Psychological H&S Standards Part I

1. Psychological H&S StandardsPart I Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

2. Psychological H&S Standards Part I (today) - An Introduction Part II (later) – Tools for Employers Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

3. Agenda • WHY? rationale, history • WHAT? ‘standard’ vs. legislation • WHEN? fall of 2012 • WHO? role of organizations and employees within, incl. OH • HOW? systematic development using tools available … one aspect at a time Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

4. Minds need protection, Just like bodies do.

5. WHY? Need to protect physical H&S in the workplace is familiar – in fact is enshrined in the OHSA and is smart business practice Enormous progress has been made in rates of accidents. New realization that the protection of workers includes attending to their psychological (mental) health and safety – ‘PH&S’ Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

6. Why Identify/Reduce Risks of Psychological Injury or Illness? • High rates of illness/injury leading to loss of skilled labour • Regulatory or legal sanctions for failing to make reasonable efforts to protect workers – courts demand it! • E$calating cost$ – increa$ed benefit$ utilization, lo$t productivity, recruitment expense$, insurance premium$ • Negative impact on employee morale and engagement, customer relations and organizational reputation • Ethically – it’s the right thing to do Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

7. Facts from ‘Workplace Strategies for Mental Health’ (Great-West Life) • 20% of Canadian workers experience a stress related illness every year (StatsCan, 2003) • It is estimated that 10% of the Canadian working population has a diagnosable mental illness (Dewa, Chau & Dermer; 2009) • research shows that stress in a business may contribute up to: • 19% of absenteeism cost • 40% of turnover cost • 55% of EAP costs • 30% of short term disability and long term disability costs • 60% workplace accidents • 10% of drug plan costs • 100% of stress related lawsuits(Burton, 2006). • Mental illness-related disability claims (short/long-term) account for up to one third of the workplace claims, equaling approximately 70% of workplace costs and translating to 33 billion dollars to the Canadian economy on an annual basis (Sroujian, 2003). Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

8. WHAT? • The Mental Health Commission of Canada commissioned this project through their Workforce Advisory Committee. • They collaborated with CARMHA (Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction) to identify ‘Best Practices’. • Forthcoming voluntary National Standards will be disseminated via CSA and the BNQ. Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

9. WHAT are we talking about? A psychologically safe workplace is one that promotes workers’ well-beingand actively works to prevent harm toworker psychological healthincluding in negligent, reckless and intentional ways. Dr. Martin Shain’s definition is simply: ‘one in which every practical effort is made to avoid reasonably foreseeable injury to the mental health of the employee’. Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

10. Workplace Psychological Risks • inadequate training (includes orientation, retraining and refreshers too) • humiliation – e.g. outdated manuals versus current online information; humiliation is one of the most significant triggers for MH issues in the workplace • differential treatment of employees • intimidation Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

11. WHAT will it do? (Outcome) • foster psychological well-being while enhancing organizational performance • offer opportunities for staff to develop skills and knowledge • promote respectful interactions between staff, customers and the public • support staff experiencing psychological difficulties Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

12. WHEN? Fine tuning being done by the Roundtable; standards will be made public Nov. 7, 2012. We are advised that access to (free) resources will be 2+ yrs. Now you know what to expect – attend Part II for details to help ready the organization for these STANDARDS. Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

13. WHO? ALL workplace parties have a role. • Management to lead using tools set out in ‘Action Guide for Employers’ • Workers to participate in all aspects of the P6 Model in the Action Guide … All explained in Part II Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

14. WHO? Ultimately everyone is responsible: • Senior Managers • Human Resources • Occupational Health • Union Reps/Stewards • Manager/Supervisor • Co-workers • Workers Anyone with management responsibility has a higher ‘duty of care’ .. Question: are they competent in emotional intelligence? (more in Part II) Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

15. HOW? Be sure to attend Part II! The outcome of the 'Roundtable’, their Technical Committee and CARMHA offers guidelines for employers to know and/or access, to provide a psychologically safe workplace. Breakdown of their report: overview of the top 4 priorities to address PH&S description of the 5 elements of generally accepted standards used to manage workplace issues breakdown of the proposed approaches to the 5 elements relevant resources that are free in the public domain Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

16. Links/Resources www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com • Guarding Minds at Work (organizational approaches) • Working Through It (individual approaches) • Managing: Mental Health Matters (management approaches) • On the Agenda (team approaches) • Workplace Strategies for Mental Health (other) www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/.../Workforce _Employers_Guide_ENG • Psychological H&S: an Action Guide for Employers Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012

17. Thank-you for committing your time today, to this important matter. Visit our website at: www.walshandassociates.ca Psychological H&S Standards Oct. 2012