Stress is often treated as a normal part of working life. Deadlines, demanding supervisors, long hours and heavy workloads can affect almost anyone. But when workplace stress becomes excessive or prolonged, it can become more than a mental health concern. It can also become a safety risk.
A stressed worker may struggle to concentrate, make decisions or respond appropriately to hazards. In a high risk environment, even a brief lapse in attention can have serious consequences.
The World Health Organization estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy about 12 billion working days every year, resulting in approximately US$1 trillion in lost productivity. While not every case is caused by work, the figures show the significant relationship between mental health and working life.
Stress can affect safety in several ways.
A worker dealing with constant pressure may become distracted or mentally exhausted. Instead of carefully following a procedure, they may take a shortcut simply because they want to finish the task quickly. Someone under intense pressure may also find it more difficult to recognise hazards or make sound decisions.
Stress can also contribute to fatigue and poor sleep. When these problems occur together, concentration and reaction time can suffer further. This becomes particularly dangerous for workers operating machinery, driving vehicles, working at height or performing tasks that require constant attention.
The problem can become worse in organisations where employees feel unable to speak about stress. Workers may fear being considered weak, unproductive or incapable of handling their responsibilities. As a result, they may continue working while mentally exhausted rather than asking for support.
For HSE professionals, this is where the connection between mental wellbeing and physical safety becomes important.
The International Labour Organization identifies excessive workloads, long or inflexible working hours, lack of control over work, poor organisational support, violence, harassment and job insecurity among psychosocial risks that can affect workers’ mental health.
Employers therefore need to consider psychosocial hazards as part of their broader risk management approach. This can include reviewing workloads, improving communication, providing adequate rest periods, training supervisors to recognise warning signs and creating channels through which workers can raise concerns safely.
Workers also have a role to play by recognising when stress is affecting their ability to perform tasks safely and seeking appropriate support.
The goal should not be to eliminate every source of pressure from work. Some pressure is unavoidable. The priority is preventing excessive and prolonged stress from becoming a condition that affects judgement, health and safe decision making.
Ultimately, a worker cannot always separate mental wellbeing from physical safety. A workplace that protects people must pay attention to both.
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