Psychosocial aspects of interventions in occupational safety and health

Attention to psychosocial hazards in work environments should become an increasingly important component of occupational safety and health interventions. Research findings have linked a number of measurable psychosocial characteristics with negative psychological and physiological consequences. Some serious physical health hazards have also been found to have psychosocial components. Several economic trends indicate that more jobs will be created with high levels of psychosocial hazards. These economic trends include a decline in wages, a move away from a manufacturing base, increased hours of work, a decline in unionization rates, and poorly implemented technological changes. Intervention strategies developed to reduce psychosocial stressors must address the multiple cause of psychosocial hazards and the multiple symptoms they produce. Additional challenges include assessing psychosocial changes within the sometimes contradictory framework of organizational and social changes. Nevertheless, comprehensive efforts to improve both the health and safety and the overall quality of working life need to incorporate psychosocial variables into their designs.