Changing Work Design Risks Greater Stress Levels

Working environments are significantly changing with the introduction of new technologies, materials and work processes. Changes in work design, organisation and management can produce new risk areas that can result in increased stress levels and may finally lead to a serious deterioration of mental and physical health.

A new report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work shows that the main psychosocial risks are related to new forms of employment contracts, job insecurity, work intensification, high emotional demands, violence at work and a poor work-life balance.

Click to DownloadJukka Takala, Director of The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) states:

"Working life in Europe is changing at an ever-increasing speed. Job insecurity, multiple jobs or high work intensity can all lead to work-related stress and put workers’ health in danger. Constant monitoring and improving of psychosocial work environments are necessary to create quality jobs and retain workers in good condition.”

Work-related stress is one of the biggest occupational safety and health (OSH) challenges faced in Europe and the number of people suffering from stress-related conditions caused or made worse by work is likely to increase. Stress is the second most reported work-related health problem, affecting 22% of EU workers (2005). Studies suggest that between 50% and 60% of all lost working days are related to it. In 2002, the annual economic cost of work-related stress in the EU15 was estimated at EUR 20.000 million.

Emerging psychosocial risks have been explored in an expert forecast and are presented in a new report, the third one of a series on new and emerging risks, issued by the European Risk Observatory (ERO), integral part of EU-OSHA.

Read the full news item here

Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work


 
 
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