La psychosocial risk assessment It is a tool whose main objective is to offer the necessary information to allow a psychosocial diagnosis of a company or a specific area of the same to be carried out and to promote the wellness at work.
Our Standards of occupational safety and health approved within the scope of the European Union cover all occupational health risks without exceptions. And for this, evaluations are carried out, such as the evaluation of psychosocial risks.
Like other job evaluations, psychosocial risk assessment is a complicated process where the actions or stages must be interrelated. Thanks to the result of the evaluation, it will be possible to establish improvement measures adjusted to the risks detected and the environment in which they must be carried out.
Within the evaluation of occupational risks of the company must be, among others, the evaluation of psychosocial risks. Therefore, the action on them must be in the process of Management of prevention of occupational hazards.
What are psychosocial risks and their factors?
The variety of psychosocial risk factors are all those aspects of work management and its social environment that can cause psychosocial risks. Among them we can highlight fatigue, work stress and violence at work.
Therefore, psychosocial risks can have strong health consequences of the worker, but also unleash negative effects on the work organization, with voluntary leaves, absenteeism in the workplace, low level of productivity...
Regarding damage to health, they are the result of continuous and constant exposure to risk factors. For this reason, the assessment of psychosocial risks has a mandatory and fundamental role in the development of a company.
How to prepare a psychosocial risk assessment
In the psychosocial risk assessment process The following phases can be distinguished:
Identify the risk factors
It's fundamental clearly define the problems that have to be investigated. In the assessment of psychosocial risks, it must be taken into account that the different aspects do not occur independently of each other, but rather interact with each other.
This perspective is essential to reach the real causes of problems and establish the best strategy for its control or elimination.
Choosing research techniques and methodology
Both the choice of techniques and the methodology depend on the problem to be evaluated, of the objectives to be achieved, of the people who carry out the study, of the group to which it is directed, etc.
In the evaluation of psychosocial risks, it is common to use of various techniques. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is frequent. In addition, it is essential to be inflexible in the theoretical approach and have well-defined objectives.
Plan and carry out field work
The phase in which the data is obtained is called field work, that is, it consists of the process of information gathering necessary to get to the point.
In the assessment of psychosocial risks it is important avoid surprises. Apply techniques with prior notice to the people involved with the aim of giving them a relaxed moment and place that allows them to have a positive predisposition to participate.
At this stage, it is convenient to controlled that everything unfolds as envisioned during evaluation design.
Analyze the results and prepare a report
The analysis of the results should allow us to discover the Origin of the problem psychosocial in the workplace.
To correctly determine the causes, it is important to bear in mind that a single problem can occur for several reasons. And for this reason, properly analyzing the results of the psychosocial risk assessment should allow identify the real causes and not just the apparent causes.
Also, this is the best time to make a risk assessment with the aim of reducing, controlling and even avoiding them.
Develop and initiate an intervention program
Once the report of the results has been prepared, it is necessary to reflect on them and launch a improvement program that amends the existing state. Once the improvement actions have been decided, they must be planned and put into practice.
Follow-up of the measures adopted
A regular follow-up of the adopted actions allows to verify if the objectives are correctly achieved. expected fixes. Over time, solutions to psychosocial risk factors may decrease and a new intervention.
Objective in the evaluation of psychosocial risks
The assessment of psychosocial risks has a clear objective: clearly identify psychosocial risk factors and the production of psychosocial risks that derive from them.
The importance of carrying out an assessment of psychosocial risks in organizations to Know the situation of your employees. Even so, many companies only carry them out due to their legal obligation and are reluctant to integrate it as a priority into their prevention management system.
Assessment of psychosocial risks: Legal obligation
All companies with employed workers have the obligation to assume a preventive modality according to the Article 10 of the Prevention Services Regulations (RSP).
In addition, in articles 15.1.b and 16.2 of the Occupational Risk Prevention Law (LPRL) Every company has the obligation to carry out the Risk Assessment, so not carrying out an assessment of psychosocial risks implies a breach with important sanctions.
Thus, it is justified need to run a psychosocial risk assessment in all companies. And not only as a fulfillment of a legal requirement, but as a labor improvement.
Many of the aspects that prevail in a company such as productivity, the quality of tasks, the time invested, the brand image... would be enhanced and improved with a healthier work environment for all company employees.
Miguel Angel Cristobal Carle
