One in four reports work-related stress

One in four European workers complains of work-related stress, a phenomenon that accounts for between 50 and 60 per cent of sick leave.

Occupational Health and Safety Authority CEO Mark Gauci said work-related stress was the second most common health problem after back pain.

Addressing a half-day seminar organised by the General Workers' Union on work-related stress as an emerging risk at the workplace, Dr Gauci said that, if managed well, stress could possibly help a person be in a better position to face the next problem that came along.

However, work-related stress is always considered to be harmful because the physical and emotional consequences usually occur due to a mismatch between the job requirements and the person's capabilities and the resources available at the place of work. He explained how stress at the workplace was very subjective, as what was considered to be stressful for some employees may not be so to others.

There is little recognition of factors causing stress at work. While some workplaces implement stress policies as part of the wider health and safety policies, others have not yet carried out such risk assessments. Such stress policies are specific measures based on identified stress factors.

Reacting to comments that there was little supervision from authorities to ensure workplaces were dealing with workers' stress levels with proper measures, Dr Gauci said the OHSA inspected 2,500 workplaces a year. He said, however, that employers were ultimately responsible for ensuring stress factors were dealt with appropriately.

Addressing the seminar, Health Minister Joe Cassar said the Lisbon Agenda stressed the importance of protection for workers and proper working conditions. He said safeguarding workers' health would lead to an increase in productivity, innovation and economic growth.

Dr Cassar said the government could come up with measures to improve working environments but this was not the exclusive responsibility of the state. The employers, workers, their representatives and the OHSA were also responsible for this, he said.