Editorial
Managing Stress in the Workplace
September 2003
Sheila Pantry OBE
Stress-related illness can be costly to companies in terms of lost
productivity, sickness absence and ill-health retirement. Management
practices that are good for the health of the employees are likely to be
good for their productivity. Good management policy is therefore in the
interests both of the organisation and the workers.
Managing stress in the workplace requires that both employers and
employees together should tackle the many problems in this area
including nature of stress, identifying workplace stressors, bullying at
work, effects of stress on the individual, trauma and coping with the
aftermath of a critical incident.
As always risk assessment of jobs on a continuous basis is essential
if organisations are to maintain a healthy and safer working
environment. Recently the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched
a pilot project to help tackle stress in the workplace. The project,
which has been place on the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/stress
encourages all sizes and types of companies to get involved by
evaluating how they are working in relation to a draft version of a
document entitled Management standards for stress. The good news
here, is that any feedback from the project will be incorporated when
the systems is formally developed for launch next year in 2004.
OSHWORLD links to many organisations with authoritative and validated
information on stress. Go to the subject
links provided.
A book Managing Stress in the Workplace by Carole Spiers (ISBN
07545 1269 X) has just been published and the author draws upon
her substantial experience in the field of stress management to provide
an indispensable manager's guide, which covers identifying stress,
stress management and intervention techniques. As well as containing
useful checklists, best practice guidelines and case studies throughout,
it explains the significance of the new UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Guidance Notes and provides worked examples of formulating a stress
policy and what constitutes best practice. Contact the publishers
Tolleys - Reed Elsevier (UK) Ltd | Email: customer.services@lexisnexis.co.uk
| www.lexisnexis.co.uk
Don't forget to check out the conferences, seminars and training
workshops in OSHWORLD's Diary of Events and
make sure that you get your booking in for EurOhse2003!
The European Commission's (EC) paper "Adapting to change in work
and society: a new Community Strategy on Health and Safety at work
2002-2006" forms the basis for the EurOhse2003 conference www.eurohse2003.com
to be held in London, UK on the 4th and 5th November 2003.
This is the most important conference for health, safety and
environmental professionals in 2003! Be part of the future plans for the
ever widening occupational safety, health in Europe. Invest in two days
to listen, learn, discuss and network. Bookings are already being made -
don't be too late making yours or you may be disappointed!
For further details contact: Mary Meadows, Office and Logistics
Manage, European Occupational Health and Safety Magazine (EurOhs), Angel
Business Communications Ltd, 34 Warwick Road, Kenilworth CV8 1HE,
Warwickshire, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1926 512424 | Fax: + 44 (0)1926 512948 |
email: mary@angelbc.co.uk | www.eurohse2003.com
Your OSHWorld Portal
Globally there are continually new titles, news items, new products
so remember to look at the News to find the latest
information from a number of sources.
Remember to look at the Products and Services on this web site and
see what is new and updated, such as Fire
Worldwide which has attracted users not only from the UK but around
the world. The guidance, advice, and the information in the legislation
will help all those achieve a safer workplace. Over 2000 pages of full
text has recently been added to the latest edition, plus thousands of
new records in the bibliographic databases. See for yourself and take
a free 30 trial - either via the Internet on CD-ROM. Contact Sheila
Pantry Associates Ltd, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1909 771024 | Fax: +44 (0)1909
772829 | E-mail: sp@sheilapantry.com
Most information services have a reference shelf where you can
quickly check the reference sources - so OSHWORLD brings you a
collection of Reference sources.
Click onto the various Bookshops
to order any new document as they are being published. Many of these
Bookshops such as SafChem www.safchemhaz.co.uk
have a constant stream of new titles available.
Please send any suggestions or comments about OSHWORLD -your portal
to validated and authoritative information. Remember also to look at our
other sites - www.sheilapantry.com
and www.shebuyersguide.com.
Hope you have a zero accident and incident-free year in 2003 in
your workplace.
|