What is the FPSICO method?
FPSICO is the tool that the INSST (National Institute for Safety and Health at Work) provides to companies and prevention services to assess psychosocial factors arising from work organization. It consists of a questionnaire, a software application that calculates the results, and a technical and user manual that explains the basis for each factor.
The current version is FPSICO 4.1, published by the INSST in May 2022 with online NIPO 118-22-018-9. It updates version 4.0 of 2018 and maintains the factor structure, with improvements in the software application and in the presentation of results.
The manual itself points out that, in addition to its evaluative purpose, the results can guide the content, direction and magnitude of the organizational interventions that the company decides to undertake.
What factors does it evaluate?
FPSICO 4.1 consists of 44 questions, some of them multiple-choice, resulting in 89 items and providing information on nine factors:
- Working time. Organization and duration of the workday, breaks and effect on social life.
- Autonomy. Time constraints and decision-making power over one’s own work.
- Workload. Level of demand that must be faced, cognitive or emotional.
- Psychological demands. Cognitive and emotional requirements of the activity.
- Variety and content. Meaning and variety of tasks and recognition of their contribution.
- Participation and supervision. Degree of intervention in decisions and type of control exercised.
- Interest in the employee and compensation. The organization’s concern for professional development and a balance between effort and reward.
- Role performance. Clarity and consistency of assigned functions.
- Relationships and social support. Quality of relationships and availability of support in the face of difficulties.
Scope of application
The INSST indicates that FPSICO can, in principle, be used in any company regardless of its size, sector, or activity. The choice of tool should take into account its suitability for the specific organization, the preventive objectives pursued, and the available resources.
No Spanish regulation mandates the use of FPSICO or any other specific method. The obligation is to assess psychosocial risks using a procedure that inspires confidence in its results, as required by Article 5 of Royal Decree 39/1997.
Conditions required for its application
- Collective data. The procedure works with group data, not individual data. The manual expressly advises against any use of individualized data.
- Minimum units of analysis. It is recommended to define them based on variables such as department, position or sex, grouping when necessary to preserve anonymity.
- Prior information. The staff must be informed about the objective of the study and how the data will be processed, taking into account its confidentiality.
- High participation. The representativeness of the result depends on the level of response, so it is important to raise awareness of its significance.
- Technical competence. The application and interpretation correspond to personnel with training in ergonomics and applied psychosociology.
- Integration. Action on psychosocial factors should be integrated into general preventive management, not treated as an isolated study.
How to apply
The process follows the typical stages of any risk assessment: identification of the factors present, selection of the unit of analysis, application of the questionnaire to the staff or a representative sample, processing of the data with the computer application and preparation of the report with the conclusions and proposed measures.
The questionnaire is completed anonymously. The application automatically calculates the scores for each factor and generates the evaluative profile of the analyzed group, as well as a descriptive profile that allows for examining the behavior of each item.
The results do not conclude the evaluation: they serve as the basis for an analysis phase with the participation of workers and their representatives, in which the figures are compared with the reality of work and measures are agreed upon.
How to interpret the results
For each factor, the method assesses exposure at four levels: adequate, moderate risk, high risk, and very high risk. The application displays the percentage and number of people at each level, along with basic statistical parameters.
The correct approach is to analyze the overall picture, not just isolated data points: what matters is which factors concentrate the highest proportion of people at high levels and in which units of analysis, in order to guide organizational intervention. A low percentage in a given factor does not excuse action if the affected group is well-defined and the exposure is high.
The result describes working conditions, not individual health states, and should not be interpreted as a clinical measure or an assessment of people’s performance.
Limitations and common errors
- Use individual data or units of analysis so small that they allow the identification of people.
- Present FPSICO as a mandatory method or as the only valid one in Spain.
- Administering the questionnaire without prior information or participation reduces the response rate and the reliability of the result.
- Stop the work on the results report, without the participatory analysis phase or the planning of measures.
- Interpret the factors as traits of people rather than as characteristics of the organization of work.
- Repeat the evaluation without having implemented or verified the measures agreed upon in the previous one.
Practical example
A call center with one hundred and twenty people decides to evaluate its psychosocial factors after an increase in short-term absenteeism.
- Preparation. The method, the units of analysis per shift and service, and the prior information to the staff are agreed upon with the safety and health committee.
- Application. 78% of the staff responded. The application returns the evaluative profile per unit.
- Results. Autonomy and participation concentrate the highest proportion of people at high and very high risk in the afternoon shift; the rest of the factors are mostly in an adequate situation.
- Measures. Break management is being reviewed, time is being allocated for organizing administrative tasks, and a stable channel for suggestions is being created. A re-evaluation is scheduled for twelve months from now.
Differences with other methods and instruments
- Compared to CoPsoQ-istas21. Both are general methods of psychosocial assessment, with different theoretical frameworks and dimensions and with different application procedures.
- Compared to the LIPT-60. This is an inventory focused on psychological bullying behaviors, not a general method for assessing psychosocial factors.
- Compared to health screening instruments. Clinical scales measure symptoms or states of the person; FPSICO describes working conditions.
- Regarding the assessment of psychosocial risks . This is the complete process; FPSICO is one of the tools that can be used within it.
Regulatory and technical framework
- Law 31/1995, articles 15, 16 and 18. Principles of preventive action, obligation to assess and right to information and consultation.
- Royal Decree 39/1997, articles 3 to 6. Evaluation procedure and requirement of confidence in the result.
- INSST portal on psychosocial risk assessment . It brings together criteria, tools and technical materials.
- Official FPSICO 4.1 specifications . Download the application and manual.
FPSICO is not a standard: it is a public technical tool whose use is protected under Article 5 of Royal Decree 39/1997.
