Seminar on work-related stress

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority in collaboration with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work recently organised a half day seminar on work-related stress at the Dolmen Resort Hotel, Qawra, as part of the activities of the European Health and Safety Week.

The keynote speaker during this seminar was Rial Gonzales who heads the Prevention and Research Unit of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Representatives of unions and employers delivered speeches on their respective roles in implementing the framework agreement on stress at the place of work.

Managing stress well can help a person to handle better the next encounter, but if poorly managed, stress can lead to physical and further psychological health problems. Work-related stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the job requirements do not match the capabilities, resources or needs of the worker.

A person’s reaction depends on how he perceives the event – what is considered stressful by one person might not be so considered by another. Many factors influence one’s perception of events such as attitudes, skills, personality, current situation, other events or other people in one’s life.

Nowadays it has been recognised that work-related stress is the second commonest cause of work-health related health problems after back pain. Up to 25 per cent of workers across Europe complain of stress at work, while 50 per cent to 60 per cent of all working days lost are due to stress.