Who it is designed for

INSST published this method in 2020 primarily for micro and small businesses with up to twenty-five workers, particularly those where the employer undertakes preventive activities personally. This focus does not remove applicable legal requirements concerning competence and preventive organisation.

Compared with a generic qualitative psychosocial assessment, it offers a defined sequence and supporting worksheets to move from identification to concrete measures. It is not simply a large-workforce survey transferred into a smaller organisation without adaptation.

How the process is organised

The manual uses ten stages: worker participation, definition of jobs or units, factor identification, tool preparation, assessment, selection and planning of measures, effectiveness checks, a summary record and review. Assessment is therefore part of a management cycle rather than a standalone exercise.

It addresses ten factors, selecting relevant worksheets for each unit according to the method’s rules. Templates record whether described conditions are met, not met or not applicable, while supporting prompts help structure discussion of the actual work.

Apply it to real activities

In a small service business, the process might reveal constant interruptions and conflicting priorities. Discussion should go beyond stating that stress exists: establish who allocates requests, what happens when they coincide and how much discretion workers have to organise them.

One measure might be an agreed priority-setting channel and a named person responsible for resolving incompatible requests. Record who will implement it, when and how its effect will be checked. A simple format does not justify conclusions reached without listening to the people doing the work.

Boundaries and follow-up

Close working relationships help people understand the job, but also require confidentiality and care to prevent opinions being treated as personal accusations. The assessor should focus on organisational conditions and justify the method’s suitability.

Complex problems beyond available competence require appropriate technical support. Worksheets are not an exhaustive list of every possible situation. Reviewing results and updating measures are part of the method, not optional activities after the assessment has been filed away.