20 July 2004 - HSC Urges Business Leaders to Aid Consultation on Stress
Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), has urged the leaders of the top 350 companies in Britain to volunteer their views on how to prevent sickness absence caused by work-related stress, the views of all employees are also invited.
The revised innovative draft Management Standards were publicly available from 25 May 2004 and runs until 27 August 2004 - innovative because it goes beyond the usual format of a consultation document distributed to traditional stakeholders. The material has been distributed to managers, employers and leaders of the top 350 companies on a CD-Rom. Bill Callaghan is writing to the leaders of trade unions for their views.
The Management Standards will enable employers to gauge stress levels, identify causes and work with employees to resolve any issues, although, the Standards are not new regulations; they are a described as being a "non-legislative yardstick" to help organisations meet their existing duty of care and their duty to assess the risks of work-related stress.
The Standards are also described by the HSC as "clear and practical statements of good management practice, supported by a body of research and by an ongoing dialogue with businesses, professional bodies and trade unions."
The Standards consist of six main factors that contribute to work-related stress:
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demands
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control
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support
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relationships
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role
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change
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, employers have a duty to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also require employers to assess for health and safety risks. These duties cover work-related stress.
Bill Callaghan commented:
“We’re not about eliminating all stress or pressure in the workplace. Rather we want to help employers recognise and manage the risks sensibly. We believe the Management Standards can help employers tackle work-related stress at source and reduce sickness absence caused by work-related stress. The Standards have been well-received so far but we need to gather more views.”
The Standards, an introductory video and supporting materials can be found on HSE’s website here.
