Stress in the Work Place and How to Tackle It

Most average SME’s do not have Human Resource Departments or specifically designed training for managers that tackle stress in the workplace.

SME’s that are still trading and making good profit in the new globalized world especially during these economic hard-times should be congratulated and please do not think we are not trying to take anything away from the effort taken to prosper at this time.

During the last twenty something years the world has been changing at a pace that many of us don’t know how to keep up with… Every essential part of our lives is so different than it used to be not too long ago such as family life, work, even shopping and relationships. More and more often the individual feels lost in a world lead by pure numbers, profits, global interests, banks bailed out with taxpayer’ money, strong economic recession etc.

So how does one deal with work-related stress when having responsibilities in a small or medium sized business?

Stress in the Work Place and How to Tackle It

Without taking into account all the shiny named departments, professionals and resources of the multinational giants, a SME has as much legal obligation in dealing with work-related stress and employee’ wellbeing as a big company. Ensuring employees are not subject to stress is an employers responsibility not only under health and safety regulations (HSWA 1974, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999), but also other laws such as Employers’ Liability Act 1969, the Public Order Act 1986, etc. Having effective policies and procedures such as including stress and mental health issues in your Health and Safety Policy is also a legal requirement.

Duty holders of SME’s are becoming more and more aware of these responsibilities. Especially because many are starting to realize that a happy workforce and well organized work processes are essential for surviving and expanding during the present economic downturn. A recent study of Zurich Insurance conducted among 500 SME’ decision-makers have shown that 42% of them realized that stress was having a negative impact in their businesses and expressed a desire to tackle the problem. 25% have serious worries about the deterioration of employee’ work morale and the high costing stress-related absences, especially during the last two years. The study also highlighted that a high percentage of employers feel stressed and pressured.

During the worse period of the recession 2008-11, many SME’s had to take radical cost-cutting actions, which automatically had translated into overloaded workforce and exasperation.

So how would you know where to start and how big of a problem there is in your SME?

1. The law recommends treating the work-related stress problem as any other work risk. Using continuous and regular risk assessments are essential and will help you recognize to what extent stress is affecting your organization.

2. Make sure all employees know exactly what their obligations are, starting with the initial training, conducting regular performance reviews, setting clear objectives and targets. Having a written job description for each employee and highlighting their particular responsibilities proves to be an excellent tool to reduce stress.

3. Every change means and leads to more spending more and is a major cause of work-related stress. Planning ahead and informing your workforce about future organizational or structural changes is always helpful to avoid stress.

4. Try to involve employees in the decision-making process. Let them feel free to express their suggestions and worries. Not only will this control stress levels, but it is also proven to be beneficial for reducing costs. Managers need to be supportive and sympathetic.

5. Invest in training as much as you can afford. It makes staff more involved and more compromised with the company, apart from making them feel more secure it helps them receive a personal benefit from the job.

6. Good, fluent communication is also essential.

And remember that work-related stress does not necessarily occur in specific industries or only in people who have major responsibilities in their job. It is the silent, fast growing and expanding disease of the whole of our society.

None of us can ignore it.

Stress in the Work Place and How to Tackle It was written by our top health and safety consultant in Manchester

Is Health and Safety an Impossible Mission?

Qualifications in Health and Safety

There has been a long standing dispute in many industries that an experienced person with years of practical work in a particular field is more competent than someone with little to no experience but does however hold a formal qualification in that same field?

Obviously this could be argued in different ways depending on what field or profession we are talking about.  For example a person with 10 years experience in glassblowing is bound to be more practically adept than a student who has just taken a written exam on glassblowing; where as a fresh graduate of accounting may well be as proficient as a 10 year veteran accountant with no such qualification. These are obviously extreme cases but it highlights the point we are trying to make nicely.

Qualifications in Health and Safety

So when a run of the mill type business receives a PQQ (Pre Qualification Questionnaire) and comes to the dreaded question “What Qualifications in Health and Safety do the Managers Hold?”

A lot of companies get stumped here and start to panic if no Qualifications in Health and Safety are held while others just answer as follows: “We have been completing and managing this type of work safely for xx years thus giving us the qualification of grandfather rights.”

Is this a suitable answer and will it satisfy the auditor of your PQQ? Again unfortunately there is no easy answer and it depends on many variables such as; the type of service you provide (high, low risk), years experience, past track record, accidents and so-on. The problem is if your application is declined you will not always be informed and you could be losing contracts to your competitors for this very reason without even being aware of it.

So what can be done? Well no matter how many years experience you have it is always better to make yourself or a member of management aware of current health and safety regulations. A good example is driving, if you took your driving test and behaved the way you drive everyday in front of the instructor do you think you would pass?

There may have been bad habits adopted over the years and regulations being breached that you do not even realise because you have been working the same way for so many years.

So the next step may be to employ a health and safety advisor to come and help as legal requirements enforce companies to receive competent health and safety advice. However the other thing to remember is that all health and safety advisors do not suite all jobs for example we took a student through a practical health and safety audit of an engineering workshop for part of a Nebosh course, when the student was asked if the Lathe was safe the reply “what is a Lathe” was given. Now this student passed the whole course with ease but without experience and knowledge about what a Lathe is this person would not be the correct choice for giving health and safety advice to an engineering workshop.

So in conclusion a mix of experience and some formal education or advice is always the best answer and you may just find those PQQ’s are easier to answer and may even win you more business.

Qualifications in Health and Safety

Health and Safety for the Self Employed

During the last year significant changes have been made to health and safety legislation. Most of the recommendations of the Lofsted review have been implemented or are on track. The main idea behind most of the changes was to get rid of issues such as over compliance, too many unnecessary regulations, and too much paperwork but mostly to reduce the “where there’s blame there’s a claim” suing culture revolving around health and safety.

There is however still a significant amount of work to be done and the most difficult thing to change is people’s minds and ideas about health and safety culture. The government, regulators and institutions have always used there own risk and evidence based health and safety systems and are now going to get more involved with European regulations as well. This will obviously make our working lives safer.

There are many situations we encounter as safety advisors, when the only one to blame when an accident had happened is the big bad bear or employer. Authorities and employees in most cases are tending to blame management and bosses and ultimately those are the ones paying all the costs.

Under health and safety legislations, an employer is reasonably responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the employees. The duties under safety law of the employer includes the responsibility to make the work premises safe, raise awareness and clearly inform the workers of their exact obligations, provide the necessary safety training, give enough opportunities for the workforce to communicate their safety concerns.

The employee’s responsibilities include the obligation to be able to take care of themselves and other people affected by their work activity, co-operate at all times and comply with managements requirements on health and safety and not to interfere with any materials or recommendations provided to maintain their health, safety and welfare. If an employee feels exposed to safety risks or considers that the employer is not complying with its legal duties a legal complain should be made to the relevant authority.

Currently the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places general duties on everyone who is “at work” and this includes the self-employed. When assessing the duties and responsibilities of a self-employed person is not always straightforward. Depending on the industry the health and safety for the self-employed are working in, he or she could act in different occasions as an employer or as an employee and sometimes regulations apply for both at the same time.

Health and Safety for the Self Employed

The consultation conducted by the HSE between August and October last year has been based on the recommendations of the Lofsted review to relax regulations and duties for those self-employed whose work activities don’t pose a potential risk of harm to others, those not working in high-risk industries like office-related activities. The aim is to avoid the existing confusion in the law and clarify the obligations in the different business activities of self-employed. Any resulting changes should take effect along 2013.

Having a high standard of safety culture among management, workforce and the self-employed is not always an easy task. Developing and promoting such a standard saves lives and money. Hopefully the process of eliminating the extensive safety red tape will continue to save lives while in the meantime will ease the lives of business.

Health and Safety for the Self Employed was written by out health and safety consultants Lincoln

Alcohol at work

Let’s face the truth- occasional drinking is part of our culture. We all know how to enjoy few pints at the pub with friends responsibly and yet the bombardment of information about the risks that alcohol involves is continuous. And let’s not talk about continual alcohol price increases.

When the risks of drinking too much alcohol are mentioned many people may picture an alcoholic not able to walk, screaming and behaving inappropriately. The biggest problems of drinking however are well hidden and despite the mini “prohibition” regime we live in, when stressed most people are more likely to turn to alcohol rather than their GP, friends or family.

Recent research by the Mental Health Foundation revealed that half of participating adults feel stressed every day, with a quarter saying every few days. Over 59% of people confirmed that their lives are more stressed now than five years ago with money (26%) and work problems (28%) being in between the top causes of stress and anxiety. This is understandable bearing in mind the hard economic times we all have to deal with.

The consequences of turning alcohol into a kind of therapy against stress and hard times are well known. Social costs, increased crime, civil disorder, ill health (this last one involving strong NHS spending costs for treating alcohol related diseases) and costs for employers are rising too as it increases sickness absences, inability to work (unemployment and early retirement), premature deaths and so-on.

Society needs to tackle this problem seriously with families and employers being among the first that should intervene instead of waiting for people’s distress to become a disease leaving the health services to deal with what may be too late.

The average SME’s managers very rarely have to deal with an alcoholic, but with an employee showing incapacity to organize themselves correctly; poor time keeping and low production rates all of a sudden should be an early indicator that something is a miss and could be to do with the affects of alcohol at work.

Try and investigate what may be causing this out of the ordinary behavior before making a decision that it is alcohol at work and if so what action to take for tackling the problem.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 the employer is reasonably responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the employees. An employer could be prosecuted if he or she allows an employee under the influence of alcohol at work or other substances to perform a job. The law presumes that this would be a significant risk for everybody involved in the work in progress and an employer could be liable if an accident happens. Virtually any job could be a risk, when it comes to alcohol at work but special care should be taken in activities such as operating heavy machinery, driving, working at heights or working with chemicals.

What can we do about alcohol at work?

Screening employees for alcohol is a sensitive issue. Many companies especially from high risk industries are introducing such screenings on a random or regular basis

To be 100% sure nobody turns up to work with elevated or dangerous levels of alcohol in their bloodstream, an employer should test regularly. However be careful with such screenings because they could undermine the spirit, respect and trust with your employees.

In any case written consent and/ or change of the terms and conditions of the employee’ contract should be in place before any tests are conducted. If an employer tries to force a screening the employee has the right to resign and claim “constructive dismissal” as well as other legal implications.

An honest talk with the employee should be the first step regarding alcohol at work and could be the solution; it also gives you the right idea of how serious any potential problems are.

Be mindful that an employee with a drinking problem has the same right to confidentiality and support as somebody with medical or psychological condition.

In any case dismissal and disciplinary actions should be the last resort, especially because a court might find the dismissal unfair if the employer is not able to demonstrate that enough good-will action has been taken to resolve the problem.

Also the cost of recruiting and training new employees could be higher than keeping an existing one rather than giving a helping friendly hand.

I hope this has given some insight into one of the unspoken problems of alcohol at work that many businesses and individuals face on a daily basis.

For more information on this or any health and safety related issue please do not hesitate to get in touch with our health and safety consultants

alcohol at work

Hazards in the workplace

It is a well known fact that construction, manufacturing and agriculture are among the group of high risk industries. May-be not as much as the offshore, nuclear or the military but the first three give employment to a bigger percentage of the working population.

The most common hazards in the workplace are those provoked by falling from heights, Hand- Arm Vibration related, diseases and slips and trips. However, it is hard to believe that there is still very little attention given to cancer related occupational diseases.

A recent study “The burden of occupational cancer in Great Britain” (2012, conducted by Dr Lesley Rushton) has concluded that every year around 5% of all cancer deaths and 13,600 new cancer cases are caused by work related risks. Unbelievably, the plague of the last centuries is still underestimated at the workplace…

Hazards in the workplace

Research has identified that the construction industry is one of the industries where the exposure to cancer hazards is the biggest. This is mainly due to the fact that 7% of the country’s working force is employed in construction businesses. Half of the work- related cancer deaths are among male workers who are highly likely to be exposed to asbestos or other carcinogens such as silica and diesel engine fumes.

According to the study, after asbestos, the most cancer- hazardous activities are: the service industry where working night-shifts is common, especially linked to female breast cancer; mineral oils in the metal and printing industries, representing high percentages of bladder, lung and non-melanoma skin cancers; agriculture and construction where the sun exposure of workers is considerable and provoking skin cancers.

The tendency is that those numbers and cases are going to rise as they have been doing since 2004 when the gathering of data about the issue started. What the study is trying to and clearly does, is to demonstrate that there certainly is a direct logical connection between our jobs and the risk of developing cancer at some point in our lives.

Also at present the best cure that we have against cancer is its prevention. So while new recommendations and measures are still to be developed and introduced, the best employers and employees can do is to comply with the existing ones.

This is very important particularly for small businesses and self-employed workers. Rising awareness among them to conduct regular risk assessments of potentially dangerous activities and taking simple measures such as water suppression of dust, improved ventilation, regular maintenance of machinery, use of appropriate PPE (Personnel Protective Equipment), reduction of night- shifts where possible, regular use of high factor sunscreen protection etc., could be beneficial for everybody. (I know that this last one would be quiet difficult to comply with, especially among construction workers. The popular “macho-man” attitude in this case should be changed.)

Once again, with risk to repeat ourselves – health and safety regulations do save lives.

And not to forget that here we are talking about simple measures which can help to prevent the big C… May be its worth re-thinking our attitude. Change almost always starts from the inside.

Hazards in the workplace

Remember that you do not necessarily have to be working in a nuclear power station to develop serious health disease due to work hazards. This is an on- going battle against a powerful plague which is predicted to rise “in 2027 50 out of every 100 men are likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 44 out of every 100 women. Or one in every two people”…(Cancer Research UK statistics)

Hazards in the workplace was written by one of our top health and safety consultant Derby

tiredness at work

Fatigue, tiredness and related hazards normally arise from excessive working hours or poorly managed work shifts. This hazard (which is seldom considered) has become more of an issue in recent years as many businesses are forced to reduce staff and overload existing employees with extra shifts due to hard economic times.

Overloading staff with work and long hours could lead to serious consequences including reduced productivity, general unhappiness, inducing and/or worsening of pre-existing health conditions and of course accidents.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations1999 along with the relevant Amendments between 2001 and 2009 and to a certain extend the European Directive of Working Time Regulations 1998 should be complied with when managing the risks of fatigue it the workplace.

Tiredness at work

Duty holders should be aware of relevant legislation including, maximum working hours, night work, rest breaks, young workers and holidays etc when preparing shifts and conducting risk assessments.

1. Weekly working limit for adult workers.

Essentially under health and safety law workers don’t have to work over 48 hours per week including overtime hours. But if desired there is a possibility to work up to 78 hours per week (The law recommends 90 hours of rest per week). In certain cases an opt-outs is necessary that is an additional written agreement between the employee and the company to be signed in which the employee would express her/his acceptance of such an arrangement. There are certain professions where exclusions apply such as young doctors, overseas and offshore staff. The opt-out can be for a limited period or could apply indefinitely. The employer has to keep a record of every employee who has signed an opt-out, but there is no need to record the exact hours.

2. Weekly working limit for young workers.

There are 8 hours per day or a maximum of 40 hours per week. There is no possibility for a young worker to sign an opt-out (However certain exclusions are contemplated by the regulations, if that happens an absolute maximum of 48  hours per week applies). A young worker is defined as a worker who is between 15 and 18 years old.

3. Night-time working.

A night-time worker is somebody who works at least three hours during night time for the majority of days of work. A maximum of 8 hours of work in 24 hours period apply for adult workers. This is an absolute limit, especially when significant hazards such as physical or mental strain are presented.

Young workers should not be working during the restricted period of 10pm- 6am, although some exclusion apply if all three of these conditions are in place:

- Their employer requires them for the successful continuation of the job, production design or in order to respond to high demand

- No adult worker is available

- Performing the job would not affect the young worker’s education or training

Such exclusions usually occur to young workers employed in hospitals, venues dedicated to cultural, artistic, sporting or advertising activities. In those cases the maximum of 8 hours for each 24 hours applies as with adult employees. In very few cases youngsters who are employed in agriculture, retail, postal or newspaper deliveries, catering, hotels pubs, bakeries, etc. could perform a night shift between midnight and 4 am.

What a company would have to do to comply with the legislation is a personal business. How management will address desires for more overtime working hours of employees is also difficult to predict. There are going to be, of course opposite situations when directors and managers would try an incentive to motivate people to work overtime if there is a big demand of products and services…

General tiredness and fatigue are not between the top risks which a safety inspector would look specifically for on a site visit. Traditionally it is a poorly- addressed hazard, or not often considered as a hazard by everybody.

The truth is that in the long term it could undermine any business. It usually leads to long sick absences, unhappy workforce, jobs half- done and even according to some recent studies stress and depression. Successful companies usually admit that their biggest asset is their people and they need to be properly looked after.

A good tool to determine if over-time or the introduction of new shifts is the best solution for higher demand is regular risk assessments. Sometimes the correct solution could be simply hiring more staff for the busiest periods instead of overloading the existing workforce.

It is practical that employees working long hours should have long break periods after. Keeping rotation and shifts predictable, flexible and in accordance with public transport and commuting is essential.

Good organization saves time. And…what is time in the business world?

Well,….you know the rest…

Keep save.

Tiredness at work was wriiten by one of out top health and safety consultants Leicester

In October the introduction of the first Fees for Intervention (FFI) invoices are going to be issued shortly for companies which have been found to be in material breach with health and safety legislation.

FFI First Fees for Intervention advice

The cost- recovery scheme is planned to charge £124 per hour for the HSE inspectors’ visits. Invoices would be charged every two months (January, March, May, July, September and November) as safety inspections could last for months or even years. They should contain detailed information about the time spent by the inspectors on site and what exactly they have been doing. VAT is not payable on FFI.

When FFI are charged, the inspector has to issue a written notice (a contravention, an improvement or prohibition) to the duty holder explaining the exact breach with the law, which law has been breached and why the inspection has concluded so.

The way inspectors reach their decisions remains unchanged, as they will continue to be based upon the Enforcement Management Model and Enforcement Policy Statement. There are no new tests or new ways of inspection contemplated to be introduced.

Simple compliance with health and safety rules should be enough to keep you away from a big fine and a Fee for Intervention charge. Although it is not always that simple and knowing what the law expects you to do is essential.

Whenever a duty holder or manager is unsure of the correct procedures that are expected from them it is important to ask for advice. Complying with safety procedures appears to be considerably cheaper than paying fees and fines.

FFI First Fees for Intervention advice

Issues like training, appointed responsible safety person, the correct way to put safety signs around the office or site and general tidiness are basic and really important if you are lucky enough to be paid a visit. Apart from those there are some others inspectors’ favorite “hot” issues they are most likely to look for.

- Poorly maintained or misused ladders. Almost a fifth of all falls from height at the workplace are falls from ladders and some of them unfortunately fatal. Employers and managers have the responsibility to raise awareness, train and as in many safety situations even prevent human nature and carefulness. You should remember that a ladder is not always the right tool to do a job and if it is it has to be maintained in the best possible condition. Regular internal reviews of the equipment could save you some money.

- Dangerous work at height. . Still to date one in every twelve workplace injuries is involving falls from height, so businesses are expected to comply with the legislation when working at height. Just paying attention to something like a missing handrail on a section of a scaffold tower would save you from a fine. Protection equipment such as safety nets, edge protection, harnesses etc. is what inspections would be happy to find.

- Badly- organized workplace transport. When transporting, loading and heavy machinery operating in general is inspected the attitude of inspectors will be focusing on previous incidents and training. Many incidents involving operating heavy machinery in factories, warehouses and depots result in serious injuries or dead (1500 major injuries and 50 deaths were reported last year). Improper, lack of training, bad organization of loading areas and general untidiness being among the most common reasons for accidents.

- Asbestos. Inspections will focus on correct and on- time reporting of asbestos exposure. Also correct timekeeping and procedures to remove existing asbestos fibres from buildings will be a way to avoid FFI. Appropriate training has to be taken before working with asbestos and/ or subcontracting specially licensed companies in specific cases when hazards are too high.

- Toxic paint vapours. The exposure to toxic fumes such as isocyanates is found mainly in motor-vehicle repair shops and garages and is contained in certain vehicles paint. When used incorrectly produces asthma and aggravates existing conditions. Pretty easy solution for such a hazard is a good ventilation system and suitable PPE.

- Vibrating power tools. A strict compliance with the law would be expected and looked for in such inspections. Too severe are the conditions which could be a direct consequence of operating vibrating power tools and hand fed and guided machinery. Correct training and compliance with the permitted hours of exposure and use of such tools would be essential to avoid problems.(Control of Vibration at Work Regulations  2005)

FFI First Fees for Intervention advice

This article was compiled by one of our top health and safety consultants in Birmingham