Stress at Work
We believe that the job of teaching all too often carries with it an unacceptable risk that an individual will become ill because of the stress that the job causes them.
The NUT officers in Bradford have been working with the LEA and Education Bradford to plan work that brought into schools the Health & Safety Executive's "Management Standards for Work-related Stress".
Regular meetings of the group known as the "Health and Well-being Group" are being held. The group includes NUT Officers putting forward the needs and concerns of teachers. The Health & Safety Executive are working alongside us on this in a pilot project which will inform work to be done nationally on reducing ill-health caused by stress at work.
The NUT and other teachers’ unions have worked in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive, Bradford Council and Education Bradford to devise a system for Risk Assessment for Stress in schools and there were several launches last year of the system devised for School Managements in conducting specific risk assessments for stress.
What does the STRESS RISK ASSESSMENT involve?
All Headteachers have now been offered training.
Very soon the HSE will be returning to the council to see that progress has been made.
It has been emphasised to Headteachers that they have a statutory duty to conduct a Risk Assessment for stress and the council expect them to be doing it.
The HSE and Bradford Council staff will be visiting a selection of schools to look at their Stress Risk Assessment Process and to offer additional support.
What should have happened so far?
To start with, all staff, or at least staff representatives, had to be consulted about what they thought the stressors were in the school. You may even have been asked to complete a questionnaire.
It is essential that any stress risk assessment is not just a document but a process that enables practical steps to be taken to make a real difference so our jobs become less stressful. We need to:
This process should have begun in your school. If you are not satisfied that things are moving, please ring the NUT office (01274 414664).
The Union has produced an excellent booklet full of help for headteachers once they know what the stressors are in their school. This link below will take you to the document which you can then download, print off and give to your headteacher.
It is worth going to the TUC link below for a fuller explanation of what the Health & Safety Executive's "Management Standards for Work-related Stress" are all about. A link to the relevant site on the HSE website is also included below.
HSE work recently has been looking into the effects on stress at work of the behaviours of managers and their competency in implementing the management standards. Follow the link below to assess how competent your manager is.
Please tell us about any successes, we can disseminate them (email miriam@bradfordnut.org).
Model School Well-Being Policy
HSE Website "Management Standards for Work Related Stress"
How competent is your manager?