Hundreds of safety week events target stress

Unions used last month's European week on safety and health to revitalise campaigning on work-related stress with hundreds of events and activities taking place around the country.

The week began with the TUC launching its "Stress MOT". The idea follows the same principles as a car MOT - reps carry out a survey of the workplace to find out what is creating stress for the workers, and a test of how well the organisation addresses the workers' problems it produces.

TUC general secretary John Monks said: "The causes of stress can be controlled and the risks managed. No one should have to suffer stress at work - it's time to tackle the hassle."

Manufacturing and finance union Amicus declared the Tuesday of safety week to be "Ban Bullying at Work day". Joint general secretary Roger Lyons called on the government to pass the Dignity at Work Bill that has passed through the House of Lords.

Public services union UNISON organised a national inspection day on the Wednesday. UNISON safety reps were encouraged to carry out their legal right to inspect their workplace for health and safety problems.

The GMB general union promoted a campaign of body mapping throughout the week while civil service union PCS held a vote on a 'Stressometer' to see where the most stressful workplaces were.

Further information on the week can be found in the TUC e-zine Risks: www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/index.cfm