HSC says trade union submissions made up about 7 per cent of all responses to the stress discussion document. The decision to put off introducing an ACoP shows once again that the HSE has major problems dealing with the real health issues that face working people in the 21st century. The argument that a stress ACoP could not be enforced is nonsense. This is bad news for the half a million workers who suffer illness from work-related stress every year. It reveals a crisis in confidence over the enforcement of occupational health issues.
Stress is one of the major occupational health problems facing workers.
Experience with other common hazards has shown that, without a clear legal framework and effective enforcement activity, the chances of getting employers to comply with their general duty of care are low. We do not accept that an ACoP on stress cannot be enforced. The standards already exist and can, and should, be enforced now. It is simply unthinkable that the HSC and the HSE can suggest that there be no enforcement action on such a serious health issue. The longer HSC and HSE sit on the fence, the more workers will be condemned to intolerable, but preventable, working conditions due to stress.