Why a Stress Risk Assessment is Necessary
Work related stress can be a serious issue in the workplace and it can have a significant negative effect on health and wellbeing. Working in a stressful environment can actually make you unwell and can increase your chances of developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Also, the stress can make you more likely to be obese, smoke tobacco and drink too much alcohol. Did you know that the Health and Safety at Work legislation in the UK requires all employers to carry out officially written Risk Assessments on all workplace hazards –including stress in the workplace? A stress risk assessment is all about making a systematic examination of the workplace and identifying what might potentially cause harm to morale of the employees. This will help you to clarify whether or not you are doing enough to protect your employees or whether you must take further steps.What is the Risk Assessment Process?
There are five steps to conducting a risk assessment, which include:- Identifying the workplace hazards and risks. In this case, this means figuring out which factors in the workplace might cause stress to employees.
- Identifying who is at risk. Do you have employees who are more at risk for stress than others due to certain factors?
- Note the controls that are being used and figure out whether or not those controls are adequate. If not, integrate new control measures into the workplace that will be sufficient.
- Record the findings of the risk assessment in writing.
- Periodically review the risk assessment and update it if necessary.
Why should I carry out a Stress Risk Assessment?
There are many reasons why you should carry out a stress risk assessment. Here are a few of the major ones:- Conducting risk assessments is an obligation under the Health and Safety law – as these laws see stress in the same way as any other health hazard.
- It is the duty of the employer to identify any possible risks to the health of employees, so a safety risk assessment helps to identify these risks.
- Conducing a stress risk assessment will help to identify stress problems, which can be addressed well before they become an issue for the employer. The actions that are taken in the workplace will minimise long term stress and the consequences, such as negative behaviours, absenteeism, lower productivity and poor performance.
- When employees see that there is a commitment to their well-being, this will manifest in higher morale in the workplace.
- Assessing and reducing stress risks will also help to reduce the likelihood of damage to your reputation – as well as the high costs that are associated with stresses cases.