Posted By Andy P We have an employee who has been off for a couple of weeks (and has been receiving medical help) following what amounts to a nervous breakdown. The breakdown was mainly due to very bad personal circumstances and recent experiences, however on talking to her she has mentioned concerns about work stresses (although they had not been brought up via the official channels prior to the breakdown). How does one decided whether this absence counts as work-related and therefore reportable under RIDDOR? Although work stress could be cited as a factor, it would really only be a small contributory factor in the big scheme of things, so a difficult one to call. Any ideas?

Posted By Kieran J Duignan I agree with Mark that stress is not a disease in RIDDOR terms. Your account suggests that the employee is approaching, or has reached, a stage of extreme stress known as 'burnout'. So, there's a decision to be made about the right combination of adjusted work design and personal support required to enable her to achieve 'graduated' return to work. Otherwise, you could well end up with a much more complex condition and possibly a claim for personal injury damages for failure to adequately control her present level of risk.