Recent TUC research has found that stress is now by far the most common health and safety problem at work. Nearly two thirds of reps say that stress is in the top five problems faced by the workers they represent and more than a quarter of reps pick out stress as the hazard at work that most concerns them. Another recent report from the British Academy states that the global economic downturn is to blame for the soaring stress levels due to the sharp rise in job strain and job-insecurity; both determinants of work-related stress. In the last 2 years, work stress levels rose by more than 4%, compared to the previous rises of 0.1% from 1992 to 2009. Severe stress can trigger a myriad of health problems for workers including depression, anxiety, workplace injuries and suicide, and lead to a greater risk of heart disease.
TUC News, March 2011
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