1st November 2008
STRESS AND OVERWORK TOP SAFETY CONCERNS
Donna Hutton, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Clwyd West constituency (including Colwyn Bay, Abergele and Ruthin), has urged local unions and employers to work together to reduce stress at work.
Stress or overwork tops the list of Welsh workers’ safety concerns, according to the TUC’s biennial survey of safety reps published on Monday (27th October 2008).
Nearly three in five safety reps in Wales (57 per cent) reported stress or overwork as a concern in their workplace. Problems with computers and Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) were the next two biggest problems, followed by slips & trips then back strains.
Donna Hutton said:
“Stress can be de-motivating and unhappiness at work can spoil the rest of your life, too. Modern life does carry with it some stress, but when this gets out of hand it can even lead to the break-up of families or other social problems, and ruin lives.
“As people find they cannot cope, this can lower productivity levels, increase sick absences and end up costing businesses dearly, as well. Happy workforces are also much more productive!
“Stress affects the lives of far too many people in this constituency. And as the “experts” tell us we are heading into recession, making people worry about job security, this will only increase stress.
“Unfortunately, the findings of the TUC survey show Wales compares badly with the rest of the United Kingdom. The most common reason given was excessive workloads, and long hours are also a bigger problem in Wales than elsewhere.
“I hope our unions and employers can find ways to work together to combat this as it can have a huge personal cost to workers and a damaging financial cost to businesses.”
ENDS.
Further information
Top ten hazards of concern to workers in Britain, as cited by safety reps (per cent):
|
Hazard |
|
2008 |
|
2006 |
|
2004 |
|
Overwork or stress |
|
60 |
|
61 |
|
58 |
|
Display screen equipment |
|
41 |
|
36 |
|
32 |
|
Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) |
|
40 |
|
38 |
|
40 |
|
Slips, trips, falls on a level |
|
33 |
|
27 |
|
28 |
|
Back strains |
|
31 |
|
28 |
|
35 |
|
Working alone |
|
30 |
|
27 |
|
27 |
|
Violence and threats |
|
26 |
|
25 |
|
22 |
|
Long hours culture |
|
23 |
|
24 |
|
25 |
|
High temperatures |
|
20 |
|
26 |
|
19 |
|
Bullying |
|
20 |
|
15 |
|
12 |
More information about the TUC biennial Health and Safety survey can be found at the TUC website.