ISO 45003: Managing mental stress in the company
ISO 45003, the first international standard on the management of mental stress, was published in 2021. It supports the requirements of ISO 45001, which describes the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system and provides guidance on implementation.
"ISO 45003 underlines the importance of mental stress in occupational health and safety today. Consequences such as reduced performance and increased employee fluctuation as well as long periods of incapacity to work cause high costs in companies. It is therefore important to identify mental stress within the framework of a risk assessment and to reduce it by means of suitable measures. For this purpose the ISO 45003 a comprehensive guideline that we take into account in all our services," explains Iris Dohmen, a psychologist at TÜV Rheinland who advises companies and organizations in various industries on issues of business psychology.
Shared responsibility of all hierarchical levels
All hierarchical levels in the company must work together in the management of mental stress: Top management sends an important signal to all employees through its clearly communicated commitment to occupational health and safety. It also provides the framework for analyses, measures and evaluations and creates the conditions for implementation by providing resources. "ISO 45003 emphasizes the importance of employees in all process steps. They are the experts for their area of work: they know the hazards, the effects of the measures taken and can make further suggestions for improvement," says Dohmen.
Confidentiality and anonymity are the prerequisites for employees to report incidents and risks or to talk about the effects of hazards on health. For this reason, ISO 45003 stipulates that data must be collected and documented in such a way that no conclusions can be drawn about individual employees.
The management of mental stress is a continuous process
Identifying and reducing mental stress is a process that must be continuously monitored by all those involved: It is important to analyse the effects of the measures and to strive again for improvements. It is therefore important to provide comprehensive information about the management of mental stress and to communicate the status of the measures on a regular basis. "Good communication is the key to involving managers and their teams in the development of all processes for managing mental stress," explains Dohmen. This communication is multi-faceted, he adds. It includes, for example, information on how work-related changes that can affect health and well-being, expectations of employees, and opportunities for feedback. By continuously collecting and evaluating information on mental stress, a continuous process is created. This continuous improvement process not only reduces mental stress, but also improves the company's performance and productivity.
For more information on a wide range of occupational safety topics: www.tuv.com/abo-psychologie
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