Tackling psychosocial hazards at work.

Workplaces are surrounded by a variety of hazards. Psychosocial factors in particular can become a significant hazard. As reported in the current issue1), long working hours are closely connected with health disorders2, 3). Some types of work schedules, such as shift work, dramatically affect our mental and physical functioning4). Being bullied at work also disrupts the quality of working life5).

An essential task here is to understand how we should deal with the psychosocial factors at work and, in turn, improve the psychosocial work environment. In principle, prevention is achieved by removal or reduction of exposure to toxic or unsafe sources in the workplace. Another strategy of prevention is possible with effective use of occupational hygiene technology and personal protective equipment. These sets of strategies have commonly been applied to controlling other categories of problems including chemical substances6), heat7), vibration8), and slips, trips, and falls9).

The preventive approaches mentioned above can hardly be applied to psychosocial work factors. Of course, continued effort has been made to shorten working hours and to reduce job stress at company and national levels. However, unfavorable outcomes, such as Karoshi (death and suicide due to being overworked) and other burnout related health disorders, are still prevalent in Japan and neighboring countries10). Information and communication technology (ICT), such as personal computers, e-mail, and wireless networks, were originally introduced into offices to reduce the burden of work that we engage in. Ironically, opposite consequences occur: ICT is likely to intensify our jobs through an increased number of tasks, an increased frequency of necessary/unnecessary communication, and working even after leaving the office or during days off11).

Given the nature of psychosocial hazards, experts emphasize risk reduction at the organizational level10, 12, 13). Action-oriented attempts in the workplace according to good practices are known as a good start to reaching this goal14). Furthermore, exploring potential countermeasures and testing their effectiveness need to be promoted in occupational health sciences. We have to overcome a number of barriers when conducting intervention studies. Although observational studies (either as a cross-sectional or longitudinal design) are useful for risk estimation, high-quality intervention research is needed to provide reliable data for risk reduction. Industrial Health is seeking such better products, and, given this, is looking forward to your active submission of findings to realize psychosocially healthy workplaces.