orso castano : altro che l'Inail o i Centri per il lavoro , gli inglesi si organizzano e scherzano poco.Copiamoli o cerchi8amo
Hard Times, Great Expectations and Victorian Values – combatting workplace stress in hostile times
Friday November 23rd to Sunday November 25th 2012 to be held at the
Hillscourt Conference Centre, Rednal, Nr Birmingham B45 8RS
What's New 24.07.12
Stress Network Presentation to All Parliamentary Group on Occupational Health
The Network was invited to address the group of Peers and MP's on July 4
th 2012 as a follow up to a letter to all members and copies of the Stress Booklet, sent in the spring. I began by giving a brief outline of the background to the Network, how we had worked largely on Education & Stress but had now moved to a much broader remit and referred to our Hazards connections in UK and
EWHN.
Our
basic premise is that employer duty of care applies across the board for all aspects of work-related illness, accident and threats to wellbeing and welfare. We believe that many employers are failing in that duty of care, and are totally ignorant of the need for full and proper risk assessments, the requirement for dignity in the workplace, and for proper recognition that excessive demand, unrelenting pressure on workers has become a serious killer.
New Poster
Hazards Magazine have produced this brilliant poster entitled "Stop it, you're killing us!" If you click on the image you will be able to download the full-sized poster which pops up by right-clicking on it and choosing "Save Picture As".
Conference Handout Material Now Available
We have a growing selection of Information Sheets which are available from the downloads page. We believe they are useful sources of information for display in your workplace
Safety Reps Survey 2012
This is the ninth
TUC survey of Safety Reps. It is designed to provide the
TUC and individual unions with information about who safety reps are, and what their experiences and needs are. We need this information so that the
TUC and unions can do more to help Safety Reps, and so that Safety Reps' views and experiences are better reflected in public policy debates and the work of the Health and Safety Commission. We will publish the results, and use them to campaign for better safety standards at work (including more rights for Safety Reps)
Your response is crucial to ensuring that this survey provides the information we seek. Please answer as many questions as you can - but if they seem irrelevant to your experiences, ignore them. Collating the responses to this survey will be a time-consuming and expensive task, so we cannot enter into correspondence arising from the survey. But we do want to
know about any successes you have had in improving health and safety standards. Please send details to the TUC, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS. Email:
healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk
Work pressure makes school staff sick
Taken from
TUC Risks magazine 551, 14.04.12
School workers are falling ill as a result of the pressure of their jobs, teaching unions have warned. ATL has said in the current academic year four in ten education staff have visited the doctor and a quarter taken sick leave because of
job pressure. And NUT said excessive working hours are taking a toll on teachers' mental health. A survey by ATL found staff felt overwhelmingly that their job has a negative impact on their health and well-being (73 per cent). The main contributing factors were their workload (84 per cent), working long hours (69 per cent), the pressure of inspections (47 per cent), and the pressure of observations (40 per cent). The ATL survey found 43 per cent of all staff believed their workload has increased over the last two years, and for 36 per cent it has increased significantly. Half of all those surveyed said they usually work more than 50 hours a week. Just over 80 per cent of staff rated their current workload as high to extremely high. ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said: 'The government doesn't seem to care about teachers' workload or their mental health and is showing a callous disregard for teachers' well-being in many of its policies. Schools and the government must work together to ensure the introduction of well-being programmes and better policies to look after the health of their staff.' NUT general secretary Christine Blower, whose union conference last week passed a motion warning of the impact on staff of spiralling workloads, said: 'Despite the government's supposed commitment to ensure that the pressure on teachers to work excessive hours is reduced there is no evidence to show that this is happening. Many classroom teachers, heads and deputies work in excess of 50 hours a week, which inevitably takes its toll not only on home life but also on teachers' mental health.'
Europe: Stress in the workplace to rise
Taken from
TUC Risks magazine 549, 31.03.12
Job-related stress is a concern for the large majority of the workforce, a Europe-wide survey has found. The 2nd European Opinion Poll on Occupational Safety and Health, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), measured the opinions of over 35,000 members of the general public in 36 European countries. It found eight in ten (80 per cent) of the working population across Europe think the number of people suffering from job-related stress over the next five years will increase, with over half (52 per cent) expecting this to 'increase a lot'. The poll found a large majority of Europeans (86 per cent) agree that following good occupational safety and health practices is necessary for a country's economic competitiveness, with 56 per cent strongly agreeing. Views are similar among workers and those who do not work (86 per cent and 85 per cent agree respectively). 'The financial crisis and the changing world of work is making increased demands on workers, therefore it is unsurprising that work-related stress is at the forefront of people's minds,' commented Dr Christa Sedlatschek, director of EU-OSHA. 'Regardless of age, gender and organisation size an overwhelming majority of people believe that work-related stress will rise.' Greeks were most concerned about rising stress, reflecting the country's economic turmoil and echoing the findings of a European study last year that found Greece had the largest increase in recession-related suicides (Risks 514)
.
Stress remains high among nursing staff 22 March 2012,
Nearly a third of health-care workers suffered from work-related stress last year, prompting speculation that ongoing organisational change in the NHS is having a detrimental impact on employee well-being.
Findings from the ninth annual NHS staff survey revealed that 30 per cent of NHS staff reported they had experienced stress related to their jobs last year – a rise from 29 per cent in 2010 – while, among ambulance staff, the figure hit 34 per cent.
HSEStress e-bulletin March 2012
This useful publication is now available from the
HSE website, you will have to subscibe to the service but it is free and only requires youe e-mail address. In this months publication are :-
- International Labour Organisation produces work stress manual
- Stress Management Competencies Roadshows, various dates and locations
- Complimentary places - Health @ Work Summit 2012 to be held in London.
- Research conducted by Ulster and Nottingham Universities
Conference Report 2011
A new page is now available giving you access to information about our
2011 Stress Network conference held in November last year. There are presentations and reports available including
- Conference Report main paper
- Stewards’ Stress
- Management Standards Workshop
- Body Mapping Workshop
- Negative Behaviours Workshop
- Workloads Workshop
Unions say don't forget stress during recession
Taken from
TUC Risks magazine 544, 25.02.12
Unions have called on the
HSE and employers to make tackling stress a priority as British workers try to cope with growing financial uncertainty. While the emphasis has been on pay freezes and job losses unions have said that stress can have just as devastating effect. This follows new research by the University of Nottingham and University of Ulster which shows that work-related stress increases during a recession, leading to more employees taking time off. A study among tens of thousands of civil servants in Northern Ireland revealed that work-related stress increased by 40% during an economic downturn. It also found that the number of staff taking time off due to job stress increased by 25% and total time off due to these types of psychological problems increased by more than a third during a slump.
TUC Head of health and safety, Hugh Robertson, said more attention has to be paid to the effects that cuts and economic hardship have on the mental health of the workforce. The economic crisis does not give employers immunity from complying with the law and the government, and regulators should be taking action to ensure that employers are risk assessing the implications of any staffing or organisational changes.
Sarah Page, health and safety officer at the Prospect union, commented: "When workers face reduced job security and an increased workload it is no surprise that depression and anxiety increase, along with absences from work. People feel afraid, uncertain, less supported by managers, and less in control of their lives."Previous studies of civil servants had shown that if organisational changes occur without consulting and involving the workforce, the effects on individuals are far more damaging. This is an issue where government, employers and unions can make a difference by working together. Employers have a duty to ensure workers' health, safety and welfare at work, and that includes mental health. It shouldn't be about trying to mop up the mess when it's too late, but about introducing preventive measures and support networks."
Come Tweet with us
The Stress Network now has a Twitter page @workstressuk where you can keep up to date and join in conversations
Stress Network - Book review Need – 2 – Know series
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – the essential guide, by Glenys O’Connell
“.. you don’t have to have been on the battlefield to suffer from PTSD, in fact anyone who’s been in a very stressful situation can develop it. [Such] conditions can range from a terrorist attack to a serious car accident to sexual abuse, or even to bullying at school or at work.” The fairly typical picture is one of a serviceman [and more recently a servicewoman] who has been subject to significant battlefield trauma, reacting in a way that has largely in the past remained unrecognised. In
WW1 the solution was often court martial and the death penalty. Sufferers were considered weak and cowardly, and became outcasts within their own families. The stiff upper lip reaction gave little credence to negative reactions to battlefield trauma.
Our Network convenor, Ian Draper has written a book review for this, the second in the Need - 2 - Know series. To read the full review please
follow this link The Need - 2 - Know series of booklets covers a range of topics, and information about them is easily available via
the Need - 2 - Know website
A Hidden Gem, Hazards Magazine
Hazards Magazine have made a plea for support. They produce an excellent magazine [very much on a shoestring working from their own houses] that is widely accepted as being amongst the best
H&S publication especially for telling everyone how it is and how it should be.
Although free downloadable copies can be acquired via the website the preferred option is to become a regular subscriber to paper copies. You can subscribe
using the online form.
First Edition of the EWHN Report Published
This new publication published by the
EWHN covers a number of interesting topics. You can download a copy
by following this link
- Who are the EWHN?
- Cancer at Work
- Stress Busting
- Final statement from the 2011 Leeds EWHN conference
The next
EWHN conference to be held in Turin on 5 - 7 October 2012 is entitled "Fighting for safe and healthy work In a safe and healthy world". Further details can be obtained from the
EWHNwebsite.
The Health for Work Adviceline
The Health for Work Adviceline offers tailored, free advice on employee health issues with the aim of keeping staff healthy so they can effectively participate and contribute in their work. It helps businesses:
- find the advice and support they need to help an employee experiencing ill health;
- develop a plan to effectively and sympathetically deal with employee sickness absence;
- establish how to deal with similar problems in the future, should they occur;
- think differently about their business and the investment they could make in a healthy workplace.
Users of the service include:
- managers of businesses of any size who are experiencing problems with employee ill health;
- GPs looking to support their patients;
- employees wanting to find out more about how their own health conditions may affect their ability to work.
As well as free, one-to-one advice on 0800 0 77 88 44, on-line support is also available from the website, including:
- self-service information through access to an intelligent on-line knowledge base;
- on-line communication with a contact centre by submitting a question to the support team, or ‘chatting’ directly with a member of the team (a form of instant messaging).
All Together for the NHS - Help stop the Health and Social Care Bill
The government is imposing huge changes on the NHS. These plans – set out in the Health and Social Care Bill currently going through Parliament – will change our National Health Service beyond recognition. The speed and scale of these changes is massive. Patients and staff will be the losers. The legislation is moving quickly through Parliament with the report and third reading the next step in its progress, after which it would go to the Lords.
If you are concerned about these changes, please send a letter to your MP asking them to vote against this damaging piece of legislation that could break up our NHS for good. Please
follow this link to the 'going to Work; website where
you can take action
Stress can cost you your job
Even mild stress has been proven to lead to people being unable to work, health experts said today. The research carried out by the University of Bristol and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden revealed that mild stress increases the chance of someone being on disability payments for physical problems by 70 per cent and more than doubles the likelihood they will have a psychiatric condition. It also found a strong relationship between increasing levels of psychological distress and the likelihood of being awarded a new disability pension within five years. One in four benefits for physical illness, such as high blood pressure, angina and stroke, and almost two-thirds for mental illness, were attributable to stress.
The authors said the link between stress and a diagnosis of a physical problem may be down to the way stress affects the body. But they added it could also be that stigma surrounding mental health issues leads some doctors and patients to prefer a physical "label" for the problem. "Mild psychological distress may be associated with more long-term disability than previously acknowledged and its public health importance may be underestimated," the authors concluded.
The
TUC has said that jobs are the single biggest cause of stress that includes overwork, bullying, low job satisfaction, job insecurity, new ways of working, poor management and pace of work. Mental symptoms of stress range from sleeplessness and listlessness through to clinical depression and suicide. The physical effects range from appetite loss and nausea through to heart damage and stroke, the
TUC added.
Helpful advice for those with Mental Health issues who have a debt problem
TUC launches newsletter to raise awareness of basic employment rights
The
TUC has published the first in a series of newsletters to help vulnerable workers, and the union members who protect them in the workplace, find out more about their basic employment rights at work.
Vulnerable workers include temporary, low-paid and part-time workers. They can suffer because they do not know their rights at work, and it can be difficult to move from insecure work into better paid permanent jobs. They can struggle to get their rights enforced and often fall through gaps in employment law, which means they do not enjoy decent minimum standards at work.
Enforcing Minimum Workplace Rights and Bargaining for More is published by the
TUC's Union Modernisation Fund (UMF) Vulnerable Workers Project (VWP) and contains information for vulnerable workers and union reps about how to secure the national minimum wage (NMW), and an update on new equal treatment rights for agency workers which will apply from October 2011.
There are also some practical tips for union reps looking to engage with workers on temporary contracts.
In February, the VWP will launch a new website outlining the basic employment rights for different categories of vulnerable workers. Further information will be available about rights at work, and how union reps can use enforcement bodies to protect these rights.
TUC Deputy General Secretary
Frances O'Grady said:
'Vulnerable workers often find themselves working excessively long hours, sometimes with no contract of employment. Their work can be insecure and they are regularly paid below the minimum wage. Unions have a successful track record in stopping rogue employers from exploiting vulnerable workers. This newsletter gives union reps some practical tips to deliver support for vulnerable workers and help them secure a fair deal at work.'
European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks
Background
Through the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC and its individual directives, European Union legislation provides the framework for workers in Europe to enjoy high levels of health and safety at the workplace. Implementation of these provisions differs from one country to another and their practical application varies according to sector, category of worker and size of enterprise. The increasing importance of ‘emerging’ risks, such as stress, violence and harassment, poses a challenge for policy makers in their development of effective prevention measures.
In this context,
EU-OSHA European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) asks both managers and workers’ health and safety representatives about the way health and safety risks are managed at their workplace, with a particular focus on psychosocial risks, i.e. work related stress, violence and harassment. In spring 2009 a total of 28,649 managers and 7,226 health and safety representatives were interviewed in the 31 countries covered: the EU-27 as well as Croatia, Turkey, Switzerland and Norway.
Developed with the support of governments and social partners at European level, ESENER aims to assist workplaces across Europe to deal more effectively with health and safety and to provide policy makers with cross-nationally comparable information relevant for the design and implementation of new policies. As well as looking at management practices, ESENER explores in detail how workers are involved in the management of safety and health at work, which is an important factor in the successful implementation of preventive measures at workplace level.
Watch dodge HSE butchered, safety laws under attack
We have a safety minister who is determined to see the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) axed. A government that lops “at least” 35 per cent off
HSE’s funding. We are living and working in dangerous times. Hazards warns that if unions, sick and injured workers and bereaved relatives don’t stand up for safety, no-one else will.
Stress tops workers' safety concerns and spending cuts will make it worse
Stress, bulling and harassment, back strains, slips, trips and falls, and overwork top the list of workers' safety concerns, according to the
TUC biennial survey of safety reps published on Thursday 28 October 2010.
The 2010 survey finds that stress is by far the most common health and safety problem at work. Nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of reps say that stress is in the top five of problems faced by the workforces they represent. More than a quarter of reps (27 per cent) pick out stress as the hazard at work that most concerns them. The
TUC survey reveals that stress is most often found in the public than in the private sector - 68 per cent of public sector union reps say it is a problem compared to 54 per cent in the private sector. Stress is more prevalent in larger workplaces and is most common in London - 70 per cent of reps in the capital cite it as an issue - than in any other part of the UK.
The survey's findings on stress are revealed as
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber prepares to address the launch of the British Academy's Stress at Work report in London on Friday 29 October 2010. Stress at Work explores the impact of the recession on stress, and the potential of the impending cuts and restructuring of the public sector for increasing workplace anxieties.
Brendan Barber said: 'Stress can be caused by heavy workloads, cuts in staffing, long hours and bullying. 'The economic crisis and redundancies have created more anxiety about job security, and as the spending cuts begin to bite and even more jobs start to go, stress at work is bound to increase. Unions and employers must work together to combat stress at work as it can have a devastating impact on workers and a damaging cost on businesses.'
Other findings from the survey include:
- Bullying and harassment is this year's second most common health and safety concern. More than a third of reps (37 per cent) list it as a top five concern in the workplace - almost double the proportion (20 per cent) who cited bullying as an issue in 2008. It is more prevalent in the public sector than the private sector, and the larger the workplace, the more likely it is to be a concern. Londoners are the most likely to report bullying as one of their top five safety issues.
- Back strains constitute the third most frequently mentioned hazard, with a third (33 per cent) of reps saying this was a top five concern for their workplaces, slightly up on the 31 per cent figure in 2008.
- Slips, trips and falls is again the fourth most common hazard identified, with 32 per cent of reps regarding it as one of the top five causes for concern (33 per cent said it was in 2008).
- Overwork is listed as a separate issue to stress for the first time in the survey, and it is the fifth most likely hazard to be identified as a major concern with more than one in four (29 per cent) of safety reps listing it as one their top five issues. Overwork is slightly more common in workplaces with more than 1,000 workers and is most prevalent in London and the South East.
- The TUC is also concerned by the increase in the proportion of reps saying that asbestos is a worry in their workplace, with almost one in 10 (nine per cent) saying this compared with less than one in 20 (four per cent) in 2008.
- Another change in the findings of this year's survey is that display screen equipment (DSE) and repetitive strain injuries (RSI) present fewer concerns now than in 2008 - both were reported by 28 per cent of reps now compared to 41 and 40 per cent previously.
- There are also quite dramatic falls in the proportion of safety reps saying that psychosocial hazards like working alone (down from 30 to 21 per cent) and violence and threats (down from 26 to 18 per cent) were main hazards.
Are you still interested in Managing Stress in the Workplace?
I thought you might like early notification about an incredible offer announced by the
HSE about their fully funded 'Do Your Bit'programme. This fully funded training is designed for Line Managers and
H&S Representatives to attend together to help improve existing arrangements, and the offering has been opened up to any organisation with an
H&S Committee and systems in place (and of course issues to address).
Key subjects of interest are now available on a one-day workshop format at locations throughout the
UK mainland, examples attached. Alternatively we can run the event in-house or at a venue convenient to you; the criteria are a minimum of 10 delegates which may include other organisations in your supply chain to attend.
- Sector-specific workshops - [including construction, manufacturing, motor vehicle repair, retail, healthcare,…]
- Regional-specific workshops [sharing best practice and understanding regional influences]
- Topic-specific workshops [Covering seven key topic areas, e.g. Hand Arm Vibration (HAV), Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD), Stress Management, Conflict Resolution, Health & Wellbeing, Working at Height, Management Behaviour, Combined Risk Assessment and more…….]
For further information and to register delegates for training at a particular workshop please contact the training team directly on
Telephone (01302) 349629 or
e-mail paul.sheridan@premier-partnership.co.uk (this is not an active link)
Stressbusters target not-for-profits
Unite reps in the not-for-profit sector have embarked on a 'Stressbusters' campaign. All the union's reps in the sector are being asked to participate in a national stress survey. To sort out stress problems, the union said it 'is calling on activists to use the tools provided to bring change in your workplace. Suggestions include forming a working party with management, but even before that, once the survey has been conducted and analysed, the next step is to call a meeting with the management.' It adds: 'Even if there are policies and processes in place, it is important to review their effectiveness and upgrade action plans where necessary. A working party may be part of a negotiations and consultations committee, health and safety committee, or a new sub-group.' In September, Unite is to issue reps a new guide on work-related stress, 'which will provide the information needed to put good policies and practices in place. Unite will also run training for representatives to ensure they are equipped to lead the campaign in the workplace.'
HSE in association with a third party training provider, Premier Partnership, are offering two new heavily subsidised or free health and safety training courses to help organisations achieve the potential benefits associated with a collaborative approach to health and safety at work (lower accident rates, increased productivity, efficiency and quality). The following courses are available:
- HSE subsidised introduction to worker involvement for health and safety representatives course to help organisations get started with worker involvement where 75% funding is available, or;
- HSE funded joint training courses for managers and health and safety reps to improve existing arrangements for involving workers where 100% funding is available.
Information from the HSE
A new case study to learn from
The Blackpool Way, an initiative that helped one NHS Trust reduce work related stress by 40%
There is a nerw service that has been launched, the free
Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business which helps you to quickly and effectively address the issue of employee health, minimise the impact of staff illness, and provide essential support to staff with physical or mental health issues.
The case for Directors Duties
This briefing outlines the
TUC's case for a legal duty on directors and calls on the government to change the law to ensure that all directors are legally responsible for health and safety failings.
In 2000 the Government published its strategy on health and Safety 'Revitalising Health and Safety. One of the planks of the strategy was the need for greater corporate responsibility and a review of the role of directors. The strategy called for two things. Firstly that the
HSE develop a code of practice on Director's responsibilities and secondly that 'The Health and Safety Commission will also advise ministers on how the law would need to be changed to make these responsibilities statutory so that Directors and responsible persons of similar status are clear about what is expected of them in their management of health and safety. It is the intention of ministers, when parliamentary time allows, to introduce legislation on these responsibilities.'
Since then we have had the voluntary guidance (twice in fact) but, almost ten years after the strategy was launched, we are still awaiting the promised legislation. The Health and Safety Commission did in fact discuss the issue but were unable to reach a consensus on how to change the law. While the other plank of corporate responsibility finally because law last year nothing has happened in respect of a legal duties on directors.
The issue has not however gone away. In addition to calls for action from trade unions and victim support groups, many safety professionals and safety journals have backed the call for legislation. In July 2009 the independent inquiry into construction, chaired by Rita Donaghy, recommended 'that there should be positive duties on directors to ensure good health and safety management through a framework of planning, delivering, monitoring and reviewing'. Four days later the Work and Pensions Select Committee also called for a legal duty on directors to be introduced as soon as possible
Lone Working, a Guide for Safety Representatives
- The legal position
- Risk assessment
- Dynamic risk assessment
- Violence
- Working in remote areas
- Home working
- What can safety representatives do?
- Further information
and gives examples to help illustrate the topics.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Trauma Risk Management
The police service is a very tense, high impact service, which constantly exposes officers to high pressure situations that require spontaneous responses. The outcome from these pressures is not always obvious to the forces or the individual and can come to the fore at any time. With the ever increasing financial demands on the service, there is a need to consider and continue investment in people's health, safety and wellbeing.
The information contained
in this newly published booklet is not meant as a medical diagnostic tool, but a starting point for guidance only, for those who have been exposed to stressful or traumatic situations. It has been compiled by the Police Federation of England and Wales with the assistance of various professional organisations.
NHS LifeCheck Website
The national
NHS LifeCheck stakeholder website is now live at
www.lifecheckers.co.uk. The new website is a one-stop shop for stakeholders, providing news, resources and information to use in communications activities for all
NHS LifeCheck products.
www.lifecheckers.co.uk. contains a wide range of information, covering everything from the latest news and events through to press materials and case studies. The site also features a support section and a list of useful contacts to guide stakeholders to further help.
Updated regularly,
www.lifecheckers.co.uk. gives stakeholders the most recent and accurate information on
NHS LifeCheck products and the progress the Department of Health and its partners are making in promoting their use. So if you want to find out more information about
NHSLifeCheck; access marketing materials or toolkits; find out answers to your questions or want to showcase and share the work your team has achieved, visit
www.lifecheckers.co.uk..
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