Psychosocial risks: is risk management strategic enough in business and policy making?

Arbeitsgestaltung bei hoher Arbeitsintensität und Zeit- und Leistungsdruck

Zusammenfassung. Eine hohe Arbeitsintensität (AI) wird von Beschäftigten als Zeit- und Leistungsdruck (ZLD) erlebt. Sie gilt als Schlüsselfaktor psychischer Belastung, dem geeignete Arbeitsschutzmaßnahmen entgegengesetzt werden müssen. In mehreren Projekten erforscht die Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA) die betriebliche Umsetzung dieser Arbeitsschutz- und Gestaltungsaufgabe, um zu beantworten, 1) warum es nicht gelingt, hohe AI/ZLD in der betrieblichen Praxis ausreichend zu vermeiden (Barrieren) und 2) welche Gestaltungsansätze in der Praxis dennoch entwickelt werden. Inhaltsanalytisch thematische Auswertungen von 79 leitfadengestützen Interviews aus zwei Studien (Studie 1: Akteursperspektive, Studie 2: Beschäftigtenperspektive) zeigen, dass zwei Faktoren die Entwicklung von Schutzmaßnahmen durch betriebliche Akteur_innen beeinträchtigen: die Komplexität der Entstehungsbedingungen und als gering wahrgenommene Gestaltungsspielräume. Beide Faktoren werden mit Bezug zu hoher AI/ZLD weiter ausdifferenziert. Weiterhin werden in der Zusammenschau der Perspektiven vielfältige Ansätze herausgearbeitet und diskutiert, mit denen hoher AI/ZLD auf den verschiedenen Ebenen des Unternehmens begegnet wird.

Applying risk matrices for assessing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work

Although wide-ranging amendments in health and safety regulations at the European and national level oblige employers to conduct psychosocial risk assessment, it is still under debate how psychosocial hazards can be properly evaluated. For psychosocial hazards, an epidemiological, risk-oriented understanding similar to physical hazards is still missing, why most existing approaches for hazard evaluation insufficiently conceive psychosocial risk as a combination of the probability of a hazard and the severity of its consequences (harm), as found in traditional risk matrix approaches (RMA). We aim to contribute to a methodological advancement in psychosocial risk assessment by adapting the RMA from physical onto psychosocial hazards. First, we compare and rate already existing procedures of psychosocial risk evaluation regarding their ability to reliably assess and prioritize risk. Second, we construct a theoretical framework that allows the risk matrix for assessing psychosocial risk. This is done by developing different categories of harm based on psychological theories of healthy work design and classifying hazards through statistical procedures. Taking methodological and theoretical considerations into account, we propose a 3 × 3 risk matrix that scales probability and severity for psychosocial risk assessment. Odds ratios between hazards and harm can be used to statistically assess psychosocial risks. This allows for both risk evaluation and prioritizing to further conduct risk-mitigation. Our contribution advances the RMA as a framework that allows for assessing the relation between psychosocial hazards and harm disregarding which theory of work stress is applied or which tool is used for hazard identification. By this, we also contribute to further possible developments in empirical research regarding how to assess the risk of workplace stress. The risk matrix can help to understand how psychosocial hazards can be evaluated and organizations can use the approach as a guidance to establish a suitable method for psychosocial risk evaluation.

Do Leadership, Organizational Communication, and Work Environment Impact Employees' Psychosocial Hazards in the Oil and Gas Industry?

Workplace hazards can have a significant influence on a worker's physical and mental health, reducing an organization's effectiveness in terms of safety. However, psychosocial hazards are being recognized as a crucial component that must be addressed for the individual's and organization's safety. The purpose of this research was to propose and statistically evaluate a brief theoretical framework based on leadership, organizational communication, work environment, and psychosocial hazards in Malaysia's upstream oil and gas sector. The framework was tested on 380 Malaysian upstream oil and gas workers. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares and structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The study's findings revealed that in the Malaysian oil and gas industry, leadership, communication, and work environment negatively influenced the psychosocial hazards. This negative association between predictors and psychosocial hazards, particularly job expectations, control, role, and relationships, indicates new grounds for research. It is discussed how the findings could be used to track employees' well-being over time and generate focused treatments.

The effects of psychosocial factors on occupational accidents: a cross-sectional study in the manufacturing industry in Turkey

Objectives. Looking at death statistics in workplaces, occupational health and safety (OHS) is indisputably one of the most important problems of society. Considering that the existing measures are insufficient to reduce deaths, it is essential to look at the prevention of occupational accidents/diseases with an interdisciplinary approach and to employ new perspectives in order to develop new methods. The aim of this study is to determine whether psychosocial risks are perceived as an accident factor by employees and to bring the concept of psychosocial accident factors into a discussion. Methods. The survey technique is used as a data collection tool for this study. The questionnaire has 33 questions. SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyze the data. Results. The study showed that employees who had an accident perceived psychosocial factors as an important accident factor. Conclusions. Studies on causes of accidents at work are generally based on a single dimension, such as environmental conditions and/or faults of employees. There is almost no focus on the reasons for the misbehaviors of employees. Psychosocial factors are not taken into account or neglected, but results show that providing psychosocial support and/or psychological counseling services in workplaces may be effective in reducing accidents.

Using Total Worker Health® Implementation Guidelines to Design an Organizational Intervention for Low-Wage Food Service Workers: The Workplace Organizational Health Study

Total Worker Health® (TWH) interventions that utilize integrated approaches to advance worker safety, health, and well-being can be challenging to design and implement in practice. This may be especially true for the food service industry, characterized by high levels of injury and turnover. This paper illustrates how we used TWH Implementation Guidelines to develop and implement an organizational intervention to improve pain, injury, and well-being among low-wage food service workers. We used the Guidelines to develop the intervention in two main ways: first, we used the six key characteristics of an integrated approach (leadership commitment; participation; positive working conditions; collaborative strategies; adherence; data-driven change) to create the foundation of the intervention; second, we used the four stages to guide integrated intervention planning. For each stage (engaging collaborators; planning; implementing; evaluating for improvement), the Guidelines provided a flexible and iterative process to plan the intervention to improve safety and ergonomics, work intensity, and job enrichment. This paper provides a real-world example of how the Guidelines can be used to develop a complex TWH intervention for food service workers that is responsive to organizational context and addresses targeted working conditions. Application of the Guidelines is likely transferable to other industries.

Correlation between psychosocial work factors and the degree of stress

BACKGROUND

Psychosocial risks and work-related stress are one of the most complex, most significant and most challenging problems that organizations around the world are facing. Stress negatively affects all participants in the organization and significantly contributes to negative health consequences and economic outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

With timely identification and adequate assessment of psychosocial risks, it is possible to create healthy workplaces and healthy organizations where employees are satisfied and motivated. The paper will present the results of the research of psychosocial risks on a large sample of respondents in the Republic of Serbia.

METHODS

A questionnaire was distributed to 1,212 participants of which 1,140 answered all the questions asked. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using multiple regression analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman's correlation coefficient and Pearson's chi-square test (χ2).

RESULTS

The results of multiple regression analysis showed that all psychosocial risks taken together are statistically significantly (p < .001) and explain 24%of the variance of the criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychosocial risks identified as statistically significant predictors are Labor Demands, Interpersonal Relations, Lack of Support, Work Role and Job Uncertainty. All predictors are statistically significant predictors at the level.01.

A Hierarchical Solution Approach for Occupational Health and Safety Inspectors' Task Assignment Problem

BACKGROUND

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a significant interest of all governments to prevent workplace hazards. Although appropriate legislation and regulations are essentials for the protection of workers, they are solely not enough. Application of them in practice should be secured by an efficient inspection system. Fundamental components of an inspection system are inspectors and their audit tasks. Maintaining the fair balanced task assignment among inspectors strictly enhances the efficiency of the overall system.

METHODS

This study proposes a two-phased goal programming approach for OHS inspectors' task assignments and presents a case study.

RESULTS

The solution approach gives the balanced assignment of inspectors to the workplaces in different cities of the country in the planning period. The obtained schedule takes into account the distances covered by the work places and the number of the workplaces' employees to be audited and pays attention to the human factors by considering the preferences of the inspectors. The comparisons between the obtained optimal schedule and the implemented one that is produced manually show that the approach not only maintains the technical requirements of the problem, but also provides social and physical balance to the task assignment.

CONCLUSION

Both the approach and the application study are expected to offer fruitful inspirations in the area of safety management and policy and they provide a good guide for social policy and organizational aspects in the field of OHS inspectors' task assignment.

Psychosocial Risk Management in the Teaching Profession: A Systematic Review

Teachers are facing various job demands with psychosocial aspects being fundamental due to the nature of the occupation. Although teachers' work is associated with different psychosocial health risks, little is known on how to identify and tackle those.

Thus, a systematic literature search as per the PRISMA statement was conducted via MEDLINE (PubMed), PSYNDEX (PubPsych), and ScienceDirect. Two reviewers independently screened 2261 titles and abstracts and 169 full-texts. According to the inclusion criteria established a priori, articles from peer-reviewed journals (English or German) on psychosocial risk management in teachers were incorporated.

Despite a comprehensive and sensitive search, only four publications could be identified, outlining a process to implement risk management and different assessment tools. Taken together, data presented in the articles were scarce.

Recommendations for process steps and the assessment of psychosocial risks can be derived from the findings. To implement effective psychosocial risk management in the teaching profession, further research is needed, though. Effective and practicable approaches, which are accepted by the target group, should be further developed and investigated. Relevant causes of occupational strain in the teaching profession must be identified and assessed reliably. Low-threshold interventions should be implemented, and the outcome must be evaluated afterward.

Interventions as the centrepiece of psychosocial risk assessment – why so difficult?

Purpose

Due to the “European Union Framework Directive on Safety and Health at work” (Directive 89/391/EEC, 1989), every employer is obliged to avoid psychosocial hazards when designing work. Little is known empirically about the barriers that workplace actors experience while developing and implementing OSH measures that prevent psychosocial hazards. The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers, causes and attempts to overcome them and discusses them with reference to relevant theoretical concepts and models that help to explain how these barriers hinder the development and implementation of OSH measures.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews with workplace actors in charge of psychosocial risk assessment (PRA) were conducted in 41 business cases, and transcripts were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Barriers, causes and attempts to overcome them were extracted inductively and discussed with reference to relevant theories and explanatory models.

Findings

The complex nature of psychosocial risks, hindering general beliefs, lack of a perceived scope for risk avoidance, lack of assumptions of responsibility among players on all hierarchical levels, discrepancies between formal responsibility and decision authority, and low reflexivity on processes of development and implementation of interventions were described as barriers. Causes and attempts to overcome these barriers were reflected upon by workplace actors.

Practical implications

Recommendations on the organisation of PRA will be given with respect to the reported results and relevant research in this field.

Originality/value

This qualitative study explores the barriers to developing and implementing OSH measures to eliminate psychosocial hazards, from the perspective of actors in charge of PRA, and why they might fail.

The APHIRM toolkit: an evidence-based system for workplace MSD risk management

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) continue as one of the largest occupational health and safety problems worldwide. One reason for this situation is that current workplace risk management practices fail to meet some important evidence-based requirements for effective reduction of MSD risk. In particular: they largely fail to address risk arising from psychosocial hazards; do not allow sufficient participation by workers; and often fail to control risk at its sources.

To address these deficiencies, A Participative Hazard Identification and Risk Management (APHIRM) toolkit has been formulated in accordance with both a framework developed by the World Health Organisation and implementation science principles. It comprises a set of online tools that include automated data analysis and reporting modules, and procedures to guide users through the five stages of the conventional risk management cycle. Importantly, it assesses both hazard and risk levels for groups of people doing a particular job, focusing on the job overall rather than only on tasks deemed to be hazardous. Its intended users are workplace managers and consultants responsible for occupational health and safety, with active participation from workers also. Resultant risk control interventions are customized to address the main physical and psychosocial hazards identified for the target job, and repetitions of the risk management cycle enables ongoing evaluation of outcomes in terms of both hazard and risk levels.

Consideration of psychosocial factors in workplace risk assessments: findings from a company survey in Germany

Purpose

Work-related psychosocial risks are an increasingly important issue in occupational safety and health (OSH) policy. In Germany, as in many other European countries, employers are legally required to carry out workplace risk assessments (WRAs) and to account for psychosocial factors when doing this. The aim of this study was to expand the still scarce and sketchy empirical evidence on the extent to which employers comply with these obligations, as well as on possible determinants of compliance behaviour.

Methods

Survey data from 6500 German companies were used to calculate the prevalence of workplace risk assessments that include psychosocial factors. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regressions were performed to explore which company characteristics influence the chance of psychosocial risk assessment occurrence.

Results

The prevalence of psychosocial risk assessments was 21%. Next to company size (OR = 5.7, 95% CI 3.0–11.0), availability of safety specialist assistance (OR = 3.5, 95% CI 2.6–4.6), availability of occupational health specialist assistance (OR = 3.4; 95% CI 2.6–4.4) and inspection by OSH authority (OR = 3.4, 95% CI 2.4–4.7) were the strongest predictors of psychosocial risk assessment occurrence. Smaller (but still significant) effect sizes were found for the level of knowledge about legal OSH requirements, training of managers in OSH, economic situation of the company, presence of a works council, positive view on the benefit of OSH, affiliation with the production sector and magnitude of psychosocial risks within the company.

Conclusions

The study results indicate large deficiencies in the implementation of psychosocial risk assessments, especially for small companies. Findings suggest that enhancing companies’ utilisation of professional OSH experts and strengthening the advisory and control capacities of the OSH inspection authorities in the area of psychosocial risks would be beneficial for improving the current situation.

Barriers to more effective prevention of work-related musculoskeletal and mental health disorders

Work-related psychosocial hazards have substantial effects on risks of both musculoskeletal and mental health disorders (MSDs, MHDs). Recent Australian research on workplace risk management practices in 19 work organisations found that risks from work-related psychosocial hazards were poorly managed. This study identified factors impeding better management of MSD and MHD risks within those organisations. METHOD: Interviews were conducted with staff from residential aged care and logistics/transport organisations in Australia. Transcripts were analysed using a worker-centred systems framework. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Many barriers to more effective risk management were identified. Most fundamentally, few people knew of the need to manage MSD risk arising from work-related psychosocial hazards, and OHS-related skills of key managers were often reported as inadequate, particularly concerning management of risk from psychosocial hazards. Also, funding and staffing levels were often reported as problematic, and OHS issues were seen as lower priority than accreditation and commercial requirements.

Impact of Psychosocial Factors on Occurrence of Medication Errors among Tehran Public Hospitals Nurses by Evaluating the Balance between Effort and Reward

Background

Patient safety and accurate implementation of medication orders are among the essential requirements of par nursing profession. In this regard, it is necessary to determine and prevent factors influencing medications errors. Although many studies have investigated this issue, the effects of psychosocial factors have not been examined thoroughly.

Methods

The present study aimed at investigating the impact of psychosocial factors on nurses' medication errors by evaluating the balance between effort and reward. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in public hospitals of Tehran in 2015. The population of this work consisted of 379 nurses. A multisection questionnaire was used for data collection.

Results

In this research, 29% of participating nurses reported medication errors in 2015. Most frequent errors were related to wrong dosage, drug, and patient. There were significant relationships between medications errors and the stress of imbalance between effort and reward (p < 0.02) and job commitment and stress (p < 0.027).

Conclusion

It seems that several factors play a role in the occurrence of medication errors, and psychosocial factors play a crucial and major role in this regard. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate these factors in more detail and take them into account in the hospital management.

Checklist for psychosocial risk evaluation: a prospective evaluation study

BACKGROUND

Although psychosocial risk evaluation (PRE) is legally required, implementation is often suboptimal. Occupational health specialists face various challenges in implementing a systematic PRE process.

AIMS

To evaluate if a checklist strengthens the competencies of occupational physicians in PRE design and implementation.

METHODS

A prospective pilot survey with a baseline and follow-up assessment at 12 months was conducted with occupational physicians who applied the checklist. Three outcome criteria were assessed: (i) physicians' general competence in PRE, (ii) physicians' self-reported skills in PRE and (iii) feasibility of the checklist.

RESULTS

Twenty-four occupational physicians participated. Checklist users reported increased competence in PRE at follow-up, increasing in competence twice as much as physicians who did not use the checklist during the study period although this was not statistically significant. With regard to specific skills over time, checklist users reported increased knowledge of the PRE procedure (P < 0.05), as well as increased strategic planning for PRE (P < 0.01). All feasibility criteria were rated positively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our checklist may help occupational health clinicians to overcome the barriers that are responsible for the gap between official recommendations and occupational health and safety practice in PRE. However, our results are based on a preliminary study with a limited sample size.

Proposal for an Evaluation Method for the Performance of Work Procedures

BACKGROUND

Noncompliance of operators with work procedures is a recurrent problem. This human behavior has been said to be situational and studied by many different approaches (ergonomic and others), which consider the noncompliance with work procedures to be obvious and seek to analyze its causes as well as consequences.

METHODS

The object of the proposed method is to solve this problem by focusing on the performance of work procedures and ensuring improved performance on a continuous basis.

RESULTS

This study has multiple results: (1) assessment of the work procedures' performance by a multicriteria approach; (2) the use of a continuous improvement approach as a framework for the sustainability of the assessment method of work procedures' performance; and (3) adaptation of the Stop-Card as a facilitator support for continuous improvement of work procedures.

CONCLUSION

The proposed method emphasizes to put in value the inputs of continuous improvement of the work procedures in relation with the conventional approaches which adopt the obvious evidence of the noncompliance to the working procedures and seek to analyze the cause-effect relationships related to this unacceptable phenomenon, especially in strategic industry.

An Evaluation of the Policy Context on Psychosocial Risks and Mental Health in the Workplace in the European Union: Achievements, Challenges, and the Future

Despite the developments both in hard and soft law policies in the European Union in relation to mental health and psychosocial risks in the workplace, a review of these policies at EU level has not been conducted to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps to be addressed in the future. Keeping in mind that the aim should be to engage employers in good practice, ideally such policies should include key definitions and elements of the psychosocial risk management process, covering risk factors, mental health outcomes, risk assessment and preventive actions, or interventions. The current paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing hard and soft law policies on mental health in the workplace and psychosocial risks applicable at EU level and conducting a gap analysis according to a set of dimensions identified in models of good practice in this area. Our review of ninety-four policies in total revealed several gaps, especially in relation to binding in comparison to nonbinding policies. These are discussed in light of the context of policy-making in the EU, and recommendations are offered for future actions in this area.

Do Italian Companies Manage Work-Related Stress Effectively? A Process Evaluation in Implementing the INAIL Methodology

Studies on Intervention Process Evaluation are attracting growing attention in the literature on interventions linked to stress and the wellbeing of workers. There is evidence that some elements relating to the process and content of an intervention may have a decisive role in implementing it by facilitating or hindering the effectiveness of the results. This study aimed to provide a process evaluation on interventions to assess and manage risks related to work-related stress using a methodological path offered by INAIL. The final sample is composed of 124 companies participating to an interview on aspects relating to each phase of the INAIL methodological path put in place to implement the intervention. INAIL methodology has been defined as useful in the process of assessing and managing the risks related to work-related stress. Some factors related to the process (e.g., implementation of a preliminary phase, workers' involvement, and use of external consultants) showed a role in significant differences that emerged in the levels of risk, particularly in relation to findings from the preliminary assessment. Main findings provide information on the key aspects of process and content that are useful in implementing an intervention for assessing and managing risks related to work-related stress.

Examples of Holistic Good Practices in Promoting and Protecting Mental Health in the Workplace: Current and Future Challenges

Background

While attention has been paid to physical risks in the work environment and the promotion of individual employee health, mental health protection and promotion have received much less focus. Psychosocial risk management has not yet been fully incorporated in such efforts. This paper presents good practices in promoting mental health in the workplace in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance by identifying barriers, opportunities, and the way forward in this area.

Methods

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in relation to good practice identified tools. Interviewees were asked to evaluate the approaches on the basis of the WHO model for healthy workplaces.

Results

The examples of good practice for Workplace Mental Health Promotion (WMHP) are in line with the principles and the five keys of the WHO model. They support the third objective of the WHO comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2020 for multisectoral implementation of WMHP strategies. Examples of good practice include the engagement of all stakeholders and representatives, science-driven practice, dissemination of good practice, continual improvement, and evaluation. Actions to inform policies/legislation, promote education on psychosocial risks, and provide better evidence were suggested for higher WMHP success.

Conclusion

The study identified commonalities in good practice approaches in different countries and stressed the importance of a strong policy and enforcement framework as well as organizational responsibility for WMHP. For progress to be achieved in this area, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach was unanimously suggested as a way to successful implementation.