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According to new data from employment law, HR and health and safety specialists, WorkNest, UK businesses are overlooking a key health and safety risk despite increasing regulatory focus on workplace mental health.
The research found that only 18 per cent of organisations regularly and formally assess work-related stress as part of their risk management process.
Over one third (35 per cent) of organisations do not assess workplace stress at all, while 30 per cent said stress is assessed but inconsistently. A further 17 per cent were unaware whether their company carries out a stress risk assessment at all.
The findings come as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to emphasise the importance of managing psychosocial risks such as stress, burnout and workload pressures, which remain a leading cause of workplace absence in the UK.
Nick Wilson, Director of Health and Safety Services at WorkNest, said “Work-related stress is firmly on the regulator’s radar, yet many organisations still haven’t embedded it into their formal risk management processes.
“Employers often feel reasonably confident about their overall health and safety compliance, but psychosocial risks such as stress can be overlooked.
“Risk assessments remain fundamental to workplace health and safety. If organisations are worried about whether theirs are up to date, suitable and sufficient, it’s a clear sign that reviewing them, including assessing workplace stress, should be a priority.
“Employers don’t have to tackle this alone – getting the right HR and health and safety support can help organisations identify risks, strengthen their processes and ensure they are meeting their legal obligations.”
The poll also revealed that risk assessments are the single biggest concern for employers when it comes to potential inspections.
When asked what would worry them most if an HSE inspector arrived tomorrow, one in four (43 per cent) said their biggest concern would be whether their risk assessments were up-to-date, suitable and sufficient.
Other concerns included whether policies and procedures genuinely reflect site practice (30 per cent) and whether organisations can demonstrate staff are trained and competent (19 per cent).
Despite this, many organisations appeared relatively confident in their overall compliance. Over half (58 per cent) said they were “mostly prepared” but acknowledged improvements were needed, while 30 per cent said there were gaps that would need addressing. Less than one in 10 (9 per cent) however said they were fully inspection ready.
