Work-related hazards may have a huge impact on the physical as well as the psychological health of the worker, which in turn reduces the effectiveness of an organization. Hence, psychosocial hazards are being considered as a major factor to be addressed for the health of the individual and the organization. Workplace stress occurs if there is a mismatch between the ability of a worker and the demands on the individual. There is an urgent need for monitoring the stress in the workplace. Apart from identifying and dealing with the hazards, it is the duty of the employer to provide a healthy and hazard free environment for the workers.[1]
Workplace stress accounts for more than one-third of new incidences of ill health among workers in many countries.[2] Table 1 shows the various sources of psychosocial hazards that can occur in a workplace. Psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and occupational stress are commonly associated with workplace stress.[3] There is increasing evidence for association between work stress and the occurrence of diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, etc.[4] Apart from the health impact, they also affect the society in terms of reduction in economy, problems in relationships, and also increase in negative behaviors such as alcoholism and drug abuse.[5,6]
Table 1.
Psychosocial hazards
| Job content | Lack of variety or short work cycles, fragmented or meaningless work, under-use of skills, high uncertainty, continuous exposure to difficult clients, patients, pupils, etc. |
| Workload and work pace | Work overload or too little work, machine pacing, high levels of time pressure, and continually subject to deadlines |
| Work schedule | Shift work, night shifts, inflexible work schedules, unpredictable hours, and long or unsociable hours |
| Control | Low participation in decision-making, lack of control over workload, pacing, shift working, etc. |
| Environment and equipment | Inadequate equipment availability, suitability or maintenance; poor environmental conditions such as lack of space, poor lighting, and excessive noise |
| Organizational culture and function | Poor communication, low levels of support for problem-solving and personal development, poor managerial support; lack of definition of, or agreement on, and organizational objectives |
| Interpersonal relationships at work | Social or physical isolation, poor relationships with superiors, interpersonal conflict, lack of social support, harassment, bullying, poor leadership style, and third-party violence |
| Role in organization | Role ambiguity, role conflict, and responsibility for people |
| Career development | Career stagnation and uncertainty, under-promotion or over-promotion, poor pay, job insecurity, and low social value of work |
| Home-work interface | Conflicting demands of work and home, low support at home, problems relating to both partners being in the labor force (dual-career) |
Possible risks in the working environment that could harm the workers can be assessed by a risk management approach. Risk management approach usually consists of the following steps: (a) an analysis of the situation and an assessment of risk; (b) the design of an action plan to reduce the risk of work stress; (c) the implementation of that action plan; (d) its evaluation; and (e) learning and further action from the results of that evaluation.[1]
To have a better working environment, the employees should be involved in decisions related to them, the organization to have a better communication both ways, workload should be optimal, and violence to be totally avoided. It should be remembered that all these hazards could be averted at the organizational level with better management and decision making. Finally, if both the employer and employee work together to minimize the levels of work-related stress, leading to improvement in work-related quality of life, which will not only ensure a physically and mentally healthy workforce but also could culminate into the better economic output for the organization.[7]
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Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
REFERENCES
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