Guidance standard covers stress

Stress is one of the most common problems of the modern workplace, affecting the mental and physical wellbeing of more than 40 million workers in the European Union each year, with costs to business being estimated at €20million.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published PAS 1010 Guidance on the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace which will help assessors address this area of workplace health.

An organisation should manage its psychosocial risks, as much as its organisational culture and employee relations, to ensure that it is taking action to protect itself from poor performance and from being sued.

Psychosocial risk is covered by the European Council Directive 89/391/EEC, which stipulates the assessment and management of all types of risks to workers' health as the employers' responsibility.