops.

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Published on the HSE web site on 15 October 2002, amended 11 March 2003

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