Health and safety
Stress
Stress is one of the biggest health problems in the voluntary sector.
Even today many employers will say that stress is good for you and that if people cannot cope with stress then it is their problem.
This is nonsense.
The Health and Safety Executive gives a definition of stress which has been accepted by most organisations, including UNISON. That is "stress is the reaction people have to excessive demands or pressures, arising when people try to cope with tasks, responsibilities or other types of pressure connected with their job, but find difficulty, strain or worry in doing so."
Stress can be caused by a number of issues including long hours and shift work, lack of control, lack of job satisfaction, insecurity, fear of violence, bullying, bad relations with other work colleagues, problems with the working environment (such as noise, over-crowding and poor facilities), low pay, boredom and isolation.
Stress can cause anxiety, depression, altered appetite, headaches, backache, difficulty in sleeping, and, over time, heart disease and ulcers.
Just as the way in which the body reacts to stress can be harmful if it is prolonged, so too are some of the ways which people use to try to reduce symptoms, in particular the use of alcohol, cigarettes, tranquillisers and other drugs.
The levels of stress experienced will vary from one person to another and stress levels may be difficult to measure. Also people react to stress differently.
As a result stress is often portrayed as an individual problem rather than one affecting the whole workplace and it is sometimes claimed that it is problems outside the workplace that are causing the stress.
Occasionally that may be the case, particularly if members have domestic problems, however they will still need help to ensure that work does not make the situation worse, and that where necessary, they can get the professional assistance they require.
There is no specific law dealing with stress. However the employer does have a duty to ensure safe methods of working.
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations the employer must assess the nature and scale of risks to health in the workplace and ensure there are proper control measures in place. This applies just as much to the risks of stress as to other workplace hazards.
In addition the Working Time Regulations place limits on the length of the working week, and also force all employers to give some level of paid holiday. These will help alleviate some of the worst causes of stress, long hours and few rest opportunities.
The Health and Safety Executive has produced guidance on stress at work. Every voluntary organisation should have a copy. It is called "Tackling work related stress"
The guide puts risk assessment at the heart of any plan to reduce the risk of work-related stress.
However the HSE stresses that before a risk assessment is undertaken the employer should:
- talk to their staff about work-related stress and explain what they want to identify,
- explain that they are setting up a group to help (which includes trade union/employee representatives, the unit health and safety officer, one or more supervisors or managers and, if available, someone from the occupational health service),
- share what they are trying to achieve with staff and explain that the first step is to undertake a risk assessment,
- ask the group to undertake the assessment, and
- agree a date by when you want to see the key findings of the risk assessment.
Stress is one of the most dangerous hazards within any voluntary organisation. Few people who have not experienced the depression, anxiety and despair, which often accompanies stress, can fully appreciate the effect it can have on people's lives. It can be made worse because very few people are prepared to admit to suffering from stress, or to seek help.
You can help change the climate to encourage more openness about this extremely important issue.
Click here for an example of a 
draft stress prevention policy.
If you would like to know more about working in partnership with UNISON, email cvsu@unison.co.uk with details.
Have you got an up to date safety policy?
Do you consult with staff on health & safety?
Do you display the statutory Health & Safety notice in your premises?
For these and other useful reminders see the UNISON health & safety checklist
© Copyright 2009
