Workplace Stress & Mental Health Risk Assessment Compliance Check

Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work, just as they do from physical hazards. This comes from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of anything that could cause harm — including work-related stress — and reasonably practicable steps to control the risks identified. The Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards approach breaks this down into six areas employers must consider: demands, control, support, relationships, role, and change. Businesses with five or more employees must record the assessment in writing.

This has moved from a background compliance issue to an active enforcement priority. In its 2026 regulatory outlook, the HSE signalled a step-change in focus on psychosocial risks — specifically workplace stress, excessive workload, and burnout — with tougher enforcement and a greater willingness to pursue regulatory action against employers who fail to manage them. Alongside this, stress-related claims for constructive dismissal and personal injury at employment tribunals continue to rise. Small businesses without a documented stress risk assessment, or without any way of identifying and acting on early warning signs, are increasingly exposed on both fronts.

This check reviews your approach to work-related stress against the HSE’s Management Standards and your legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 — covering risk assessment, manager awareness, and how you respond when issues are identified, as HSE enforcement on psychosocial risks increases.