What Went Wrong?

The HSE intervention followed a formal complaint alleging the university’s failure to manage work-related stress and calling for urgent action to protect staff from harm. The investigation involved a detailed review of documentation alongside extensive interviews with staff across the organisation.  The HSE identified systemic failures in four key areas.

• The university was not following its own Stress Management Policy. Stress risk assessments had not been completed, and there was no meaningful assessment of how excessive workloads could be reduced.
• Stress risk assessments that were completed were found to be inadequate. Senior management conclusions that stress was not a significant issue were based on high-level data analysed in isolation, with local incidents and team-level pressures ignored. Staff were not involved in identifying problems or shaping solutions, undermining the effectiveness of any controls.
• Existing controls were not working, particularly in relation to excessive working hours. Workload allocation models were applied inconsistently, and many staff were unaware of the procedures intended to manage or record working hours.
• Finally, there was no effective system for monitoring work-related stress. The organisation had no formal reporting mechanism, management training was inconsistent, and there was limited understanding of where high-risk areas existed. Excessive workload and stress were treated as isolated issues rather than organisational risks.

HSE intervention does not require an accident or physical injury. Complaints, patterns of sickness absence, unmanaged workloads and poor stress management arrangements are increasingly triggering enforcement action.

This case reflects a broader regulatory focus on work-related stress, excessive workloads and ineffective risk management systems. The HSE is clear that employers must manage stress in line with the HSE Management Standards for Work-Related Stress, using suitable risk assessments, effective controls and meaningful consultation with staff: https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/

These duties apply equally to theatres, venues, production companies and arts organisations.

How ABTT can support members

ABTT’s guidance has been developed to sit alongside HSE requirements while recognising the realities of theatre and live event work, where organisations often operate under pressure, tight deadlines and fluctuating workloads.  ABTT guidance on mental health, well-being and stress management is available here with general mental health, well-being and stress management resources found here.

When combined with the ABTT Mental Health and Wellbeing Training Programme, this support helps members to:

• Apply the HSE Management Standards within theatre environments
• Carry out legally robust stress risk assessments
• Identify and manage workload and organisational stressors
• Put proportionate and effective controls in place
• Train staff to recognise and respond to stress-related risks
• Move from awareness to practical action
• Develop systems that genuinely support people

Details of the ABTT mental health and wellbeing training programme can be found here.

Don’t wait for a complaint or enforcement inspection to expose weaknesses in your systems. Now is the time to review how work-related stress is managed within your organisation.  ABTT can support theatres and venues with practical guidance and tailored training that aligns with HSE expectations, reflects ABTT good practice and works within the realities of theatre production. This is not about box-ticking. It is about supporting mental health in a way that is lawful, proportionate and effective!