What Stress Does To You?

What can extreme or long-term stress do to your body, physically and mentally?

Most people would be surprised just how much of an affect this type of stress can have on our bodies. To assist Australians to build a picture, Lifeline Australia has created a simple diagram (attached and available at www.stressdown.org.au/media), showing some of the possible ways your body can be affected when exposed to prolonged or extreme stress.

“Some stress can be healthy, and can assist us to function at peak capacity,” Lifeline CEO Dawn O’Neil said today. “But extreme or prolonged stress can have a detrimental affect on our physical and mental wellbeing. Stress can have an impact on almost every part of the body. The sort of extreme or prolonged stress caused by traumatic events or long term work pressures can sometimes cause serious issues for our bodies.”

Stress can exacerbate mental health issues like depression, anxiety, insomnia and moods swings. It can be a cause of back pain, and tension, bad skin, and stomach cramps. It can affect our appetite, our reproductive systems and reduce our immunity against things like the cold and flu.

A recent poll by Newspoll for Lifeline Australia showed that 41% of Australians are experiencing high, unhealthy levels of stress.

“We have found that two in every five Australians are experiencing levels of stress that is potentially harmful. This stress is resulting, according to the poll, from work, finances, health, thoughts of the future and personal relationship pressures,” Ms O’Neil said.

“Around seventy percent of people who call Lifeline are experiencing high levels of psychological distress. So that’s why Lifeline is urging the country to look honestly at their own stress levels and work towards good stress management early, before it becomes a more serious problem.

For further information or comment contact:Chris Wagner, Lifeline Australia, 02 6215 9446 or 0434 378 939 Release date: 17 Jul 2009

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National OHS Review – Coverage of Volunteers

(Article from Volunteering Australia's e-newsletter “Involve” issue 5/2009)

A National Review into Model Occupational Health and Safety laws has been underway since early 2008, with a view to one model law being adopted across Australia within five years.  Harmonising OHS laws in this way aims to cut red tape, boost efficiency and provide greater certainty and protections for all workplace parties.  It will certainly reduce complexity for organisations working across different jurisdictions.

Coverage of volunteers is not explicit in all current state and territory OHS legislation.  The advisory panel’s lengthy second report to government makes the recommendation (Recommendation 93) that the model law should define a ‘worker’ (rather than an ‘employee’ which has a legal meaning) consistently with the definition in the Northern Territory Act, which explicitly includes volunteers in its coverage.

Further discussion in the report on the broadening of the definition with the report says:

“This definition would mean that volunteers are owed the various duties of care owed to a worker. They would also have the duty of care of a worker to take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others, and to cooperate with the person conducting the business or undertaking. We consider it to be appropriate that they should have that duty of care, if they are undertaking work. Any concern that this may deter people from volunteer work may be minimised by noting the standard of reasonable care is to that applied for negligence under the criminal law.”

In the absence of explicit reference to volunteers in most current OH&S laws, it is recommended that the common law duty of care to, and by, volunteers in the carrying out of their volunteer duties is observed.

As the various reports to government are both lengthy and complex, all of the potential implications are not covered in this update.  Nor is it yet certain which recommendations will be adopted by government at the conclusion of the review. Further analysis will be provided when available.

For further information visit the Australian Government’s National OHS Review website.

WorkSafe highlights legal consequences of safety failings
A number of cases involving significant workplace health and safety issues have gone before the courts this week. WorkSafe says this highlights that the message on OHS still needs to be heard by many employers. WorkSafe’s Legal Services and Investigations Division Director, Stan Krpan, said while penalties for serious breaches of safety laws now exceeded one-million dollars he was still concerned many people did not take their obligations seriously.

“With Victoria’s work-related death toll now standing at 11 for the year and serious injuries occurring daily, WorkSafe is taking a rigorous approach to enforcement, particularly in cases where the failings were obvious and easily fixable. We are not backing down from our core responsibility to the community to administer and enforce Victoria’s safety laws”, he said.
Three of the seven cases in court this week involve fatalities, another resulted in a man suffering brain damage and in another, a man lost all the toes on one foot. Two men are charged with intimidating a WorkSafe inspector and a company has been charged with having inadequate guarding on a machine even though no one was hurt. All the matters involve serious allegations that will now be tested in the courts.

SafetyNet will report on the outcomes of these cases as they come to hand.
VWA media release

Study links stress, computers to musculoskeletal pain

A Sydney University study of 1300 Australian Public Service staff reveals that musculoskeletal symptoms are more likely caused by high workloads and tight deadlines than by posture or other physical factors, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) reports. Karin Griffiths, one of the researchers and a CPSU member, said that unmanageable workloads and unrealistic deadlines were among the stronger predictors of neck and back pain and employers should recognise the contribution of work stress to physical ill-health.
"When you have staff doing a job that is already computer based, then give them higher workloads, tighter time constraints and more deadlines, the evidence suggests that you substantially increase the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms," she said. Further, the study revealed that working in front of a computer for six or more hours a day increased the risk of musculoskeletal problems by up to 230%, while working in front of computers for eight or more hours increased the risk by up to 500%. Griffiths said that increased computerisation was a health hazard for the Australian public sector where 80% of staff spends three-quarters of their working day at a computer. "Advances in technology have created a sedentary environment in our working lives. Instead of getting up to go to the library, consulting a manual or even talking to a colleague, it’s all done from our desks," she said.
Source: Workplace OHS (SafetyNet Journal)

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Workplaces rife with bullying
Despite the risk of hefty fines and damage to corporate reputation, many employers still seem blasé about the issues of workplace discrimination and bullying.

Australian workplaces are rife with bullying, with almost one in three (30 per cent) employees claiming they have been bullied at work and one in four (24 per cent) that they have been discriminated against.
The findings are the result of a national survey of more than 2000 employees con ducted by online learning and information management provider WorkPro. According to its Workplace Pulse Quarterly Survey, bullying remains a feature of the workplace, with 27 per cent of respondents stating that bullying or discrimination has happened to them with in the past two years.
Almost half (46 per cent) of respondents said they had seen their colleagues bullied or discriminated against within the past two years. Even more alarmingly, 31 per cent of the group had witnessed such behaviour multiple times.
According to WorkPro business manager Tania Evans, the problem is far more prevalent than many employers realise. “Organisations need to realise that bullying and unfair treatment of staff is occurring and could be impacting on their own workplace culture or, worse still, exposing them to the risk of liability, possible fines and even brand damage.

“Managing the risks is about empowering your people to fully understand their rights and responsibilities at work, and to feel like they can speak up on inappropriate behaviour with out experiencing recrimination as a result.”
The research also found that Australian employees are very aware of workplace sensitivities. Almost three-quarters (71 per cent) of respondents said they worry about offending colleagues in a discriminatory way, such as on the basis of gender, disability or other distinctive attributes.
Unfortunately, despite this strong level of awareness, 27 per cent expressed uncertainty regarding when their own rights are being violated and 31 per cent are under the wrong impression when it comes to who is legally responsible to provide this information, indicating a need for further education.
Evans says it is surprising that, given the business risks, employers are still not ticking all the boxes on equal employment opportunity (EEO) and occupational health and safety (OH&S) education. “The results show that Australian employees have a thirst for knowledge about their workplace rights and obligations,” Evans maintains.
More specifically, employees indicated they would most value information on: what to do if bullied or discriminated against (16 per cent); their workplace rights (14 per cent); unacceptable versus acceptable workplace behaviour (12 per cent); and who to report an incident to (11 per cent). Some 46 per cent want information on all these matters before commencing a new role.
“What many employers fail to realise is that they do not have to be directly involved in, or even aware of, an incident for them to be liable,” Evans says. “They can be prosecuted for an incident that happens between other staff members, as well as for not providing employees with adequate OH&S and EEO information and training, yet the latter is an area often left alone in terms of induction.”

Human Resources Leader - 2 April 2009

Employers must manage mental health issues: Report

A UK study says employers should do more for the mental wellbeing of staff returning to work after sick leave. The report, Returning to work, the role of depression, said employees who accessed services like counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy returned to work sooner and made quicker recoveries. It said those returning to work after mental health episodes found it harder to adjust than those with physical conditions because line managers and colleagues had little understanding about depression and anxiety. The research, conducted by Loughborough University’s Department of Human Sciences for the UK Mental Health Foundation (MHF), compared return-to-work experiences of individuals suffering heart disease, back pain and cancer to those with depression and anxiety. The report said 45% of those with physical conditions experienced mild-to-moderate depression but were more worried about telling bosses about psychological issues than their cancer or heart disease, even though depression impacted on their wellbeing and ability to function at work.
Mental Health Foundation (SafetyNet Journal)

Flu pandemic preparedness

The World Health Organisation has declared that a flu pandemic is imminent. With Australia and the rest of the Southern Hemisphere heading into peak flu season there is an increased vulnerability here. Whilst there have been no cases of swine flu in Australia, companies and workplaces are being advised to prepare for the possibility of a genuine flu pandemic. Reps should keep up-to-date with the latest news, and think about the likelihood that this may be a hazard in their workplace.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has recommend workplaces adopt hygiene measures to battle the swine flu pandemic. According to the AMA, good personal hygiene will help reduce the transmission of swine flu in workplaces. It recommends that everyone in a workplace:

• washes hands regularly with soap and water
• uses alcohol-based sanitisers
• covers their mouths while coughing or sneezing
• disposes of used tissues appropriately.

Employers should be developing pandemic preparedness plans - in consultation with elected health and safety representatives. This would include procedures to identify any situations where the virus might be spread (for example employees returning from overseas travel) and appropriate controls. The employer should ensure that any employees returning to work (particularly from Mexico or US border-states) and experiencing flu symptoms see their general practitioner to avoid putting others at risk.

Comcare advises that organisations now consider reviewing and implementing their flu pandemic preparedness plan to prepare for a potential Swine Influenza outbreak. If your organisation has yet to develop a flu pandemic preparedness plan, Comcare suggests that you do so immediately using the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s publication Pandemic Planning In The Workplace. (SafetyNet Journal)

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5.      Useful Links

Federal and other states

Australian Government – OHS (Workplace Health & Safety)

Australian Services Union - OHS

Beyond Bullying

Business.gov.au - OHS

Health Services Union of Australia - OHS

Human Resource Leader

National Safety Council of Australia

Safe Work Australia

Safety at Work Blog

Victoria

Better Health Channel

Community Sector Investment Fund (DHS) – OHS Strategies

Funded Agency Channel (DHS) – Work Health; OHS & WorkCover

Go for your life – healthy eating and physical activity

Occupational Health & Safety Act 2004

OHS Reps @ Work

Stress – WorkSafe

Stress and your health – Australian Medical Association

Victorian Council of Social Service - OHS

Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents – OHS Act 2004

Victorian Managed Insurance Authority

WorkHealth

WorkSafe Victoria

International

European Agency for Safety & Health at Work

New Zealand Dept of Labour – Health & Safety Site

Hazards Magazine (UK)

For more information on the OHS Project or the above resources, please contact Kelvin on (03) 9614 1577 or email kelvin@cwav.asn.au.

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