News Release

date: 5 November 2002

embargo: 00.01 hrs Wednesday 6 November 2002


Attention: Industrial, business, social affairs and health correspondents, personnel, safety

Work overload is main cause of workplace stress in Wales

The Wales TUC has revealed today (Wednesday), on National Stress Awareness Day, that work overload is the main cause of stress at work in Wales. A TUC survey of union safety reps in Wales shows that stress is their main health and safety concern and that in a list including Scotland and the English regions Wales is ranked fourth worst for workplace stress.

Over 80% of safety reps in Wales who reported that stress was a problem at their workplace said workload was a major cause, almost half of the reps also cited change and staff cuts as factors.

To try to tackle the UK’s stress epidemic, the TUC has launched a web-based tool that enables safety reps to assess the risk of stress in the workplace, before using the TUC online stress MOT to diagnose any problems (find both at: www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/). The TUC is also offering online help and advice for all workers in identifying and dealing with stress at work at www.worksmart.org.uk/health/index.php

Wales TUC General Secretary David Jenkins said:

'Workplaces in Wales have to stop working harder and start working smarter. Long hours and heavy workloads combine to make a lethal mixture which leads to heart attacks, mental illness and social problems like divorce and alcoholism. It’s plainly a false economy to work people into the ground, and it’s the number one workplace health and safety problem that needs to be tackled.'

Across Britain, the worst industries for stress, according to union safety reps, are:

· Central government (72.5% of safety reps in government were worried about the effects stress was having on their colleagues)

· Banking, finance and insurance (72%)

· Education (71.5%)

· Health service (61.2%)

· Construction (15.3%) and manufacturing (30.8%) safety reps were the least likely to notice stress as a workplace hazard.

The regions where stress is worst are:

· South East (60.5% of safety reps in the region cited stress as a problem)

· South West (60%)

· London (59%)

· Wales (57%)

Notes to Editors:

All Wales TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

Register for the TUC's press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access

pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visit www.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet

A series of TUC rights leaflets are available on our website and from the know your rights line 0870 600 4 882. Lines are open every day from 8am-10pm. Calls are charged at the national rate.

Contacts:

Wales TUC Media enquiries: Darron Dupre - 029 2034 7014

Press release (500 words) issued 6 Nov 2002

This page http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-5778-f0.cfm
printed 8 February 2012 at 17:21 hrs by 38.107.179.234