Since their introduction, fire alarms have saved countless lives and remain a necessity in every household and workplace. This is perfectly fine for the majority of users but sound based alert systems don’t work for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is for this reason that many organisations are trying to create awareness for this issue and educate people on fire alarm systems which have been specifically designed for those who are hearing impaired.

The way in which designers have approached the production of fire alarm systems for deaf individuals is to create devices which work with other senses.

Visual

Many fire alarm systems utilise a mixture of the auditory alarm along with strobing lights for those with hearing problems. This approach can be incredibly successful in a variety of situations but becomes problematic when individuals are sleeping. This is because flashing lights are unlikely to wake a person and therefore alert them to the emergency. With this in mind, these types of alarms can face problems within the home as well as in establishments such as hotels.

This limitation has inspired companies to create a system which works around this issue.

Haptic

Companies such as Fireco and Ei Electronics have created pads which vibrate when a fire alarm goes off. These pads are placed under the person’s pillow and wakes them in the event of an alarm. Both companies take different approaches to this device. The Ei175 from Ei Electronics is connected with the fire alarm and can be linked up with strobe lights for a multi-functional approach. Fireco’s Deafgard is different in that it is completely portable and is activated when it ‘hears’ the alarm and this triggers the vibration. Both devices have their corresponding strengths, allowing customers to choose the right one for them.

Auditory

Individuals who suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss can still benefit from auditory alarms but specific considerations should be made. Such individuals may not be awoken by standard alarms but some companies have worked around this by designing detectors which emit a loud, low-frequency sound. Research has found that lower frequency alarms are much more likely to wake a person with moderate hearing impairment.

Emergency Services

Another issue which affects many deaf people is how to contact the emergency services in the event of a fire. Fortunately, a system has been put in place for this very scenario. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can register their phones with the emergency services and this allows them to text for assistance. Registration is quick and easy:

1. Send a text with the word Register to 999.
2. You will receive a text message with more information on the service.
3. Read the message and reply with Yes.
4. They will send another message which confirms that you have been successfully registered to the system.

The outbreak of fire can be terrifying, even more so for those who have lost their sense of hearing but there is help out there.

If you’re setting up a new business, or have recently already done so, then health and safety may be the last thing on your mind. Lets face it, there are plenty of more interesting things to think about like branding, promotions and kitting out your premises.  But, by not giving it the priority it needs your venture could be over before it’s even had a chance. Unfortunately for small businesses, which are in a particularly precarious position, personal injury claims can not only be financially crippling, but also have the potential to destroy you and your business’ reputation.

Every business, no matter how small, has a legal responsibility for keeping a safe working environment for its employees and also for the safety of any member of the general public who may be visiting the premises. That means anyone who sustains an injury can press charges if your business is found to be at fault and has neglected its health and safety responsibilities.

As you can see keeping abreast of health and safety regulations and maintaining a robust and easy to manage Health & Safety system is essential and should be the foundations of everything you do. When approached in the right way and actioned regularly it isn’t as daunting as it first seems.

The routine execution of risk assessments is one of the most important things you should do from day one. This involves inspecting your premises to identify any potential hazards. It may be the most time consuming activity as you need to consider everything and anything that poses a threat of injury, but once a detailed list has been made you then have a good framework to work from. Once you have complete your first risk assessment you will then need to implement measures to control the identified risks.

There are some great case studies on the Health & Safety Executive website where you can see sample risk assessments from a variety of different small and medium sized businesses. Risk assessments then needs to be executed regularly and it is important to document your findings as well as any actions taken as a result.

Aside from risk assessments there are also other legal responsibilities you have:

• To display the current Health & Safety Law Poster which can be obtained from the HSE
• For businesses of more than five employees you must write a Health & Safety Policy, templates of which can be found on the HSE website here
• To ensure your employees are in receipt of health & safety training and documentation educating them on your Health & Safety Policy and how to carry out their jobs safely. You must also update them should any changes occur
• To keep an accident book and ensure all accidents are reported.  It is also your responsibility to provide immediate medical attention for any illness or injury that occurs at work. You will need a well-stocked first aid box and ideally an appointed first aider who has received first-aid training from an approved organisation
• To provide workplace facilities for your employees. A full list of these can be found here on the HSE website but includes Welfare Facilities – such as toilets, basins and soap, Health Issues – such as maintaining a reasonable working temperature, waste receptacles, adequate lighting and good ventilation, and Safety – which includes maintained premises and equipment, windows that open and the use of safety or toughened glass in windows and doors
• Finally, make sure your business is covered by liability insurance from an FCA authorised insurer. This insurance will help you to cover compensation costs should a court find you liable for an injury at work.

You can make the load slightly lighter on yourself by supporting a two-way flow of health and safety information in your organisation which can be achieved by encouraging your employees to identify and report any concerns they have as well as to put forward their suggestions of where improvements could be made. This could be via surveys or face-to-face discussions, whichever way works best for your set up.

So move Health & Safety up your list of things to do and please don’t bury your head in the sand as it may come back to bite you.

Children have an innate urge to explore their environment, to test their limits and to imitate others. It’s how they learn, but it can also get them into some tricky situations. I’ve had a few hair-raising experiences with my son who likes to test his physical limits; ‘can my head fit through these bars?’ Yes it can, but it can’t get back out again quite so easily. ‘Can I fit in this tree trunk?’ again, yes you can but it’s going to take 10 minutes and lots of screaming to pull you out.

Luckily for me, we haven’t had any fire-related near misses yet and I must admit I don’t think I’d be overly prepared if we did. I’m hoping that by taking a preventative approach and minimising the risk of fire in our household will be enough. I need to educate myself for the safety of my children and, let’s be honest, I’m not alone!

According to the RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) domestic fires pose one of the greatest risks to children and according to the Department for Communities and Local Government 6,000 fires are started each year by children under the age of 10. That to me is a shocking statistic and even more shocking is that fire is the cause of nearly half of all accidental deaths in children.

There’s plenty of advice available to parents and carers on how to minimise the risk of fires at home and here are the most important tips to prevent fires at home:

1. Keep lighters and matches out of reach and out of sight
2. If you are a smoker then make sure that you extinguish and dispose of your cigarettes properly
3. When cooking try to use the back burners and ensure saucepan handles are out of reach
4. Never leave chip pans unattended.  According to RoSPA approximately 16,000 domestic fires are started each year from deep frying food.
5. Place fire guards on any open, gas or electric fires and ensure they are securely attached to the wall
6. Straighteners and curling irons should be kept out of reach and turned off after use
7. Never leave burning candles unattended and keep them out of reach of children at all times
8. With the summer now upon us be extra vigilant with BBQs, firepits and fire torches. Don’t leave children unattended in the garden when they are lit

If the worst should happen and a fire does ignite you can give your family the best possible chance to escape if you have installed an adequate amount of smoke detectors for the size and layout of your property.  Only purchase alarms that comply to BS EN 14604 2005 and ensure they are in working order by regularly checking them.  Fire and smoke detectors can give you the extra minutes needed to evacuate safely.

You certainly don’t want to frighten your children but you should educate them on what to do if they hear the alarms and make a fun game out of evacuating the property.  Make sure they know not to stop to collect anything and to keep low.  Try and talk through the different evacuation routes in the house so they know what to do if one is blocked.

Finally, a simple saying to remember: Get out, Stay out, call 999!

Further Reading

• http://www.sparky.org/ – an American site run by the National Fire Prevention Association, specifically aimed at educating children
• https://www.gov.uk/firekills – UK government fire safety information site with information and guidance for fire safety at home and in the workplace.  This leaflet is particularly useful: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/49762/Fire_Safety_for_Parents_and_Child_Carers_-_Version_2.pdf
• http://www.rospa.com/home-safety/advice/general/preventing-accidents-in-the-home/

We live in an age where consumers have more choice than ever before and therefore it can be difficult for companies to stand out. It is for this reason that reputation is as important now as it ever has been. A good reputation can allow businesses to build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with customers. However, should a company’s reputation become damaged this can prove catastrophic.

With social media so prevalent, it has never been easier to learn about news, as and when it happens. There have been many corporate scandals in recent memory, all of which do irreparable damage to the company in question. In 2014, car manufacture General Motors were forced to do a massive recall of 800,000 of its cars due to faulty ignition switches. Prior to the recall, the fault is estimated to have caused 13 deaths and 31 crashes. As well as costing the company a huge amount of money, the recall has damaged GM’s reputation with many previous and potential customers. A similar situation is happening with the holiday company, Thomas Cook. An inquest has been held recently, into the deaths of two children who died on a Thomas Cook holiday in 2006. Many consumers are unhappy with the way the company handled the situation and have pledged to boycott the firm in the future. Finally, we can’t discuss damaged reputations without mentioning the banking crisis of 2008 which is still having dramatic ramifications on consumers and their relationship with the finance sector.

These events are just the tip of the iceberg but they illustrate that no company or corporate infrastructure is safe from damage to their reputation. Fortunately, there are ways for businesses to safeguard themselves and therefore their overall standing with the public.

Health and Safety

Health a safety is an integral factor across the entire business world and it tends to be an issue which often informs reputation. If an accident happens, it shouldn’t be something that could have been avoided with better practices in place. With this in mind, companies should implement a comprehensive health and safety infrastructure and reassess these measures at regular intervals. If you are unfamiliar with current regulations or you would like more help, consider working with external organisations who are trained within this area.

Customer Service

Reputation is all about the relationship between a company and its current customers or potential consumers. Customer service is therefore key when attempting to build these relationships. Provide customers with different ways of contacting you, these can include phone, email, social media and instant chat. Also, if a customer has a complaint try to remain polite and helpful at all times and do your best to resolve the issue. Gestures such as these help to forge a good reputation and protect your company against any negative feedback.

Security

In recent years, many organisations have fallen victim to hacking and in some cases it’s due to inadequate security. This can be particularly worrying for customers who share sensitive information with companies. Make sure you are utilising a reputable firewall which includes antivirus and antimalware capabilities. Also, security software should be updated regularly in order to safeguard against current and future threats.

PR

A bad situation can be made infinitely worse with an ill thought out tweet or misinformed press release. Any mistake which is made by a corporation, however small can be magnified and displayed to the entire online world. It is therefore a good idea to guarantee that your PR infrastructure is just a developed as any other aspect of your company.

Health and safety, let’s face it, isn’t the most glamorous subject. It’s not something the majority of the population would get excited about; nevertheless it is a necessity. Everyone with your organisation, no matter how big or small it is, has a duty to comply with the framework set out by the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, therefore it’s important that the procedures you use internally are easily accessible and digestible by all.  All too often epic documents are produced that do indeed set out compliance information but are in no way user friendly or reflective of the fact that most employees don’t have hours available to trawl through the information.  You don’t need to be the greatest wordsmith to get it right and here are a few pointers to help you produce a document that gets the balance on an even keel.

Writing & Formulating

When compiling your document keep the following four C’s front of mind:

Comprehensive – It’s essential your procedures are thorough and set out all the steps required in order to show due diligence.  Omitting crucial information may leave you in breach of the law.  Also, consider highlighting the reason behind the procedures’ existence.  If they understand why it’s there in the first place they be more likely to comply and will be better equipped to make decisions should an instance arise whereby they cannot follow the procedure exactly.

Concise – This seems a bit at odds with ‘comprehensive’ but you can have a combination of the two.  It is absolutely imperative that the document is as concise as possible.  Many organisations cram as much information in as they can to ensure they fully comply with the Health & Safety at Work Act.  But too much information leaves you at risk of losing the reader and jeopardises the success and purpose of the document.

Clear – Use visual aids wherever appropriate to make it easier for information to be seen and processed.  Think flow charts, diagrams and symbols.  Symbols are particularly useful at highlighting areas that are highly important or where decision making is necessary.  Make sure symbols are easily recognisable and are used in a consistent manner throughout all your procedures.  Include a table of contents to enhance usability and include checklists as a way to create a clear path for the reader, allowing them check they have met each step in the procedure.

 

Comprehensible – When writing any important document, but in particular those relating to health and safety practices, it is essential they can be understood by everyone with the organisation.  Avoid the use of jargon, or if this is unavoidable ensure clear definitions are provided.  It’s all too easy to forget that not everyone is familiar with health and safety terminology or business vocabulary.

Testing & Checking

The best way to check that your document is comprehensive, concise, clear and comprehensible is to get it tested by several people who will be using it in the future.  Outline to them its purpose and explain what you are trying to achieve from the testing process. Consider providing them with some prompts at the beginning or end of the document to help them with their feedback, for example: ‘how long did it take you to read this?’, ‘were there any areas that you found difficult to understand?’.  This way you are more likely to receive constructive comments.  Two rounds of testing are preferable to make certain your document is as effective as possible.

Accessibility

Your procedures then need to be clearly communicated to all staff to whom they are relevant.  If the procedures are new or you’re making extensive alterations to existing ones then consider scheduling a training session.  This is the most effective way to ensure all relevant personnel are familiar with the changes but also to clarify why the changes have been made.  It is common practice for procedures to be kept on a shared area within a company’s IT system so that individuals can access them whenever they need to.  If any minor changes are made then relevant personnel should be informed and directed to the specific area of the document.

Fire extinguishers are an integral component of day to day live. Whether in the workplace, schools, hospitals or even just in the home, extinguishers provide an essential safety measure against the outbreak of fire. There are many different types of fires which can start and therefore corresponding extinguishers. It can be confusing as to which device is required for which situation. The following is a quick how-to guide on all of the different fire extinguishers you may need and when to use them.

Fire extinguishers are categorised according to colour and these colours will be visible on the device itself, signalling to users what type of fire it should be used for.

Red

Extinguishers in the red category utilise water which includes standard water, water spray and water dry mist varieties. Typically, water extinguishers are designed for use with organic materials such as wood, paper and textiles. Water should never be used to tackle electrical or cooking oil fires for obvious reasons. Water based extinguishers are also unsuitable for fires which are caused by flammable liquids, gases or metals.

A recent addition to the water range is the water mist extinguisher which differs to standard water devices in that it can actually be used on electrical and cooking oil fires as well as on flammable gas and liquid fires.

Blue

The blue category includes both standard powder extinguishers and dry powder extinguishers. Standard powder extinguishes can be used on organic materials, flammable gases and liquids. These devices can even be used on electrical fires but aren’t as effective as their CO2 counterparts and can cause damage to electrical equipment.

Dry powder extinguishers offer the same benefits as the standard devices but with the added benefit of being able to tackle specialist fires such as those which involve lithium, sodium, aluminium or magnesium.

Cream

Extinguishers which are labelled as cream utilise foam and have been designed for use on organic solids and flammable liquids. Foam extinguishers can technically be utilised on electrical fires and will be safer than water but it is recommended that users spray from at least a metre away.

Black

CO2 extinguishers are categorised as black and are mainly used for electrical fires and for this reason are standard issue within office environments. It should be noted that CO2 extinguishers can also be used to tackle flammable liquid fires such as those which involve petrol or propane.

Yellow

Wet chemical extinguishers are categorised as yellow and have been designed for use on cooking oil fires. These devices are particularly useful as no other type of extinguishers are recommended for use on cooking oil fires. With this in mind, wet chemical extinguishers are ideal for kitchen and cooking environments as well as within the home.

It is worth noting that wet chemical extinguishers can also be used on fires with organic materials.

Fire Blankets

Not technically an extinguisher, fire blankets are still incredibly useful and often found in a wide range of environments. The blankets are manufactured using a specialist material and can be used for solid and liquid fires as well as cooking oil fires.

Fire blankets are also suitable for situations where a person’s clothing is on fire and can be wrapped around them in order to extinguish the blaze.

Fires are unexpected and dangerous and knowing which extinguisher to use can mean the difference between life and death. Using the wrong equipment is not only ineffective but can even cause some fires to spread and become larger. Understanding this colour coded system will allow people to install the most suitable extinguisher within a specific environment and use it, should the worst happen.

Cardiac arrests kill hundreds of thousands of people each and every year. With the majority of incidents happening outside of a hospital environment, many people do not receive the prompt and professional care they require in order to recover. On average, an ambulance takes up to eight minutes to reach a victim but by this time the chances of survival have dropped significantly. This doesn’t have to be the case as the use of a defibrillator on the scene can greatly improve results. In fact, the use of a defibrillator and CPR within the first 5 minutes can improve survival rates from 6% to a staggering 74%.

Cardiac arrests are often confused with heart attacks but are a completely different disorder. Whilst a heart attack usually involves a blockage or heart disease, a cardiac arrest involves the heart losing its rhythm. Defibrillators work by sensing whether a victim is suffering from an arrest and if so will apply a controlled electric shock in order to re-establish the rhythm. The devices themselves are either completely or semi-automatic and no training is needed prior to using them.

You may be forgiven for assuming that cardiac arrests are unique to older people but this just isn’t the case. 12 people under the age of 35 die every week due to this problem and unbelievably, 270 children die every year after having a cardiac arrest at school. Although defibrillators are compulsory within many different public locations such as shopping centres and train stations, this isn’t the case within schools. In fact, it has been estimated that only 80 schools around the country have access to this life saving device.

The charity group SADS are campaigning for the passing of a law that would mean it would be compulsory for every school to have access to a defibrillator. Although this idea is supported by many MPs it is still yet to pass into law. With this in mind, campaigners are educating school officials and parents alike in the hope that they will make the decision to purchase a defibrillator for their school. The device itself costs £1,500 which pales into the comparison when compared with similar medical equipment and is a small price to pay when considering the potential benefits.

Easy to use and relatively cheap, it is likely that defibrillators will be available in all public places in the future. After all, it is said that nobody should be more than two minutes away from one of these devices at any one time.

We take fire extinguishers a bit for granted nowadays and under health and safety laws they’re a legal requirement for the workplace, shops, schools etc basically any enclosed public space.  I bet you’ve never stopped to think about how they’ve evolved over the years.  They’ve certainly come a long way since their humble beginnings, and thankfully don’t contain the explosives they once did.  I kid you not; the first fire extinguishing machine contained gunpowder.  Fire and gunpowder – a winning combination!  The premise behind Ambrose Godfrey’s machine, which was released in 1723, was that the explosion from the gunpowder would disperse the fire suppressant over the fire.  It was only in use for a few years, which may provide some insight on its ability to do the job safely.

Since humans discovered they could create fire, it has always posed a hazard. Straw huts, wooden structures and fires didn’t particularly go together well and water was the preferred choice of extinguishing flames.  But getting the water to the fire was often an issue.  In 200BC there are records of the invention of a water pump but with absence of hoses it was an arduous task to get the water to the fire and lines of people with buckets was the only way to do this.

Then during the Middle Ages someone invented a ‘squirt’ which used a plunger like action to suck water into a vessel then push it out again.  These were still being used in the Great Fire of London in 1666.  Next came Godfrey and his gunpowder extinguisher!  It was in 1819 that a turn was made and Captain George William Manby introduced the first portable extinguisher.  The design featured a copper vessel that was filled with potassium carbonate and compressed air.  When released the fire was showered with the solution.  In fact some fire extinguishers today still feature potassium carbonate.

During the late 19^th Century more developments were made and the soda-acid extinguisher was released. This consisted of a cylinder filled with a sodium bicarbonate and water solution.  Also inside was a vile containing sulphuric acid.  Once the two solutions combined carbon dioxide was produced which in turn expelled the water onto the fire.  All extinguishers to this point had been relatively safe to the user, however in 1912 the CTC extinguisher was invented and its contents were carbon tetrachloride. It provided an excellent solution for both liquid and electrical fires, however it proved extremely toxic in confined spaces and by the 1950’s its use had been withdrawn.

The breakthrough in fire extinguishers came with the realisation that not all fires are equal and what you use to extinguish them will play a vital role in how quickly the fire is contained and extinguished.  This knowledge has directly shaped the evolution of the myriad of fire extinguishers that we see today.  Although the choice seems confusing, it’s highly important to use the correct extinguishers for the correct type of fire to ensure you gain control and extinguish it as quickly as possible.  There are currently six classes of fire which are categorised A-F based on the property of substance that is alight:

• Class A – solid substances such as wood, paper, plastics and textiles
• Class B – flammable liquids
• Class C – flammable gasses
• Class D – burning metals
• Class E – electrical fires
• Class F – cooking oils and fats.

The fire extinguishers themselves can be put into six categories; however if you are looking to buy fire extinguishers you will find a great deal of options within these groups.

Water extinguishers are very effective at putting out Class A fires but should never be used for any other class as the water may make the situation worse.

Foam extinguishers can be used for Class A and B fires and they deposit a frothy mixture over the flames starving the fire of oxygen and separating the flames from the fuel.

Dry Powder extinguishers are often referred to as multi-purpose extinguishers as they can be used to tackle Class A, B, C and E fires. The powder controls the flames by acting as a coolant.

Another extinguisher that can be used for electrical fires is the CO₂ extinguisher which is also effective on Class B fires.  The carbon dioxide suffocates the fire by displacing the oxygen.

The only extinguisher that can used on Class D fires is the Specialist Powder extinguisher. It is designed with a low velocity applicator that provides control over the spread of fire from combustible metals such as lithium and aluminium.

Finally, the most recent addition is the Wet Chemical extinguisher that has been introduced to address the unique character of fires started from cooking oils and fats.  Scientists developed an extinguisher that uses the chemical reaction saponification.  The wet contents of the fire extinguisher react with the oil to create a soapy substance that suffocates the flames.  Not only does it extinguish the flames but it also acts as a coolant to prevent the fire reigniting.  The development of these Class F extinguishers has been welcomed by commercial kitchens and processing plants where oil fires are high risk.

A simple risk assessment should help to determine how many extinguishers and what type are needed for your business, but educating staff is highly important to ensure that if the worse happens the right extinguisher is being used.

All businesses are required by law to carry out risk assessments in their working environment.  This can seem a bit daunting but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offers a great deal of help for small and medium-sized businesses, all available on-line.   If you have fewer than five employees, you are not required to write anything down. But must still undertake regular assessments.  You will find example risk assessments applying to a wide range of businesses at

http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies/index.htm.  These you can use as guidelines and see how other businesses have carried out their assessments.

Let’s first look more closely at what constitutes a hazard.  The term hazard covers anything that carries the potential for harm. This would include chemicals, electricity, working at height, awkwardly placed furniture and unsecured flooring.  This is far from an exclusive list, so look at everything from a Health and Safety point of view.

A risk is best defined as the chance that anybody could be harmed by identified hazards.  You will need to assess the chance of risk, from low to high, as well as how serious the harm might be.

One important thing to keep in mind at all times is that risk assessments should be carried out regularly and particularly if conditions change within the workplace (for example, new equipment, altered premises, etc).

You don’t have to be a Health and Safety specialist to complete effective risk assessments that will help ensure the safety of your employees, customers and visitors.  The simplest thing is to divide the task into five steps.

Step One

• What are the potential risks in your workplace? Approach the environment with an open mind and observe and note anything that could harm people. Think about the potential causes of accidents and illness.  You are looking here for real risks – things that are most likely to happen. Balance these against any control measures you already have in place.

Step Two

• Have a good think about who might suffer from potential harm and how this could occur. This is important because different risks effect people differently.  For example, consider if any staff or customers are disabled, are more prone to slips and trips or if there are children in the environment.

Step Three

• Once you have evaluated the risks you then need to come up with effective control measures. Factor in the controls you have in place already and decide if further measures are needed.

Step Four

• You need to document your risk assessment thoroughly, being sure to include measures that need to be taken to minimise the potential for harm. Note that if you have fewer than five employees, you are not required to write anything down.

Step Five

• Once the assessment is undertaken it should be regularly reviewed and updated.
• Be sure to include the following in your risk assessment:
  • Each identified hazard.  For example, necessary office supplies might be stored out of easy reach of some employees.
  • Who is likely to suffer and how that might happen? In this instance an employee might pull over a chair to reach the supplies, overbalance and fall off.
  • What controls are already in place?  Perhaps a safety step ladder is available in the store room.
  • Could you do anything more to reduce the chance of risk? Move items needed on a regular basis to a lower level and make sure the step ladder to readily available.
  • Who is responsible for carrying out the action.
  • When the action should be completed.

As mentioned, the HSE has provided several aids which can be easily found on the internet.  Further, you will find advice on controlling risks in the work environment at http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/controlling-risks.htm.

Regular comprehensive Risk Assessments are a vital tool to ensure the safety of all in the work environment.  But an assessment is not worth anything if it is not acted upon.  Both you and your staff must be diligent in following risk control measures.

Psychosocial risks within the workplace are caused by unmanageable and excessive workloads, a lack of clarity concerning work roles and the consequent conflicting demands, poor communication and poor management, particularly with regard to organisational changes.  Such factors lead to negative psychological, physical and social outcomes, one of the most significant of which is work-related stress.  This is a very real concern in the work environment, with research by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work showing that up to five times more accidents occur when employees are working under pressure. Across Europe a staggering £98.7 billion of lost productivity results a year.

It is clear that psychosocial risks and, in particular, work-related stress are significant factors However, although 79% of companies in Europe have concerns, less than 30% have procedures in place to deal with the problem.

The first step in managing psychosocial risks is learning how to identify its presence in the workplace.  The most important thing to remember is that the problem is not a personal or individual fault, but rather a distinctly organisational issue.  A stimulating and supportive work environment is beneficial, one which makes unreasonable demands is not.  When presented with a situation that is overwhelming, the body’s reaction is stress.  This can include emotional and cognitive issues, unwelcome changes in behaviour, as well as both physical and mental ill health.

Be aware of the warning signs.  Emotional changes can include anxiety and fatigue as well as deterioration of workers’ relationships with colleagues.  If an employee is seen to be having increasing difficulty with concentration and making decisions, this is another potential alarm bell.  Watch out for significant changes in behaviour.  If an employee lapses into poor time-keeping or becomes careless or even aggressive, this may be due to work-related stress and should be immediately investigated to find the cause.  An increased amount of time off work is another sign to look out for, as both physical and mental ill health, such as depression, sleeplessness, stomach problems and back pain, can be caused by stress.

Once you have identified psychosocial risks in the work environment, you can take positive action to address the situation.

• Make sure that, whilst being challenging and stimulating, employees’ workloads are not excessive and that they feel they have control over their tasks.  A key part of this is giving employees a chance to ‘own’ their roles by being able to make suggestions and decisions relative to their capabilities.
• Unacceptable behaviours, such as bullying or harassment, lead to stress.  These factors may be coming from management or other workers.  Identify the source and put measures in place to stop such behaviour.  It is more than common than you might think, with almost 60% of workers across Europe stating this as a cause of stress at work.
• A further 72% of workers have concerns regarding job security.  Do everything possible to foster job security – offer full information and communication where necessary and, once again, involve staff in plans regarding reorganisation and other significant organisational changes.
• Workers seen to be having difficulty in successfully combining work and home commitments may feel under stress and need management support.

It is the job of management to look out for and handle work-related stress and other psychosocial risks.  Be sure that you, your managers and team leaders are aware of the warning signs and know how to handle problems once identified.  Remember that psychosocial problems at work are always an organisational issue, and management should be ever-vigilant to spot and handle any such problems.