Stress in the workplace to rise, say 8 out of 10 in major pan-European opinion poll

April 3, 2012 - PRLog -- The survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), measured the opinions of over 35,000 members of the general public in 36 European countries on contemporary workplace issues including job-related stress, and the importance of occupational safety and health for economic competitiveness and in the context of longer working lives.

Eight in ten of the working population across Europe think that the number of people suffering from job-related stress over the next five years will increase (80%), with as many as 52% expecting this to ‘increase a lot’. This echoes the findings of EU-OSHA’s ESENER survey on new and emerging workplace risks which found that 79% of managers think that stress is an issue in their companies, making stress at work as important as workplace accidents for companies.

Work-related stress is one of the biggest health and safety challenges faced in Europe, representing a huge cost in terms of human distress and economic performance. The poll additionally found that the large majority of Europeans (86%) agree that following good occupational safety and health practices is necessary for a country’s economic competitiveness, with 56% strongly agreeing. Views are similar among workers and those who do not work (86% and 85% agree respectively).

“The financial crisis and the changing world of work is making increased demands on workers, therefore it is unsurprising that work-related stress is at the forefront of people’s minds,” says Dr Christa Sedlatschek, Director of EU-OSHA. “Regardless of age, gender and organisation size an overwhelming majority of people believe that work-related stress will rise. Nonetheless there are interesting national variations in those who expect job-related stress to ‘increase a lot’, with Norwegians least worried (16%), for instance, and Greeks most worried about rising stress (83% ‘increase a lot’). Tackling psychosocial risks is a major focus of EU-OSHA’s work to improve the lives of workers across Europe.”

Through the sustained efforts of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority in Malta, much progress in relation to health and safety at the place of work, has been achieved over the past years and more progress is expected for the years to come.

No one doubts the heightened awareness concerning the need of having suitable and adequate levels of protection at all workplaces in Malta. There is an ever-growing body of information and guidance that is readily and freely available to anyone who requires it. In fact, when analyzing the survey it shows that those who are much more aware of the health and safety regulations at the place of work have increased from 14% in 2009 to 26% in 2011, an increase of 12% which is very much encouraging and which justifies why Malta continues to register improvements in all measures of progress, as evidenced by the sustained downward trends in occupational injury and fatal accidents at work figures.

Another important aspect which comes out of this survey is that the sharing of ideas and consultation between workers, their representatives, and the management, improve safety and health for all. This survey shows that workers are much more confident that their employers take good consideration of all suggestions from their part to make workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. In fact, more than 60% of those interviewed showed their confidence that any problem regarding their health and safety at the place of work is addressed by their employers.

Non-compliance of preventive measures and rules determined by Health and Safety regulations represents a huge cost in terms of both human distress and impaired economic performance. In this survey more than 80% of those who were interviewed agreed that, in order to remain economically competitive with other European member states, Malta has to adopt and follow good practices related to Health and Safety regulations.

Finally, in the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, the poll found that 87% of the general public across Europe believe that good occupational health and safety practices are important to help people work for longer before they retire (including 56% who say they are ‘very important’). A recent Eurobarometer survey shows that many Europeans are ready for active ageing but their current occupational safety and health conditions might not allow them to continue working to an older age. Although the typical pensionable age is 65 years across Europe, the average exit age from the labour force in 2009 was about 61.5 years according to Eurostat. In the Eurobarometer survey, four in ten (42%) Europeans believe that they will be capable of doing the work they are currently doing until the age of 65 or beyond, while 17% expect that they will not be able to carry on in their current job past the age of 59. EU-OSHA is actively involved in the promotion of the European Year for Active Ageing 2012 to reinforce the need for good occupational safety and health at all stages of working life.

The full results of the pan-European poll can be found at http://osha.europa.eu/en/safety-health-in-figures/index_h...

Comprehensive press kit containing EU results, country summaries and methodology: http://osha.europa.eu/en/safety-health-in-figures/eu-poll...

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