Lack of enforcement

The TUC says one of the reasons for the lack of progress in tackling stress is that the HSE does not enforce the Management Standards. While it can issue improvement notices, the TUC pointed out that the safety enforcement body had not issued one notice for stress in the five years to June 2017.

Last year the Mental Health Foundation charity called for stronger government and HSE action to ensure employers treat physical and psychological hazards in the workplace equally. Its Stress: are we coping? report calls for “an increase in enforcement of breaches, and the development of appropriate case law and precedents to enable staff to use in practice the rights they have in law to be protected from harm”.