Posted By Tracey C
Hi Nick
Give me a bit more info if you can. I have dealt with stress a lot in our industry so i might be able to help, but not sure what you want.

T

Posted By nick Bridge
Tracey


We work in an industry where mistakes by operators are very costly, therefore there are numerous checks and balances within the system in terms of signatures against agreed procedures completed. When errors occur "stress" is sometimes cited as a contributing factor in the error but i can't currently quantify this. With this in mind am trying to reconcile this with any possible current research / thinking that i can pull together for management based on how errors and stress are linked. How big a problem is it generally? How can we improve.

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Nick

Although he allow the links with stress to remain implicit, John Reason's books (starting with 'Human Error', published by Cambridge University Press, 1990) and in particular his one in 2003 on Maintenance Errors, 2003, explain many of the mechanisms that can result in stress.

The HSE title, 'Human Error and Behaviour' (HSG 48, from memory) addresses the same root issues of designing or redesigning work to reduce errors and stress at source (in the minds of workpeople).

The HSE research report on 'Beacons of Excellence in Stress Management' explains how organisations that make 'primary' interventions to prevent stress have a similar effect of designing work to match capabilities of people and thereby control unhealthy and harmful forms of stress.

Posted By H Klinkenberg
Hi Nick

Errors resulting from stress are one of the stress indicators used by professional corporate stress managers, however quantifying the losses due to stress has proved very difficult and is often expressed as an professional opinion.

On the web site stressbiz.co.uk there is a free excel worksheet to help calculate the cost of stress. This includes estimating costs due to stress impacting on accidents, overtime and reworking.

HK