The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a free online learning module to help employers get to grips with risk assessment of work-related stress. The module provides all the practical templates, tools and resources needed to get started, or to review existing practices.
This move is another which shows the body’s renewed commitment to ensuring that employers adhere to legal requirements, following its high profile probe into claims of preventable workplace stress at the University of Birmingham (see this article for more information).
Given the record rates of work-related ill health attributed to stress, depression and anxiety, this training aims to provide step-by-step guidance for employers on conducting effective risk assessments, identifying root causes of work-related stress and implementing solutions that are genuinely effective.
Working Minds
The launch coincided with Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May) and expands HSE’s Working Minds campaign, which supports businesses in preventing work-related stress and supporting good mental health. It’s also in line with its ‘Protecting people and places’ strategy for 2022 – 2032, which listed reducing work-related ill health, with a specific focus on mental health and stress, as its number one strategic objective.
Kayleigh Roberts from HSE’s Engagement and Policy Division said:
“Preventing work-related stress isn’t just the right thing to do for your workers—it’s also a legal requirement. Our new online learning module aims to make it easier for businesses, particularly small to medium organisations to understand their obligations and what they need to do on a practical level.”
Not about tick boxes
Roberts said this initiative isn’t about “ticking boxes” but about “embedding good practices into everyday business operations”.
HSE highlights six main areas that can lead to work-related stress if not managed properly: demands, control, support, relationships, role, and change.
Employers are encouraged to implement the Working Minds campaign 5Rs approach to support the risk assessment process:
- Reach out and have conversations
- Recognise the signs and causes of stress
- Respond to risks by agreeing action points
- Reflect on the actions taken
- Make it Routine to check in regularly
Employers can register for the online learning module to access step-by-step advice, practical tools, and downloadable templates by visiting the Working Minds campaign website.
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