In brief
The Regulation on Risk Assessment requires that, when identifying hazards, psychosocial sources of hazard are recorded alongside physical and chemical hazards. Factors such as workload, control, role ambiguity and social support are measured with a validated survey and small focus groups. Results are interpreted by unit and written into the risk assessment with measures, an owner and a deadline, like any other risk.
What are psychosocial risk factors, and what does the legislation require?
On a packaging line the target output rises every month, break times change depending on the shift supervisor, and no one knows whether responsibility for a quality defect lies with the operator or with inspection. In this picture there is a group of hazards as concrete as a noise measurement or a machine guard but often invisible in reports: psychosocial risk factors. These are conditions arising from the design and organisation of work and from social relationships that can result in stress, burnout, musculoskeletal complaints and lapses of attention in workers.
The legislation is clear on this. Under Art. 8/3 of the Regulation on OHS Risk Assessment, when hazards are identified, “physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial, ergonomic and similar” sources of hazard in the working environment are recorded. The first paragraph of the same article lists “organisational and hierarchical structure, duties, powers and responsibilities” and “the experience and views of workers” among the information to be collected. Art. 5 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety also requires the adverse effects of monotonous work and production pace to be prevented and a prevention policy covering work organisation, working conditions and social relationships to be developed.
In short, a psychosocial risk assessment is not a separate legal document; it is a part of your existing risk assessment that must not be left out.
Which psychosocial hazards will you measure?
First define what you will measure. The most widely used frameworks in international practice are Karasek’s demand-control model and the “Management Standards” of HSE, the UK health and safety authority. The HSE approach looks at six areas: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. The basic idea of the demand-control model is simple: when high demands are combined with low decision latitude, strain increases; support from managers and colleagues reduces this effect.
| Factor | What does it mean? | How does it show on site? |
|---|---|---|
| Workload and pace | Quantity, speed, time pressure, mental load | Increased line speed, constant overtime, working without breaks |
| Control | Say over the order, method and pace of work | Work tied to machine pace, not being able to choose break times |
| Role ambiguity and conflict | Unclear duties and authority, conflicting instructions | Different instructions from two supervisors, uncertainty over who gives approval |
| Social support | Help and feedback from managers and colleagues | Getting no answer when raising a problem, new workers left on their own |
| Relationships | Conflict, unacceptable behaviour, exclusion | Friction between teams, no complaints channel |
| Change management | Restructuring, new systems, shift changes | Shift plans changed without notice, new software |
| Working time arrangements | Shifts, night work, unpredictable overtime | Last-minute weekend call-ins, long consecutive shifts |
This table is also the psychosocial equivalent of the “hazard” column in your risk assessment form. “Stress” is not a hazard but an outcome; the hazard is the condition that causes the stress.
Measurement route 1: The psychosocial risk survey
A survey is the most practical way to collect the views of a large number of workers quickly and in a comparable form. However, its quality depends on the tool you choose and how it is administered.
Choose the tool. Instead of producing scores with a few questions of your own, use a validated scale. Common examples are HSE’s 35-item Management Standards Indicator Tool and the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Whichever you choose, prefer a version that has been validated for reliability in Turkish, and do not change the tool over the years so that you can compare results.
Plan the administration. The following steps determine the reliability of the results:
- Explain to workers in advance why management is using the survey and what it will do with the results; involve the employee representative in the process.
- Administer the survey during working hours, in a quiet setting, or via an anonymous link accessible on personal phones.
- Do not ask for names, payroll numbers or detailed demographic questions that could identify the person.
- Report at the level of unit, shift or job group; merge very small groups so that individuals cannot be recognised.
- Monitor the participation rate; low participation is a finding in itself (lack of trust, survey fatigue, poor communication).
- Share the results with workers within a few weeks.
Measurement route 2: Focus groups and existing records
The survey answers the question “how much”; the answer to “why” usually comes from the focus group. Use focus groups in units where the survey gave negative results or in small workplaces where a survey is not suitable.
- Participants: 6–8 workers from the same unit; the unit’s supervisor should not be in the room.
- Facilitator: The OHS specialist, the workplace physician or a neutral facilitator.
- Duration and records: 60–90 minutes; notes without names are kept, no audio recording is made.
- Questions: “What are the three things that make your job hardest?”, “When you run into a problem, who do you go to, and what happens?”, “What has changed in your job in the last six months, and how was it communicated to you?”
- Output: Recurring patterns, not personal complaints.
In addition to these two methods, look at the records you already have: absenteeism and staff turnover trends by unit, overtime hours, near miss and occupational accident records, and the contents of the complaints and suggestions box. The workplace physician can share findings from examinations such as recurring sleep problems, headaches or musculoskeletal complaints in grouped form, without identifying details.
Adding the results to the risk assessment
Psychosocial findings should be entered in the same document and with the same method as other hazards. Preparing a separate “stress report” and putting it in a drawer does not achieve what the legislation requires. The example below shows how a measurement in a warehouse team turned into a line in the risk assessment.
The order matters when choosing measures. First look at the source, i.e. job design and organisation: pace, distribution of work, job descriptions, break arrangements, the way changes are communicated. Then move on to managers’ behaviour and communication channels. Individual support (counselling, training) is valuable, but when it is the only measure it places the problem on the worker. We will cover the organisational measures the employer can take in detail in a separate article.
For scoring, you can use the Fine-Kinney or matrix method; base likelihood on the survey result and trends in the records, and severity on the possible consequences. We explained the general steps of risk assessment in our article on how to carry out a risk assessment.
Who does it, and how often is it repeated?
The risk assessment team includes the employer or their representative, the OHS specialist, the workplace physician, the employee representative and workers who know the units; in a psychosocial assessment, the team’s roles can be divided as follows:
| Role | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Employer or representative | Announces the purpose of the measurement, provides resources and decision-making authority for measures |
| OHS specialist | Chooses the tool, plans the administration, enters findings in the risk document |
| Workplace physician | Shares trends in health findings while protecting confidentiality, assesses individual cases |
| Employee representative | Builds trust, increases participation, monitors whether measures are implemented |
The Regulation requires the risk assessment to be renewed at least every 2 years in very hazardous, every 4 years in hazardous and every 6 years in less hazardous workplaces; when technology, production methods or organisation change, the period is not waited for. Good triggers for re-measurement from a psychosocial perspective are a change in the shift system, restructuring, mass departures or a serious accident. You can track measurement and renewal dates alongside other obligations with the OHS calendar tool.
An observation we often make is this: a survey is done, the result is not shared and nothing changes. At the next measurement participation falls and trust declines. So at the first measurement, choosing two or three concrete, quick measures and announcing the result works better than a comprehensive action plan. Carrying out the measurement in an atmosphere of trust is part of OHS culture.
At production facilities in Bursa and neighbouring provinces, we plan psychosocial measurement as part of the risk assessment work; confidential interpretation of health findings falls within the workplace physician service. For the general framework of health surveillance, see also our article on periodic medical examinations and tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a psychosocial risk assessment mandatory?
It is mandatory not as a separate document but as part of the risk assessment. Art. 8/3 of the Regulation on Risk Assessment requires psychosocial sources of hazard to be identified and recorded too. If this heading is missing entirely from your risk document, the assessment is incomplete.
Which psychosocial risk survey should we use?
The legislation does not make a specific tool mandatory. Choose a validated scale with a Turkish adaptation, such as the HSE Management Standards Indicator Tool or COPSOQ. What matters is using the same tool consistently and turning the results into prevention.
Can we see survey results by individual?
You should not. The aim is to assess working conditions, not individuals. Results should be reported at unit or job group level, and groups small enough to make a person recognisable should be merged. Individual health problems are dealt with confidentially by the workplace physician.
What can be done instead of a survey in a workplace with few workers?
In a workplace of fifteen or twenty people, a survey may not guarantee anonymity. In this case, hold focus discussions with all workers or with two small groups, review break, overtime and task allocation records, and enter the findings in the risk assessment.
A risk assessment that identifies and scores hazards on site, links each measure to an owner and a date, and has a clear renewal schedule.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.