What is stress?

Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them. There is a clear distinction between pressure, which can create a ­'buzz' and be a motivating factor, and stress, which can occur when this pressure becomes excessive.

How big is the problem?

• About 1 in 7 people say that they find their work either very or extremely stressful (Psychosocial working conditions in Britain. in 20071)



• In 2005/06 just under half a million people in Great Britain reported experiencing work-related stress at a level they believed was making them ill



• Depression and anxiety are the most common stress­related complaints seen by GPs, affecting 20% of the working population of the UK



• When stress leads to absence" the average length of sick leave is 30.1 days (Labour Force Survey 2005/062). This average is much higher than the average length of sick leave for work-related illness in general (21.2 days).



• A total of nearly 11 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2005/06



• HSE research in 2003 into offshorework3 found approximately 70% of common work-related stressors are also potential root causes of accidents when they were caused by human error.