PROGRAMME OF RESEARCH ON WORK-RELATED STRESS (WRS)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a Crown non-departmental public body with specific statutory functions in relation to health and safety. It is appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. HSE regulates a wide range of industries including offshore, chemical, agriculture and construction industries as well as a range of manufacturing industries, and employs around 2700 staff including policy advisers, inspectors, technologists and scientific and medical advisers. HSE's job is to prevent people being killed, injured or made ill by work in Great Britain.

HSE consists of a governing Board comprising of a Chair, the Chief Executive of HSE and ten non-executive members, all of whom are appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions after consultation with organisations representing employers, employees, local authorities and others, as appropriate.

HSE comprises various directorates and groups and is led by a senior management board. HSE works from over 30 locations throughout Great Britain.

Reducing work-related ill health (with a specific focus on mental health and stress) is a key strategic objective in HSE's strategy from 2022-2032 Protecting people and places: HSE strategy 2022 to 2032 Implementing this strategic objective is dependent on having urgent access to underpinning evidence to enable the shaping of standards required in HSE's guidance which enables proposed inspection and enforcement activity. An improved evidence base will allow HSE to advise others is relation to WRS.

Three critical research questions/topics have been identifed that are required to help provide this evidence:

RQ1 What primary and secondary control measures/interventions show efficacy for preventing and mitigating WRS?

RQ2 How is WRS assigned and/or labelled by (a) an organisation and (b) medical professionals?

RQ3 What are the enablers and barriers to organisations effectively controlling WRS risk?

Further information can be found within the ITT documentation at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/hse