Do Employers Legally Need a Stress Risk Assessment?

Employers have a legal duty to assess and manage risks to health and safety, including risks arising from work-related stress. A stress risk assessment provides a structured way to identify where work may be creating harmful pressure and what action may be needed.

This is not about diagnosing individual employees or trying to remove every source of pressure from work. It is about looking at workplace factors such as workload, control, support, relationships, role and change, and taking reasonable steps where risks are identified.

For organisations with five or more employees, the significant findings of the risk assessment must be recorded. Employers should also keep evidence of the actions taken and review the assessment when circumstances change or where existing controls may no longer be effective.

A good stress risk assessment should therefore be treated as an ongoing process rather than a one-off document.