Environmental Stress At Work

Pleasant, comfortable surroundings in which you can operate to the best of your ability contribute a lot to a stress-free working atmosphere. Considerable stress at work can be caused by the following:

• Drab surroundings

• Dirty conditions

• Out-dated or poorly serviced machinery or equipment

• Poor light

• Inadequate ventilation

• Too high or too low temperature

• Malfunctioning air-conditioning

• Over-crowding

• Lack of privacy

• Unacceptable noise levels

• Polluted atmosphere

• Poor security

• Inadequate staff facilities

Most people will have worked in places where some at least of these environmental factors will be immediately recognizable. In fact they usually occur in combination, and so can have a multiple effect stress wise.

Employers are bound by the regulations of the Health and Safety at Work Act, which covers many of these points, and it is part of good management to identify and take action upon any environmental causes of stress to staff.

It is also up to individual employees, most usefully through a staff association or similar employee organization, to bring to the employer's attention points arising out of working conditions which may impair safety and optimum performance.

This could result in improvements such as a no-smoking policy; well- designed and reasonably sound-proof open plan office systems; efficient security on the office building; a better standard of food and service in the canteen.

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