Stress Risk Assessment (UK)

Work related stress, depression and anxiety account for a large share of all working days lost to ill health in Britain. Employers have a legal duty to assess the risk of stress just as they would any physical hazard. This guide explains how, using the HSE approach.

Why it is required

The duty to assess the risks to workers under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 includes the risk of work related stress. Failing to act on stress that is foreseeable can lead to ill health claims and enforcement.

The HSE Management Standards

The HSE sets out six areas that, if not managed well, are the main causes of work related stress. A stress risk assessment works through each:

1. Demands. Workload, work patterns and the working environment.
2. Control. How much say a person has over how they do their work.
3. Support. Encouragement and resources from the organisation and managers.
4. Relationships. Promoting fair behaviour and dealing with conflict.
5. Role. Whether people understand their role and have conflicting demands.
6. Change. How organisational change is managed and communicated.

How to do it

Gather the views of staff, through conversations or a short survey, judge where the pressure points are against the six areas, agree practical actions with the team, and record who does what by when. Review it, because stress risks change as workload and the business change.

Individual assessments

Where a particular person is showing signs of stress or returning from stress related absence, an individual stress risk assessment focuses on their situation and the adjustments that would help.

Record it

Our stress risk assessment template follows the six Management Standards so you can record the risks and actions in the expected form. For the general method, see our risk assessment guide. If someone is struggling, treat it with care and signpost support as well as adjusting the work.