La prevención de los riesgos psicosociales

Resumen

Psychosocial risks are one of the most difficult problems in the safety and health field of the workplace. According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, they significantly affect the health of people, organizations and national economies. Furthermore, around half of European workers believe that stress is a common element in their workplaces, and it contributes to nearly half of all working days lost. This means that psychosocial risks involve a cost of large dimensions, both for Public Administration and for companies. And the most important thing of all: psychosocial risks can affect the well-being of the people who is suffering these ailments. Unquestionably, we are facing a social problem of considerable entity and we do not know exactly its dimension, that is why it has not had an adequate response. Nowadays, there is no set catalog with psychosocial risks and the progress in scientific researchs are identifying other occupational hazards that may be identified as psychosocial risks. For that reason, this Doctoral Thesis analyzes the psychosocial risks that could have more important consequences in the mental and physical health of workers, looking for what can be done from the organizations to prevent them. OBJECTIVES This research has the following objectives: "To analyze the risks that have been considered as the most important, in order to know the tools and resources that can be used to assess the type of measures that must be adopted. "To observe the health problems that may origin emerging risks in people, which currently is a real challenge in the field of occupational health. "To prove that the psychosocial risks information must be as complete as possible, because we do not know the dimension of the problem and we can hardly face it if we ignore its magnitude. METHODOLOGY From a syncretic and pluralist position with a methodological point of view, the following tasks have been undertaken: "To analyze national and European surveys about psychosocial risks and consider the comments made about them. "More than 1,400 references have been consulted: Bibliography, technical prevention notes, web pages, sentences, collective agreements, protocols to prevent workplace bullying, equality plans, etc. This has involved a large volume of information. "Specialized centers, prevention departments, trade unions and professional associations, among others organizations, have been visited to know the daily reality of the pathologies that have been studying. CONCLUSIONS We have followed a coherent work method that would allow us to deeply know psychological risk. In addition, this would provide us with new paths that can be opened in the investigation of this serious labor issue. With this objective, we understand that it is necessary to deepen in the psychosocial risks research to maintain it constantly updated. In the current context where the work conditions often change, new emerging risks arise.