**2. Psychosocial risks factors**

Workplaces are constantly evolving following changes in economic and social conditions in society. These new situations pose new challenges. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)'s second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2) 2014 provides interesting information on some of the changers. In context of societal change, ESENER-e findings reflect the continues growth of the service sector [5]. The most frequently identified risk factors are interaction with difficult customers, students or patients (58% of establishments in the EU-28), followed by strenuous or painful work posture (56%) and repetitive hand or arm movements (52%). Among 16 most often causes of risk at work in the survey, psychosocial risk was in first place but also positioned at no. 7, as a form of long and irregular working hours and at no. 11 as a form of poor communication, unsafe work, lack of possibility to influence on work and discrimination against gender, age or nation.

employees competencies and needs**. Psychosocial risk** likelihood that psychosocial factors have a hazardous influence on employees' health through their perceptions and experience and the severity of ill health that can be caused by exposure to them. **Work-related stress** pattern of emotional, cognitive, behavioural and physiological reactions to adverse and noxious aspects of work content, work organization, work environment and poor communication. **Burnout** is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from long-

**Stress is not a disease**, but it is the first sign of a problem; if the body experiences a continuous strain, stress can cause acute and chronic changes which can provoke long-term damage to systems and organs, particularly if the body cannot rest and recover. People exposed to stressors have physiological responses. Levels of adrenalin and cortisol hormones consistently rise in response to stress. Those stress hormones effect on blood pressure and cholesterol levels [4]. If chronically repeated, elevation adrenaline and cortisol are likely to have long-term

In the longer period, stress can contribute to hypertension and, as a consequence, to the development of heart and cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, as well as peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel diseases. It can also alter immune functions, which may in turn facilitate the development of cancer. Other than these physiological and physical effects, stress has psychological and social effects. Stress impacts on both affective and cognitive outcomes such as memory loss, attention, decision-making, distress, anxiety, depression, burnout. Exposure to psychosocial risks has been linked to an wide array of unhealthy behaviours like excessive smoking and drinking, physical inactivity, irregular sleep and diet. These disorders are responsible for the great majority of diseases,

The society suffers from a loss of work capacity in individual due to direct financial health care costs and decreased quality of life. Work-related stress is determined by psychosocial hazards

Workplaces are constantly evolving following changes in economic and social conditions in society. These new situations pose new challenges. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)'s second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2) 2014 provides interesting information on some of the changers. In context of societal change, ESENER-e findings reflect the continues growth of the service sector [5]. The most frequently identified risk factors are interaction with difficult customers, students or patients (58% of establishments in the EU-28), followed by strenuous or painful work posture (56%) and repetitive hand or arm movements (52%). Among 16 most often causes of risk at work in the survey, psychosocial risk was in first place but also positioned at no. 7, as a form of long and irregular working hours and at no. 11 as a form of poor communication,

found in: work organization, work design, working conditions and labour relations.

term involvement in work situation that is emotionally demanding [3].

disability and medical care use, death in most countries.

**2. Psychosocial risks factors**

consequences for health.

238 Occupational Health

European Social Partners brought Framework Agreement on Work-related Stress in Brussels 2004. "The agreement" provides an action-oriented framework [6]. This includes nonexhaustive examples of **indicators, risk factors and measures** that should guide action.





Nowadays, most EU countries adopted a list psychosocial hazard of six key areas of work design: **demands, control, support, relationships, role and change** [7].

Guidance on the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace PAS 1010:2011 was published in 2011 [8]. It elaborates in detail some of key issues:


A large number of data were obtained by employees' stress self-assessment, according to which 60% of the participants regard responsibility due to their line of work as stressful; 52% participants consider stressful situation interruptions at work; for 46% of employees, stressful situations are short notice deadlines; for 45% of employees, repetitive movements are stress inducers; and for 40% of employees, new tasks are stressful, especially for older working population [9]. A number of questionnaires are offered for self-assessment of the increased stress results, that is, burnout syndrome. In the Netherlands, 22% of the cases of burnout syndrome were caused by a job organization (too few or too many tasks, unclear duties, etc.), while the interpersonal relations at work hold the second place (21%) [10].

In the Netherlands, specifically among most stressful jobs is work behind a counter followed by the job of a teacher [10].
