Background

Legal Basis / EU Law

Conducting and documenting a psychosocial risk assessment (PRA) is mandated by European directives. Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 establishes a preventive approach by obliging employers to ensure the safety and health of workers in every aspect related to the work—already setting this preventive approach in 1989 (European Union, 2008). This directive considers psychosocial risks as well, and it emphasizes the need for employee participation in the successful prevention of risks. The European directive has been transposed into national occupational safety and health laws. The implementation of the European directive into national laws and the inclusion of psychosocial risks have progressed differently across countries. For example, Sweden included psychosocial working conditions as early as 1977, the systematic management of the working environment followed in 1993. In Portugal the assessment of psychosocial risks was implemented by law in 2009. In the MOOC we provide supplementary material about the specific national regulations in Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden.

Definitions (PRA, Risk Areas)

When conducting a PRA, it is essential to distinguish between stress and strain, as they have different meanings.

In the context of work, mental stress includes all external characteristics, influences, and requirements in the work system that affect a person’s condition (Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN), 2018). These are objective factors, they are value-free. Mental stress factors can function either as stressors or as resources.

Mental strain, on the other hand, refers to employees’ internal reaction to mental stress (DIN, 2018). These are subjective factors, depending on individual characteristics (e.g. age, abilities, talents, coping style, etc.) as well as on the intensity and duration of the stress.

The goal of the PRA is to identify potential work-related stressors, not strain. PRA focuses on the assessment of workplace characteristics. It examines whether specific work characteristics function as stressors.

Scientific Evidence

When it comes to PRA, there is a big policy-practice gap: While 80% of surveyed managers are concerned about work-related stress, less than 30% of companies have procedures in place to deal with psychosocial risks (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), 2015).

Although European law requires conducting a risk assessment, and managers are concerned about psychosocial risks, only a minority of companies have implemented procedures to deal with psychosocial risks (EU-OSHA, 2015).

These numbers clearly demonstrate the need for action. On average, about 31 working days are lost each year for every case of stress-related ill health (Institut für betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung (BGF), 2019). 42% of white-collar workers take early retirement due to work-related psychosocial disorders (EU-OSHA, 2014). Besides musculoskeletal disorders, stress-related problems at work are the most common reason for sick leave in Europe (EU-OSHA, 2012). Moreover, absences due to mental health problems last longer than for any other illnesses (EU-OSHA, 2016).

Psychosocial risks can lead to burnout or depression. And even physical illnesses like heart disease or musculoskeletal disorders have been linked to chronic work-related stress (EU-OSHA, 2018).

And this is expensive: According to a Europena study, the conservative estimate of the annual cost of work-related depression in Europe is €617 billion. Most of this cost is paid by compaies. €272 billion per year accounted for absenteeism and presenteeism, that is when people come to work even though they are sick and would be unable to work. Another €242 billion account due to the loss of productivity (EU OSHA, 2014).

Links to National & International Organizations

International/EU-wide Organizations

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)

EU-OSHA is the European Union information agency for occupational safety and health composed of representatives of three groups: representatives of the governments of the Member States, employers, and workers. As well as providing information to employers, it advises businesses on how to achieve better working conditions in a simple and effective way.

• Home page
• Psychosocial risks and mental health at work

World Health Organization (WHO) and Healthy Workplaces

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the UN agency charged with spearheading international public health efforts. Today, the WHO monitors and coordinates activities concerning many health-related issues, including genetically modified foods, climate change, tobacco and drug use, and road safety. The WHO is also an arbiter of norms and best practices.

• Occupational health
• Promoting healthy, safe and resilient workplaces for all
• Mental health at work

Psychosocial Risk Management Excellence Framework (PRIMA-EF)

The PRIMA-EF Consortium is led by the Institute of Work, Health & Organisations (University of Nottingham) and includes BAuA, ISPESL, TNO, CIOP, and FIOH. The Consortium founding members are Collaborating Centres in Occupational Health of the World Health Organization (WHO). PRIMA-EF aims at providing policy makers, employers, trade unions, experts, and employees with a comprehensive best practice framework for psychosocial risk management at the workplace. PRIMA-EF is part of the World Health Organization’s Healthy Workplaces Framework.

• Home page

International Labour Organization (ILO)

ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.

• Safety and health at work

National Organizations

Germany

• Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA)
• Die Gemeinsame Deutsche Arbeitsschutzstrategie (GDA)
• Die Gemeinsame Deutsche Arbeitsschutzstrategie (GDA) - Arbeitsprogramm Psyche
• Initiative Neue Qualität der Arbeit (INQA)
• Psychische Gesundheit in der Arbeitswelt (psyGA)
• Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung e.V. (DGUV)

Spain

• Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST)
• Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST). Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social
• Comisión Europea. Unión Europea de la Salud
• Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT)
• [Red Española de Empresas Saludables](https://www.insst.es/materias/transversales/promocion-de-la-salud/red-espanola-de- empresas-saludables)

Portugal

• ACT - Autoridade para as condições do Trabalho - Ministério do Trabalho e Solidariedade
• Direção Geral da Saúde
• Agência Europeia para a Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho – OSHA - EU

Romania

• Agenția Europeană pentru Securitate și Sănătate în Muncă (EU-OSHA)
• Inspecția muncii
• Institutul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Protecția Muncii

Sweden

• Arbetsmiljöverket
• Myndigheten för arbetsmi l jökunskap (MYNAK)
• AFA Försäkring
• Försäkringskassan

Further Readings

• van Stolk, C., Staetsky, L., Hassan, E., & Kim, C. W. (2012). ESENER. European risk observatory report. Bilbao: EU-OSHA.
• Irastorza, X., Milczarek, M., Cockburn, W. (2016). ESENER-2. Overview Report: Managing Safety and Health at Work. Bilbao: EU-OSHA.
• Hassard, J., Teoh, K., Cox, T., Dewe, P., Cosmar, M., Gründler, R., Flemming, D., Cosemans, B., & Van den Broek, K. (2014). Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks. Bilbao: EU-OSHA.
• Cox, T., Griffiths, A., & Rial-Gonzales, E. (2000). Research on work-related stress. Luxembourg: European agency for safety and health at work.
• Beck, D., Berger, S., Breutmann, N., Fergen, A., Gregersen, S., Morschhäuser, M., Reddehase, B., Ruck, Y. R., Sandrock, S., Splittgerber, B. & Theiler, A. (2014). Occupational Safety and Health in Practice. Recommendations for implementing psychosocial risk assessment. Berlin: Management of the GDA Mental Health Working Programme.
• Nielsen, K. Birk Jørgensen, M. & Milczarek, M. (2018). Healthy workers, thriving companies – a practical guide to wellbeing at work. Bilbao: EU-OSHA.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (2015). Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards 2014-2015. Bilbao: EU-OSHA.

References

• Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V. (DIN). (2018). Ergonomische Grundlagen bezüglich psychischer Arbeitsbelastung – Teil 1: Allgemeine Aspekte und Konzepte und Begriffe (ISO 10075-1:2017); Deutsche Fassung EN ISO 10075-1:2017. Beuth Verlag.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2012). Management of psychosocial risks at work: An analysis of the findings of the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER). Publications Office of the European Union.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2014). Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks. Publications Office of the European Union.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2015). Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards 2014–2015. Managing stress and psychosocial risks at work. Publications Office of the European Union.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2016). Second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2). Overview Report: Managing Safety and Health at Work. Publications Office of the European Union.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2018). Healthy workers, thriving companies - a practical guide to wellbeing at work. Tackling psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal disorders in small businesses. Publications Office of the European Union.
• European Union. (2006). Consolidated text: Council Directive of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work (89/391/EEC). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1989/391/oj/eng
• Institut für betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung (BGF). (2019). Psychische Erkrankungen. Auswertung von Arbeitsunfähigkeitsdaten der AOK-versicherten Beschäftigten im Rheinland und in Hamburg. KomPart Verlagsgesellschaft.
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