Mental Health at Work

Netherlands Safety Regions Implement PTSS Occupational Disease Recognition and Entitlements Scheme

Dutch safety regions have implemented a uniform scheme recognising post‑traumatic stress disorder as an occupational disease and granting harmonised income protection, medical cost reimbursement and related entitlements to employees and fire service volunteers, effective from 1 February 2026 with five‑year retroactive coverage. Boards of safety regions and their HR/EHS leads must align local regulations and processes with the PTSS rules, including advisory‑committee procedures, budgeting for long‑term medical and non‑medical support, and clear communication of the new rights to affected staff and volunteers.

23 May 2026, 09:16zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

France (Nouvelle-Aquitaine ARS) 2026 Call to Equip EHPAD With Ceiling Rails and Motors

France's Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional health agency has launched a 2025–2027 funded call for nursing homes to install ceiling-mounted lifting rails and motors, targeting at least 50% of beds with rails and 30% with motors by the end of 2028 to cut musculoskeletal injuries. While participation is voluntary, co-funded projects face clear equipment and training commitments with clawback conditions, signalling rising expectations on ergonomics, TMS prevention and workforce safety in elder-care facilities that operators should plan for in their investment and staffing strategies.

20 May 2026, 06:21nouvelle-aquitaine.ars.sante.frFrance

Germany BAuA Highlights Mental Health in 2024 Occupational Safety Report (SuGA 2024)

Germany’s federal occupational safety institute has published a 2026 journal article distilling SuGA 2024 data, showing record-low workplace accident and commuting-fatality rates but a growing burden from mental illness driving sickness absence and disability. The piece reinforces that psychosocial risk assessment under the Occupational Safety and Health Act is a core employer duty and signals that German OSH policy and prevention programmes will keep mental health and work intensity in high-strain service sectors under close scrutiny.

20 May 2026, 06:19baua.deGermany

Poland Labour Inspectorate Urges Update of OHS Training Regulation to Address Psychosocial Risks

Poland’s National Labour Inspectorate has asked the labour ministry to amend the national OHS training regulation so that mandatory BHP training curricula explicitly address psychosocial risks, highlighting gaps between formal training requirements and real-world accident patterns. This is an early but authoritative signal that Poland may tighten expectations around tailored, risk-based and mental-health-aware BHP training, so employers should prepare for future changes by reviewing how their current programmes link to site-specific risk assessments and psychosocial hazards.

15 May 2026, 13:32pip.gov.plPoland

Portugal ACT Promotes EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces 2026–2028 Mental Health Campaign

Portugal’s labour inspectorate ACT has highlighted the EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces 2026–2028 campaign on mental health at work, signalling a multi-year focus on psychosocial risks in Portuguese workplaces. While this notice does not introduce new legal obligations, it underscores rising regulatory attention to mental health management, so employers may wish to benchmark and strengthen their workplace mental health policies and practices.

11 May 2026, 11:48portal.act.gov.ptPortugal

European Parliament Committee Backs Motion on Work-Related Deaths, AI and Heat Risks

In May 2026, the European Parliament’s employment committee adopted a non-binding motion urging EU action to reduce work-related deaths, including new recognition of AI-driven and climate-related risks to occupational health and safety. While it creates no immediate legal obligations, it signals pressure for future EU initiatives on worker protection, stronger labour inspectorates, and cross-sector risk assessments, especially in high-risk sectors like construction, transport and agriculture.

8 May 2026, 08:53europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Official Journal Publishes European Parliament Resolution on AI and Algorithmic Management in the Workplace

In May 2026 the EU Official Journal published the European Parliament’s detailed resolution on digitalisation, AI and algorithmic management in the workplace, setting out a blueprint for future EU rules on workplace AI systems. If followed, the recommendations would drive new obligations on transparency, human oversight, data protection and occupational health and safety for employers using algorithmic management tools across the EU, reshaping HR, compliance and technology strategies over the next few years.

8 May 2026, 07:28eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

European Parliament Debate On World Day For Safety And Health At Work (28 April 2026)

European Parliament MEPs used the 28 April 2026 World Day for Safety and Health at Work debate to highlight persistent workplace fatalities, psychosocial risks and uneven enforcement of existing EU occupational safety rules. Their non-binding statements signal political pressure for stronger prevention, better mental health protection and more consistent application of EU health-and-safety legislation, shaping the direction of future initiatives without yet creating new legal obligations.

4 May 2026, 18:28europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

European Parliament EMPL Committee Publishes Amendments to Draft Report on Psychosocial Risks and Mental Health at Work

Members of the European Parliament’s Employment Committee have tabled extensive amendments to their draft resolution and draft directive on work-related psychosocial risks, refining the call for an EU directive and largely maintaining a requested Commission proposal by the end of 2026. The amendments signal that any future EU rules are likely to impose explicit employer obligations around psychosocial risk assessment, digital surveillance and AI at work, gender-based and third-party violence, training, reporting and return-to-work support, so HSE and HR teams should track the evolving text and start high-level gap analysis against existing OSH systems.

4 May 2026, 09:17europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

European Parliament Committee Tables 153 Amendments to Draft Report on Psychosocial Risks and Mental Health at Work

In April 2026 the European Parliament’s Employment Committee tabled 153 amendments to a draft resolution on psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work, reframing how existing EU occupational safety and labour law should address these issues. The package does not yet change legal obligations but signals strong political momentum to make employers’ psychosocial risk management duties more explicit across telework, digital and AI-driven work, suggesting future EU initiatives that could tighten OSH and HR compliance expectations.

4 May 2026, 09:16europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

Germany (BAuA) Publishes Second AI Workshop Report On Work Relief And Technostress

In April 2026 Germany’s occupational safety agency BAuA published a report from its second AI workshop highlighting both productivity gains and new psychosocial risks such as technostress when deploying AI in workplaces. The findings signal that employers introducing AI should treat psychosocial impacts, worker training, leadership culture and human oversight as core design issues, anticipating stronger future guidance in these areas.

3 May 2026, 14:57baua.deGermany

UK Government Announces Firefighters Concordat on Health and Wellbeing

In April 2026 the UK government announced a Firefighters’ Concordat on Health and Wellbeing, committing to regular nationwide health checks and new NIHR-funded research into firefighters’ long-term mental and physical health risks. This signals a tighter policy focus on firefighter health surveillance, contamination controls and NHS data use, meaning fire and rescue employers should prepare for more structured monitoring, record-keeping and support expectations over the coming years.

24 Apr 2026, 08:07gov.ukUnited Kingdom

European Parliament EMPL Committee Considers Draft Report On Psychosocial Risks And Mental Health At Work

In April 2026, the European Parliament’s Employment Committee discussed a draft own-initiative report on psychosocial risks, stress, and mental health at work, highlighting the growing burden of work-related mental health problems across the EU. Although not yet a binding measure, this signals stronger future EU expectations on employers’ management of psychosocial risks, especially as an anticipated Quality Jobs Act and related labour law reforms take shape.

22 Apr 2026, 18:57europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

European Parliament SANT Committee Draft Opinion on Psychosocial Risks, Stress and Mental Health at Work

The European Parliament’s Public Health Committee has issued a draft opinion proposing stronger EU rules on psychosocial risks, stress, and mental health at work, with detailed amendments that expand employer duties on risk assessment, safe staffing, telework, and return-to-work support. If carried through into the final directive, these provisions would materially raise expectations on organisations’ psychosocial risk management, particularly in health and social care, requiring earlier planning for staffing models, digital management practices, data collection, and occupational health training.

21 Apr 2026, 20:18europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

Italy INAIL Issues Workaholism Factsheet on Psychosocial Risk Prevention

In early 2026 Italy’s INAIL published an official Dimeila fact sheet that frames workaholism as a psychosocial risk and sets out how employers should identify, measure, and prevent it in line with Legislative Decree 81/2008. While it does not create new legal duties, it signals that Italian OHS authorities may increasingly expect formal assessment of workaholism risks, protection of the right to disconnect, and sustainable workload policies within employers’ health and safety systems.

16 Apr 2026, 15:53inail.itItaly

Germany (BAuA) Publishes German Version of Subjective Methods for Measuring Mental Workload in Control Rooms

Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published a German-language version of subjective methods to measure activation, mental workload, and attention in control-room environments, based on a 2026 Frontiers in Psychology article. This gives operators of control rooms and critical infrastructure standardised tools to assess cognitive strain and attention, strengthening psychosocial risk assessments and informing staffing, interface design, and workload management decisions.

13 Apr 2026, 19:51baua.deGermany

Netherlands House of Representatives Motion to Objectify "Psychosociale Arbeidsbelasting" Definition in Arbowet

The Dutch Parliament is considering a motion to redefine psychosocial workload in the Working Conditions Act using objective and measurable criteria. This shift toward standardized norms would replace subjective employee assessments with predictable compliance requirements for managing workplace stress and mental health risks.

4 Apr 2026, 10:57zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Netherlands Parliament Motion On Plan To Tackle Aggression In Shops Under ILO Violence And Harassment Convention Dossier

The Dutch Parliament has proposed a national initiative to combat retail workplace aggression as part of the ILO C190 ratification process. Businesses should prepare for enhanced enforcement of risk assessments and potential new safety requirements for lone workers.

4 Apr 2026, 10:57zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Dutch Parliament Motion Requesting Modernisation of (Additional) RI&E Obligations

The Dutch House of Representatives has requested government proposals by summer 2026 to modernize and simplify Risk Inventory and Evaluation (RI&E) obligations. Businesses should anticipate potential changes to occupational health and safety compliance workflows as the government seeks to reduce administrative burdens and explore more efficient risk assessment models.

4 Apr 2026, 10:55zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Netherlands Parliament Motion To Align Labour Law With ILO Convention 190

The Dutch Parliament has proposed expanding employer liability for violence and harassment to align with ILO Convention 190, with draft legislation expected by late 2026. This shift signals a significant broadening of duty-of-care obligations to include work-related travel, digital communications, and social activities outside the traditional workplace.

4 Apr 2026, 10:55zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands