The first best-practice guidance standard for people assessing psychosocial risk in the workplace has been issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The document is called PAS 1010 (Publicly Available Specification) Guidance on the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace.
It aims to assist assessors as they address this area of workplace health.
Experts claim that psychosocial risks at work are a major cause of stress, which is estimated to affect 40 million workers in the European Union each year, costing businesses more than £15m in lost hours.
The guidance was compiled by a steering group that included representatives of Nottingham University, the World Health Organization, the Health and Safety Executive, the PRIMA-EF consortium, the European Commission and several other European and international occupational health and safety organisations.
Dr Stavroula Leka, associate professor in occupational health psychology, University of Nottingham, said: “This is an exciting initiative in an area of crucial importance for the promotion of health and wellbeing. there is still a clear need for an official benchmark in this area.
“The PAS will assist organisations to implement best practice in the area of psychosocial risk assessment and management so that they can promote good health among their staff.”
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