Psychosocial risk assessment
The Employee Protection Act (ASchG) stipulates that all organizations must identify and assess physical and mental stress in the workplace. If specific stresses are identified in the workplace, measures must be developed to counteract these stresses.
The BGM of the University of Graz carries out the risk assessment of mental stress in the workplace. This means that stress is determined in the following areas:
- activity-related stress (e.g. stress caused by difficult party traffic, emotionally demanding work, physically demanding work)
- social stress (e.g. conflicts in the team / with the manager, lack of information transfer, experience of discrimination)
- environmental stress (e.g. lack of workplace equipment, temperature/air supply/lighting conditions)
- organizational stress (e.g. disruptions and interruptions, working hours, unclear responsibilities)
- digital stress (e.g. constant availability, complicated digital processes)
Mental stress is determined in screening analyses, which are carried out every three years, and in more in-depth analyses.
For large organizations such as the University of Graz, the screening analysis is preferably carried out using an online survey. The survey is conducted as barrier-free as possible (German/English, barrier-free for employees with visual impairments). This screening analysis serves to initially identify high-stress areas of activity.
For a more detailed analysis, workshops are held in departments/institutes to determine the specific stresses at these workplaces. As part of these workshops, solutions for the stresses and strains are also developed, in the spirit of health-promoting workplace design. As part of the detailed analysis, we also work closely with other departments at the University of Graz (safety experts, occupational medicine, personnel development, etc.).
You can find more information about the risk assessment of mental stress on this page.