Work-related stress and poor mental health is becoming a health and safety crisis for Great Britain’s workplaces, the HSE has warned.
While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be fully understood, mental health issues are the number one reason given for sick days in the UK. According to the Regulator, last year more than 17 million working days were lost as a result of stress, anxiety, or depression. A recent survey by the charity Mind suggests that two in five employees’ mental health had worsened during the pandemic.
In response, the HSE has launched a new campaign, ‘Working Minds’, which aims to help businesses recognise the signs of work-related stress and make tackling issues routine.
While ‘Working Minds’ is specifically targeting six million workers in small businesses, the HSE is calling for a culture change across Britain’s workplaces, to ensure psychological risks are treated the same as physical ones in health and safety risk management.
HSE’s Chief Executive Sarah Albon said: “Work-related stress and poor mental health should be treated with the same significance as risks of poor physical health and injury. In terms of the affect it has on workers, significant and long-term stress can limit performance and impact personal lives.
“No worker should suffer in silence and if we don’t act now to improve workers’ mental health, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis.
“The pandemic has highlighted the need to protect the health of employees who have faced unprecedented challenges; the Government is committed to building back better and we want to make sure good mental health is central to this.”
HSE is reminding business that no matter where people work, employers have a legal duty to assess the risks in the workplace, not just in terms of potential hazards and physical safety. They should also promote good working practices. It says this promotes an open environment where employees can share their concerns and discuss options to ease pressures.
Sarah Albon added: “Our campaign is focused on giving employers a clear reminder of their duties while championing reducing work-related stress and promoting good mental health at work.”
The regulator has partnered with a number of organisations to highlight the triggers of stress, the legal duty of employers and how to manage the risks. The network of Working Minds champions includes the charity Mind, which supports and empowers anyone experiencing a mental health problem in England.
HSE Chair Sarah Newton added: “It seems unconscionable now that less than a decade ago, the stigma and isolation that can be associated with mental health issues persisted to the extent that people would hide their distress from their employers, colleagues, friends and even members of their family.
“By speaking openly about their own struggles with stress and anxiety, high-profile figures from Stephen Fry to Jesse Nelson have helped to generate a public conversation which has thankfully created a shift in attitude and neutralised that perceived shame. ”
Read Sarah’s full statement on mental health and the Working Minds campaign, here.
Working Minds is aimed specifically at supporting small businesses by providing employers and workers with easy to implement advice, including simple steps in its ‘5 R’s’ to:
To find out more about the Working Minds campaign, click here.
In this episode, of the Safety & Health Podcast, we hear from Peter Kelly, Senior Psychologist for the Health and Safety Executive about work-related stress…
