EU-OSHA Launches E-Guide on Managing Stress and Psychosocial Risks at Work
The free guide is part of the Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress campaign.
As part of the Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress campaign, EU-OSHA has launched an e-guide on managing stress and psychosocial risks. The organization says stress is an important occupational safety and health concern in about 80% of European businesses and is one of the main reasons for lost working days in Europe. Less than a third of European establishments have procedures in place to deal with work-related stress. The e-guide was developed as a practical tool to help both employers and workers, particularly of small businesses, better understand and manage stress and psychosocial risks.
34 country-specific versions will be published, and each one will direct users to relevant national resources on stress and psychosocial risks.
“Although we cannot see or measure stress in the same way as many other health problems, it is a very serious issue. It can affect workers both emotionally and physically, but businesses and the economy in general can also suffer at the hands of stress,” said Dr. Christa Sedlatschek, director of EU-OSHA.
Each version of the e-guide contains: simple explanations of risks, their causes and consequences for workers and businesses; advice and instructions on how to spot problems early and take action; practical examples of prevention and risk management, particularly for small businesses; and information on national resources.