WA7

Government consults business leaders over stress

The Health and Safety Commission has launched a consultation into proposals to reduce work-related stress.

The proposals are based on a set of Management Standards, which are designed to help employers to ascertain levels of stress, identify the causes, and work with staff to help resolve any difficulties.

The Management Standards are described as 'a non-legislative yardstick', which highlight the components of good organisation, job design and management which keep stress levels under control while also increasing productivity.

According to the HSC, work-related stress is now the biggest cause of absence from work, accounting for more than 13 million working days lost in the UK each year.

Launching the consultation, Bill Callaghan, chair of the HSC, said, 'We're not about eliminating all stress or pressure in the workplace. Rather we want to help employers recognise and manage the risks sensibly'.

Elizabeth Gyngell of the Health and Safety Executive said, 'Work-related stress is not the reasonable pressure which is part and parcel of all work and which helps to keep us motivated. It is the kind of excessive pressure that undermines performances, is costly to employers and can make people ill'.

To view the Management Standards and to take part in the consultation, visit the HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk).

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