§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to introduce regulations on businesses in relation to the reduction of stress in the workplace. [133412]
§ Malcolm WicksExisting legislation (Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974, and the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999) places a general duty on employers to protect the health and safety of their employees and to carry out an adequate risk assessment. These duties apply equally to work-related stress as any other work-place hazard.
Following public consultation during 1999 the Health and Safety Commission decided that a legislative approach would be hard to define. Consequently there are no plans to introduce further legislation, although the need for an Approved Code of Practice will be kept under review.
To assist employers to tackle the problem of work-related stress the Health and Safety Executive are currently piloting draft management standards with the intention of launching them in late 2004. The standards will have the status of guidance and will provide a yardstick against which employers can measure their progress in measuring work-related stress.