Exploring the Possibility of Developing a Psychosocial Exposure Limit (PSEL) for the Mitigation of Occupational Injuries

Safety science generally does not rely on classic “threshold values” for risk factors associated with physical injury, unlike the field of occupational hygiene. While such thresholds have been set for chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards, the psychosocial environment lacks similar analytical rigor. This study examines a possible approach to operationalizing a psychosocial exposure limit (PSEL) concerning psychosocial stressors. Methods: Utilizing a two-year longitudinal survey with 2989 participants, stressors were coded as risk thresholds (scores > 2, >3, >4 on a 1–5 scale) and analyzed via logistic regressions to test associations with work injuries resulting in absence from work. Results: The results indicate that overloads of psychosocial factors were associated with significantly higher odds of injury in the next year, after controlling for demographics. An aggressive environment and organizational hindrances were associated with injuries in the next year based on mean values above 2 and 3 (OR = 2.24, CI95% 1.68–3.00; 1.47, CI 1.09–1.98, respectively), work–home conflict based on those above 3 (OR = 1.72, CI 1.26–2.35), and cognitive overload based on those above 4 (OR = 1.45, CI 1.08–1.94). Autonomy was not significantly associated with injury odds. Summing the psychosocial factors (overload of above 3) revealed that for those who remained in the same job, 45% had increased odds of injury in 2025 for each additional psychosocial factor to which they were exposed in 2024. Conclusions: These findings suggest that organizational stressors can be modeled as potential risk factors, with a threshold for monitoring, and targeted interventions to mitigate future accidents, though further scale refinement for each variable and for cumulative effect is necessary to improve diagnostic and threshold accuracy.