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Recent figures from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive show a sharp rise in work-related stress, depression and anxiety. Between 2024-2025, the UK recorded almost one million affected workers (up from just over three quarters of a million in the previous year), with over 22 million working days lost.

While every country collects data differently, figures from the World Health Organisation and AXA suggest that these trends will feel familiar to many organisations around the world. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work found that 29% of workers in the EU suffer from these conditions.

They show how easily mental-health risks can escalate, even when information and guidance exist to help manage them.

For health and safety practitioners, one of the most influential things we can do is role-model good practice. By demonstrating practical, everyday approaches to stress management, we help show colleagues and managers what “good” looks like.

Revisiting the stress management standards

The HSE’s Stress Management Standards encourage organisations to think systematically about stress. In simple terms, they prompt us to ask:

• What is causing pressure or strain?
• How significant is the risk of stress?
• What can we do to reduce it?

Applying the Standards will help build psychological safety — such as ensuring workers are able to work well and are not worrying about their performance and have the opportunity and encouragement to speak up or seek help.

For example:

• Demands: Giving people realistic workloads, adequate time, appropriate training and the right information.
• Role: Setting out clear and realistic expectations, and giving timely, constructive feedback.

These concepts are universal and translate well across different regions, sectors and job roles.

Linking stress to safety practice

Safety practitioners can build their own understanding of the Standards by applying them to everyday safety activities. A few examples follow.

Managing Demands

Imagine workers receive a standard operating procedure, plus different sheets explaining hazards and controls. The volume of information leaves them unsure which instruction applies when. An operations manager, supported by a safety advisor and workers themselves, develops a single integrated procedure. Each step of the operation now shows the related hazards and controls, and workers suggest adding labelled photographs to make it easier to find key points quickly. This reduces information overload and helps people feel more confident about their tasks.

Offering Support and Fostering Positive Relationships

A manager, safety team or other function that is seen only as critical or punitive can discourage people from speaking up. Staff may avoid raising issues because they fear being blamed or judged. Practitioners can model a different approach: asking open questions, showing curiosity and respect, and acknowledging good practice as well as non-conformities. This helps create a supportive atmosphere where people feel comfortable seeking guidance.

Managing Change

Change—such as new equipment or processes—can lead to doubts and worries. Safety committees or similar forums can be valuable tools for meaningful involvement. Practitioners can encourage managers to share plans early, invite worker input and use these discussions to shape decisions, not simply report outcomes. Genuine involvement gives people a sense of control and certainty.

Leading by example

By taking these practical steps, safety practitioners can show that stress management is not an abstract concept. When managers and workers experience the benefits—such as clearer information and fewer errors—they become more likely to adopt these approaches themselves.
Becoming a role model starts with honest self-reflection. Consider how you and your team is currently perceived, how you communicate under pressure and where people may feel uncertainty or frustration. Seek feedback from colleagues, frontline workers or other functions.
By demonstrating these behaviours, safety practitioners can influence others to manage in ways that reduce the strains of work and help staff to cope with those pressures that remain.

Sources:
• HSE, Key figures for Great Britain 2024 to 2025, https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overview.htm
• World Health Organisation (WHO), Mental health at work, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work, 02/09/24
• AXA, Mind Health Report, https://www.axa.com/en/press/publications/mind-health-report-2025, 27/03/25
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, OSH Pulse Occupational safety and health in the era of climate and digital change, https://osha.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/OSH-pulse-2025-mental-health_infographic_EN.pdf, data collected 31/03/25-14/04/25
• HSE, Management Standards, https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/index.htm