[Objective assessment of risk factors of work-stress: first experience of application of the method OSFA(Objective...

The OSFA (Objective Stress Factors Analysis) method is an approach to stress evaluation based on objective risk factors recording, according to the Italian law (legislative decree 81/08) as well as to national and international guidelines. The method evaluates the work conditions recognized as hazardous for the workers' psychophysical health. It comprises two main phases: phase A (company data analysis) and phase B (analysis of work-related stress conditions). Particularly, phase B is centred on the work conditions peculiar to the different organizational units, and it is conducted by means of structured interviews to experienced employees who know the specific company reality. The interviews, based on a 72 items questionnaire, take into consideration four main work aspects: organization, social environment, safety, and management. The final version of the instrument has been tested on 13 medium-small companies of Lumbardy (Italy), operating in various fields, with a number of employees ranging from 5 to 107 (median = 37). These first OSFA method experimentations allowed to verify its adequacy in relation to the exhaustiveness of the examined areas, the intelligibility of the items, and their capacity to discriminate the stress risk factors peculiar to the various productive activities. The preliminary results indicate that the described approach is easy to apply, and favourably accepted by employers and workers for its objectivity. Additionally, the OSFA method allows to plan preventive and ameliorative interventions, according to both the legislative decree 81/08 and the European agreement of October 8, 2004. Finally, the information obtained can represent the basis for a further stress risk evaluation through subjective evaluation methods.