Stress Risk assessment- legal requirement?

[TWDB]

hi all

does anyone have an understanding of workplace stress risk assessments ? are they a legal requirement?

and any guidance or templates that can be shared?

thanks

T

[Waterbaby]

HSE UK : "Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it.
HSE defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them’."

https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/risk-assessment.htm

https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/index.htm

WHEC Reports : https://www.hse.gov.uk/Research/workpla ... mittee.htm

Downloads and templates on HSE website


https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/facts ... nt%20style.

https://www.hsa.ie/eng/publications_and ... _2023.html

WB

[Waterbaby]

Tuesday 31st October 2023

A Trades Union Congress (TUC) survey of safety representatives has found that stress is the workplace hazard that most concerns respondents.

https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2023/10/31 ... s-tuc-says

8 Aug 2023 : https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysi ... vey-report

WB

[stephen1974]

Stress is a complicated issue. A risk assessment needs to be be pretty comprehensive and is only a first step, their needs to be various stages of recognition and referal up to and including 3rd party support from specilist mental health and welfare groups.

A lot of things that cause stress will be out of your control, but you may still have to deal with the consequences. A person comes in drunk to work - do you discipline or support?

Support can be expensive for your company. I cant see a small company being prepared to support when firing is easier and cheaper.

Then there is stigma. Ive seen big companies do the whole support thing, paying for 3rd party consultations etc etc, then, once the employee is back at work, go after them with a vengeance and every thing they do is a disciplinary until the mployee quits or is fired, because they dont want an employee who liable to being off all the time, but they dont want to risk a wrongful termination claim.

Doing one of the basic mental health forst aid courses (online or classroom) is a good place to start. Even a free or cheap online one is beneficial and doesnt take long to do.

[Waterbaby]

8th November 2023

"A “much needed” new online learning tool designed to prevent work-related stress has been launched.

Businesses are encouraged to sign-up to the free-to-use interactive tool, designed by the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign, to understand what they need to do to comply with the law.

The tool provides the simple and effective guidance employers need to take action to meet their legal duties and begin to understand how to include stress in their workplace risk assessments."

https://press.hse.gov.uk/2023/11/08/new ... t-9-nov-23

WB

[TWDB]

Does anyone have a good template / starter for the Stress RA i could review/ look at?

Thanks
T

[Alexis]

https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/risk-assessment.htm

Others may come in with one of their own TW.

[PBRStreetGang]

I was kicking around online looking to bolster my CPD points in the form of an mental health course and i found the below.
This seemed like a adequate place to put it? Mods, pls adjust as you see fit.
Regards.

https://press.hse.gov.uk/2023/11/08/new ... ed-stress/

[WillPool]

I was kicking around online looking to bolster my CPD points in the form of an mental health course and i found the below.
This seemed like a adequate place to put it? Mods, pls adjust as you see fit.
Regards.

https://press.hse.gov.uk/2023/11/08/new ... ed-stress/

All good to have it here, think Waterbaby, posted the same link in this thread, but no harm done re-posting it.

Will