EU-OSHA’s next Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2014-2015
EU-OSHA’s next Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2014-2015 ‘Manage stress’ starts on 10 April 2014. The campaign will provide support and guidance for workers and employers to recognise and tackle effectively stress at the workplace, and promotes the use of practical tools.
Work-related stress and
psychosocial risks: the facts
•Over half of European workers report that work-related
stress is common in their workplace.
•Around 4 in 10 workers think that stress is not handled
well in their workplace.
•Workers are likely to take a significant amount of time off
work when suffering from work-related stress and other
psychological problems, or turn up for work but not be
able to function at full capacity.
•Psychosocial risks and work-related stress give rise
to significant costs for organisations and national
economies alike.
•The total costs of mental health disorders in Europe
(both work and non-work related) are estimated to be
EUR 240 billion per year.
•Psychosocial risks can be assessed and managed in the
same systematic way as other occupational safety and
health risks.
•Managing stress and psychosocial risks at work is
worthwhile — the benefits to the business outweigh the
costs of implementation.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
(EU-OSHA) contributes to making Europe a safer, healthier
and more productive place to work. The Agency researches,
develops, and distributes reliable, balanced, and impartial
safety and health information and organises pan-European
awareness-raising campaigns. Set up by the European
Union in 1996 and based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency brings
together representatives from the European Commission,
Member State governments, employers’ and workers’
organisations, as well as leading experts in each of the
EU Member States and beyond.
The Healthy Workplaces Campaign is backed by the
EU Council Presidencies, the European Parliament, the
European Commission, and by the European Social Partners
and is coordinated at the national level by the Agency’s
network of focal points (www.healthy-workplaces.eu/fops).
The campaign
Stress is the second most frequently reported work related
health problem in Europe and, along with other
psychosocial risks, is thought to account for more than half
(50–60 %) of all lost working days. A poor psychosocial
work environment can have significant negative effects on
workers’ health.
Promoting the management of work-related stress and
psychosocial risks, and thereby preventing their significant
negative effects for workers, employers and governments, is
the key aim of this campaign. Effectively tackling psychosocial
risks creates a work environment in which workers stay
healthy, the workplace culture is more positive, and,
consequently, business performance improves.
Psychosocial risks occur in every workplace, but even with
only limited resources they can be successfully assessed and
managed. This campaign provides support and guidance for
workers and employers in managing work-related stress and
psychosocial risks, and promotes the use of practical, userfriendly
tools to facilitate this.
‘Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress’ is a pan-European
campaign, coordinated by the European Agency for Safety and
Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Healthy Workplaces Campaigns are
the largest of their kind in the world and are significant drivers
for change and improvement in workplace safety and health.
Who can take part?
‘Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress’ invites all organisations and
individuals at local, national and European levels to take part.
The campaign is open to:
• all employers in the public and private sectors;
• managers, supervisors and workers;
• trades unions and safety representatives;
• all organisations and individuals dedicated to improving
safety and health.
How can you get involved?
You can get involved in the Healthy Workplaces Campaign
2014–15 by:
• disseminating and publicising campaign materials to help
raise awareness of occupational safety and health (a variety
of campaign materials are available to download from the
campaign website, www.healthy-workplaces.eu);
• organising events and activities such as seminars and
workshops;
• using and promoting the practical tools available for
managing work-related stress and psychosocial risks;
• taking part in the European Good Practice Awards
competition, a scheme that recognises the contributions
organisations have made to promoting safety and health;
• getting involved in the European Weeks for Safety and Health
at Work, October 2014 and 2015;
• becoming an official EU campaign partner or national
campaign partner.
Key Dates
• Campaign launch: April 2014
• European Weeks for Safety and Health at Work:
October 2014 and 2015
• Good Practice Awards Ceremony: April 2015
For additional information please visiti
http://www.healthy-workplaces.eu/
(source: EU-OSHA)
