In 2007/08 an estimated 442 000 individuals in Britain, who worked in the last year, believed that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill, according to the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

Although there is no specific law governing stress at work, employers have a responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 to assess risk to staff health and take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The HSE has stipulated this covers stress.

Duration: 1 day.

Venue: courses can be delivered on site or at selected venues.

Who should attend the Stress Risk Assessment Course?

The course is for all personnel who are involved in assessing and controlling stress risk in the workplace.

Candidates who successfully complete the course will achieve an appropriate understanding of:

• Recognise the ethical, legal and financial context of stress risk assessment
• Understand the following six main risk factors for work-related stress
• Demands– this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.
• Control– how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
• Support – this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
• Relationships – this includes promoting positive working relationships to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
• Role – whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.
• Change – how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation
• Decide who may be at risk and gather data
• Evaluate the risks and develop solutions
• Record your findings and implement an action plan
• Monitor and review the action plan and assess its effectiveness
• Decide what further action or data gathering, if any, is needed