MODULE 7: PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS IN OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH - SECTION 5: WORK AND STRESS: Introduction

INTRODUCTION:

Stress is a term that is commonly used in everyday living, and being able to differentiate between workplace caused stress and non-workplace caused stress that may have an occupational impact is not easily accomplished. This module will attempt to define what is workplace related/caused stress, what impacts it has on working life and the health of workers and what interventions can be considered to reduce this impact.

A variety of studies have shown that a significant percentage of workers consider themselves to be in stressful jobs, ranging from between 25 - 40% (NIOSH, 1999). You should have a look at References 1 and 2 below as these provide a good overview to the topic.

Although there is general agreement that work stress is as a result of an interaction between the worker, however there is some debate on the importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress. These differing viewpoints are important because they suggest different ways to prevent stress at work. In the final instance, a stressed worker - whether caused by workplace or non-workplace factors is a poorly functioning individual, and would require appropriate intervention, irrespective of cause.

KEY DEFINITIONS:

Work related stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Such stress can lead to poor health and even injury (NIOSH, 1999).

REFERENCES:

1. African Newletter on Occupational Health and Safety.
2. Occupational and Environmental Medicine article, (Occup Env Med, 2002; 59(67-72))
3. The NIOSH Handbook niosh-stress at work.html.
4. ILO Encyclopedia text on stress.
5. ILO Encyclopedia text on PTSD.
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6. WHO text on work stress:
7. Compensation Commissioner’s Circular Instruction on PTSD.