Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the effect of long-term trends in workplace stress on the mental and physical health of workers.
HSE does monitor year on year statistics of work-related stress, using data gathered via the Labour Force Survey.
The overall incidence rates have remained fairly stable over the last decade but have recently shown indications of an upward trend. This data is used as evidence to inform policy and strategy development. Within the statistics there are a series of sectors that have persistently higher than average rates of stress – education, health, local and central government.
HSE has targeted these sectors more specifically, and its involvement has led to the development of practical tools and guidance to help support employers and employees in taking action to prevent and reduce the incidence of work-related stress and resulting mental health issues of anxiety and depression.