July 1, 2020

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Mental Health

Mental health in the workplace

One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lifetime. This page compiles a host of useful content and resources which should help to support Mental health in the workplace.

Mental-Health

What is mental health?

Being mentally healthy doesn’t just mean that you don’t have a mental health problem, according to the Mental Health Foundation. It says that those who are in good mental heath are able to make the most of their potential, cope with life and play a full part in their family, workplace, community and among friends.

Mental health, sometimes referred to as ‘emotional health’ or ‘wellbeing’ can be just as important as good physical health. Mental health is about how we think, feel and behave. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems. They are often a reaction to a difficult life event, such as bereavement, but can also be caused by work-related issues.

Most people will go through times when they feel low, stressed or frightened and for most people, those feelings will pass. However, on some occasions they can develop into a more serious problem and it can happen to any one of us.

A person’s mental health will change as s circumstances change and as a person moves through different stages of their life.

The Mental Health Foundation says: “There’s a stigma attached to mental health problems. This means that people feel uncomfortable about them and don’t talk about them much. Many people don’t even feel comfortable talking about their feelings. But it’s healthy to know and say how you’re feeling.”

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 264 million people suffer from depression globally. It says that ‘Work is good for mental health but a negative working environment can lead to physical and mental health problems’, and that ‘harassment and bullying at work are commonly reported problems, and can have a substantial adverse impact on mental health.’

The World Health Organization website contains information on Work-related risk factors for health, Creating a healthy workplace and Supporting people with mental disorders at work

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) says that: “Work can also aggravate pre-existing conditions, and problems at work can bring on symptoms or make their effects worse.

“Whether work is causing the health issue or aggravating it, employers have a legal responsibility to help their employees. Work-related mental health issues must to be assessed to measure the levels of risk to staff. Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable.

“Some employees will have a pre-existing physical or mental health condition when recruited or may develop one caused by factors that are not work-related factors.

“Employers may have further legal requirements, to make reasonable adjustments under equalities legislation.”

GOV.UK contains all of the relevant information about employing people with a mental or physical disability. Further information can be found from the Equality and Human Rights Commission in EnglandScotland and Wales.

There is advice for line managers to help them support their employees with mental health conditions.

The ‘Thriving at Work’ review

This report, written in 2017 by Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer (Chief Executive of Mind) was produced on behalf of the government to independently review the role employers can play to better support individuals with mental health conditions in the workplace.

It sets out a framework of ‘core standards’ that employers of all sizes are recommended to follow and put in place within their organisation.

In 2019, Safer Highways launched the first industry benchmarking exercise against the Thriving at Work standards for across the highways sector.

Mental Health Act reform plans set out

In January 2021, the Government announced plans for a reform of the Mental Health Act, making changes to how people are sectioned in England and Wales.

A public consolation on the plans has been opened, with the Mental Health Bill set to be published in 2022.

The government will consult on several proposed changes, including:

  • Introducing statutory ‘advance choice documents’ to enable people to express their wishes and preferences on their care when they are well, before the need arises for them to go into hospital;
  • Implementing the right for an individual to choose a nominated person who is best placed to look after their interests under the act if they aren’t able to do so themselves;
  • Expanding the role of independent mental health advocates to offer a greater level of support and representation to every patient detained under the act;
  • Piloting culturally appropriate advocates so patients from all ethnic backgrounds can be better supported to voice their individual needs;
  • Ensuring mental illness is the reason for detention under the act, and that neither autism nor a learning disability are grounds for detention for treatment of themselves;
  • Improving access to community-based mental health support, including crisis care, to prevent avoidable detentions under the act – this is already underway backed by £2.3 billion a year as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Mental health in the workplace statistics UK 2019

According to Mental Health and Work, a report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1 in 6.8 people (around 14%) experience mental health problems in the workplace.

It is also reported by Mental Health Foundation, that nearly 20% of women in fulltime employment suffer from common mental health problem as opposed to just over 10% of full-time employed men.

Mental Health Foundation suggests that around £8 billion per year could be saved by UK business, by incorporating better support of mental health in the workplace.

Click here for the HSE’s annual statistics on work-related stress, depression and anxiety in 2018/19.

Mental health in the workplace UK law

All employers have a general duty to look after the welfare of employees under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and to assess and manage risk to their staff under Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

This includes assessing and minimising the risk of stress-related illness.

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against employees because of a mental or physical disability.

A mental health issue can be considered a disability under the law if all of the following apply:

  • It has a ‘substantial adverse effect’ on the life of an employee (for example, they regularly cannot focus on a task, or it takes them longer to do);
  • It lasts at least 12 months, or is expected to;
  • It affects their ability to do their normal day-to-day activities (for example, interacting with people, following instructions or keeping to set working times).

Mental health in the workplace: Taking care of your employees

Research carried out by Mental health charity, Mind, discovered that:

  • Over one in five people (21%) said they had called in sick to avoid work because of workplace stress;
  • 14% said they quit their job and 42% has thought about quitting due to workplace stress;
  • 30% disagreed with the statement ‘I would feel able to talk openly with my line manager if I was feeling stressed’;
  • 56% of employers said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but don’t feel they have the right training or guidance.

Mind has put together a series of free resources to help employers take care of business.

It also offers a series of training courses and wellbeing booklets.

Mind is official Charity Partner of the Workplace Wellbeing Show.

Mental Health First Aid regulation changes

In November 2019, HSE announced a change to the first aid guidance to include suitable and sufficient mental health training.

According to the guidance, this could include providing information or training for managers and employees, employing occupational health professionals, appointing mental health-trained first aiders and implementing employee support programmes.

Heather Beach, Founder and Managing Director of The Healthy Work Company, says that “Whilst the guidance does not mention the MHFA courses specifically, it does say ‘you might decide that it will be beneficial to have personnel trained to identify and understand symptoms and able to support someone who might be experiencing a mental health issue’.”

Research study on Mental Health First Aid in business launched

The Centre for Mental Health and London South Bank University announced in April 2020 that they are embarking on a study of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England training in UK workplaces.

Set to last for three years, the Mental Health First Aid England funded study brings together a group of leading Industry experts chaired by Lord Kamlesh Patel. Its aim is to test out the impact of MHFA England training over the long-term in a range of workplaces across the country.

To find out more about the MHFA training study, click here.

3 ways to a mental health and wellbeing strategy

In the not too distant past, a wellbeing strategy looked like apples in the office, yoga at lunchtime, a cycle to work scheme and gym memberships. Generally, this was run by HR. More recently, due to a culture change in the UK regarding the importance of mental health, some proactive work from Mental Health First Aid England and some senior leaders in health and safety, MHFA joined the suite of wellbeing services any right thinking organisation would offer.

Heather Beach, Founder and Managing Director of The Healthy Work Company, says the three ways to a successful health and wellbeing strategy are:

  1. The top down strategic approach;
  2. A mental health training and awareness strategy only;
  3. Iterative approach.

Mental health: the costs to employees and businesses

financeMental health can affect how we feel, think and behave and, in some cases, seriously limit our ability to cope with relationships, work and life in general.

In the workplace, mental health issues can have a serious impact on both the morale of employees, those suffering from mental health issues and their colleagues who then pick up the additional workload.

It can also impact an organisation’s productivity and profitability through overtime costs, recruitment of temporary or permanent cover – According to the Centre for Mental Health, the financial cost to British business of mental ill-health is an estimated £26 billion per annum, because of absence from work due to mental health issues.

Mental health issues can appear as the result of experiences in both our personal and working lives, or like a physical illness, can just happen. Commonly diagnosed mental health issues include:

  • Depression, anxiety and panic attacks;
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder;
  • Phobias;
  • Bipolar disorder;
  • Schizophrenia;
  • Borderline personality disorder.

The Health & Safety Executive’s draft ‘Health and Work strategy: Work-related stress’ identifies that 1.5% of the working population suffers from mental health issues, resulting in 11.7 million working days lost in 2015/16 (23.9 days/case).

Compare this to self-reported injuries – 4.9M working days lost (7.2 days/case) – and the scale of workplace mental ill-health is almost two and a half times the physical impact of unsafe workplaces and working practices.

Cost to business

Providing support for employees is important for your organisation as well as for the individual concerned.

As well as financial savings, the benefits of such investment for your organisation include:

  • Reducing the costs of lost productivity due to absenteeism;
  • Retaining valued and experienced members of staff – and thus avoiding unnecessary recruitment and training costs;
  • Reducing the cost of sickness absence payments;
  • Meeting your duty of care and legislative obligations;
  • Identifying and managing mental health in the workplace.

One-in-four people will experience a mental health problem in any year. A common misconception is that mental health problems are only caused by ‘home’ issues, so some employers can feel that it’s not appropriate, or their responsibility, to intervene and provide support to employees.

It is more common that the cause of an employee’s mental health problems are a combination of issues relating to both their work and private lives.

A simple example would be an employee suffering from anxiety due to high personal debt, which as well as impacting on their private life may result in the demands of their job now becoming impossible for them to cope with.

Likewise, someone under prolonged work-related stress may find it difficult to enjoy life outside of work, due to working excessive hours or drinking as a way of coping, which in turn has a negative impact on their family and/or personal relationships.

We can also be affected if those close to us experience mental health problems. Mental health problems can affect our physical and mental wellbeing, and may include visible signs (shaking), psychological symptoms (exhaustion) or a combination of both.

It is not uncommon for someone to mask both physical and psychological symptoms to the degree that no one close to them is aware. It’s important to remember that no two people respond or cope in the same way; men are less likely to seek help or talk to family and friends due to historical taboos relating to demonstrating weakness to peers.

A successful approach for organisations to work with their employees to encourage awareness, challenge preconceptions to change the approach and reaction to mental health.

Our approach is always proportional to the type of business, along with the size of an organisation. It may not be reasonable to expect a small employer to provide access to counselling, whereas as large employer may be able to do so.

However, regardless of the size of an organisation the first step is being able to communicate about mental health. This could be through:

  • Delivering mental health awareness training to management teams, with the result of improved employee performance due to a change in manager’s attitude;
  • Analysis of responses to confidential awareness surveys and comparison of absence statistics to inform organisations of the potential scale of mental health issues within their workplace;
  • Developing appropriate policies covering the range of mental health issues likely to occur in the workplace amongst both management and employees, and which makes mental health well-being a priority equal to accident and loss prevention.

All employers can minimise the impact of mental health issues amongst employees, by:

  • Introduction of ‘Wellness Recovery Action Plans’ to support the return to work of employees absent due to mental health issues so that they understand their welfare is as important as their return to work;
  • Developing open two-way communication to minimise uncertainty, and when established working ways are being changed, through tool box talks and mental health awareness moments for meetings;
  • Providing telephone helpline numbers for (i.e. Citizens Advice, The Samaritans and Mind) on noticeboards, newsletters and in payslips.

Finally, it should be noted that people with mental health issues are automatically protected under the disability strand of the Equality Act 2010 twelve months on from the point of diagnosis.

This legislation puts a duty on all employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace for employees with disabilities – whether they be physical adjustments or management solutions.

Work-related stress

Work-related stress is defined as “a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands in the workplace”.

Workplace mental health issues are often associated with stress. Exposure to high levels of stress at work can cause emotional symptoms such as depression, tearfulness, withdrawal, mood swings, loss of motivation or concentration and behavioural changes such as smoking, drinking, drugs, changes to eating or sleeping habits and nervous behaviour.

Poor employee mental health arising from stress can cost your business time and money in lost productivity and sickness absence.

Burnout

In May 2019, the World Health Organization announced that in the ICD11 (international classification of mental illnesses) there would be a new category of “burnout” as an occupational phenomenon – not a medical condition.

Burnout, is defined as:

“A syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

  • Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
  • Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
  • Reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

Mind Matters

In 2019, SHP and The Healthy Work Company will be published a series of videos entitled Mind Matters, featuring people speaking candidly about their personal experiences with mental ill health.

The series featured topics such as:

Mental health guidance for employers

Knowing what you can do as an employer to tackle work-related mental health issues can be tough. The HSE has produced Management Standards for Work Related Stress to help.

This sets out six key areas to look at:

  1. Demand. Workload, work patterns and work environment;
  2. Control. An employee’s say in how they do their job;
  3. Support. Encouragement and resource provision;
  4. Relationships. Promoting positive working and avoiding conflict e.g. bullying/harassment;
  5. Role. Helping employees understand their role and responsibilities;
  6. Change. Management and communication of change.

Practical advice for your workplace

  • Demonstrate good practice. Use a step-by-step risk assessment to assess your workplace;
  • Promote discussion. Promote working in partnership with employees to decide on practical improvements;
  • Focus on underlying causes. Help employees to get to the root cause of stress in the workplace.

Work-related stress and mental health in the workplace resources:

 

Latest mental health articles

Urgent action needed to tackle “epidemic” of long working hours, says IOSH

Half the UK’s workers regularly put in two or more additional hours without pay every week – many of them an hour or more a day – while more than half admit working while feeling too ill to do so, new survey findings reveal.

It’s time to rethink mental health

If we’re to rethink our approach to mental health we need to rethink legislative interpretation, says Steven Harris.

Beating burnout starts at the top of your business

Stephen Haynes, Director of Wellbeing at the British Safety Council discusses the creation and combat of burnout at work.

Listening and being listened to

Tim Marsh profiles a Welsh charity turning the tide against suicide through listening.

Positive influence: Jason Anker reflects

In this special episode of SHP’s podcast we speak to Jason Anker who reflects on his safety journey so far.

Health and Safety professionals are embracing change for a safer work environment

Health and safety professionals are adopting different strategies to ensure people are safe, with a focus on developing talent

EHS Congress 2024, Berlin – ‘Good people want to do the right thing.’

The recent EHS Congress covered communication, community and (fast) cars. SHP Editor Mark Glover travelled to Germany.

Ever thought you could give Gareth Southgate a run for his money? What the world of health, safety and wellbeing can learn from sport

Scott Hassall works as one of Tribe’s Culture Change Consultants. When he’s not working for Tribe, he’s a professional sportsman. Here he reveals how health, safety and wellbeing managers can learn from athlete/coach relationship.

Webinar: You, me, and diversity – working better together – Are you bringing out the best in your entire workforce?

Explore the power of diverse teams in today’s dynamic workplace. Delve into the benefits of embracing diversity, fostering inclusive environments, and leveraging different perspectives to enhance collaboration and innovation.

Front line safety psychology at its rawest

Tim Marsh says a high F.I. score is bad enough but a high F.U. score is even worse.

The prison revolutionising wellbeing for staff and prisoners

Read about how one governor is taking a revolutionary approach to wellbeing for both staff and prisoners at their prison.

“One in six employees in any week will experience common mental health problems”

The BSC hosted a virtual workplace wellbeing conference that focused on engaging, equipping and empowering the workplace for optimal mental health.

Legal update: The year ahead for workplace wellbeing  

The health and safety team at law firm, Fieldfisher, joined SHP for a fireside discussion of some of the worker health and wellbeing changes currently being considered in the UK.  

Drug and alcohol testing in a UK airport environment

Portable technology solutions for in-house testing were recently implemented at a UK airport. Mark Barrup, at Dräger Safety UK explains the benefits of such a process.

Bosses urged to help neurodiverse workers thrive

Bosses must demonstrate commitment to building positive cultures that enable neurodiverse colleagues to discuss needs openly.

Almost half of UK manufacturing employers have increased spending on workforce health and wellbeing

Almost half of UK manufacturing employers have increased spending on workforce health and wellbeing – and it’s having a positive impact.

‘PPE isn’t meant to be uncomfortable’: Katy Robinson and Karl Simons on inclusive PPE

In this episode, we speak to inclusive PPE campaigner Katy Robinson, and Chairman of SHP’s Editorial Board Karl Simons about PPE and creating a movement for tangible change.  

Who helps the helpers?

Tony Roscoe, Director at Implexis Consulting focuses on mental health first aiders and says checks should be made as to whether support systems are in place for them. 

Passing the baton – Meet the 2024 IOSH President

Mark Glover speaks to incoming IOSH President Stuart Hughes about his plans for the role and asks former President Lawrence Waterman what he took from the last 12 months.

Workplace wellbeing is for life – not just for January

Workplace wellbeing is for life – not just for January. That’s the message to employers who are being encouraged to demonstrate their commitment to their staff.

Fieldfisher and SHP: Horizon-scanning for 2024

In this first regular collaboration piece, we asked the Fieldfisher legal team what they expect from the 2024 Health and Safety landscape.

Beyond Blue Monday

On the year’s most miserable day (allegedly), Heather Beach says it’s not surprising we’re so exhausted, but embracing realistic optimism might just take the edge off.

Investment needed to prevent future “economically inactive” workers, IOSH warns

The Government has been urged to oversee greater investment in occupational health to “prevent the workers of today becoming the economically inactive of tomorrow”.

Tough guys don’t dance: taming the C-suite

Tim Marsh reminds us that not everyone in your organisation is singing from the same hymn sheet.

Nathan Baker – Institute of Occupational Medicine

Nathan Baker, CEO at the Institute of Occupational Medicine, says it’s time to reassess safety for a modern workforce.

HSE annual workplace stats: Rise in construction deaths while 1.8m cite work-related ill health

Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23 as construction sector reports rise in fatalities.

Stress Awareness Week: Easy ways to incorporate stress relief into our workday

In light of International Stress Awareness week being annually observed during the first week of November, Dakota Murphey looks at how bringing stress-reducing habits into each workday can leave you feeling more focused, productive and satisfied.

A very personal case study…

In his latest blog, Tim Marsh shares a personal case study to look at reasons why someone may be distracted or not performing their best at work. 

One Day Conference: Practical approaches to wellbeing

SHP hears from the Healthy Work Company on their upcoming conference on 29 November 2023, covering topics in wellbeing. 

New wellbeing and welfare portal developed to help improve mental health in construction workforce

A new wellbeing and welfare portal has been developed for people working in construction after it was revealed 27% of all illness in the industry is stress, depression or anxiety.

Jacobs’ World’s Biggest Mental Health Check-in for 2023

On 10 October 2023, to coincide with World Mental Health Day, Jacobs is inviting all organisations and industries to come together and join them for the second consecutive  year in touching one million lives.

Over 90% of stalking victims experience psychological impacts

Research from the University of Kent and Suzy Lamplugh Trust reveals the extent of stalking on victims.

Post-webinar Q&A: Tim Marsh answers your questions around health and wellbeing

Following a successful webinar around wellbeing and culture, co-host Tim Marsh answers some of the audience questions that came from the event.

A guide for managers: Supporting employee wellbeing

A go-to resource to help managers support employee wellbeing, including signs of ill-health, duty of care and top tips.

World Suicide Prevention Day: ‘Ensure workplace mental health support is communicated clearly and regularly’

For World Suicide Prevention Day (Sunday 10 September), SHP hears from GRiD on the importance of employers communicating support for mental health clearly and regularly.

‘Communicating effectively, empowering employees and influencing stakeholders’: Evotix CEO Matthew Elson

SHP Editor Mark Glover, speaks to Evotix CEO Matthew Elson on technology adoption, attracting talent and why the concept of work/life balance needs a refresh. 

What problem are we trying to solve with our wellbeing strategy?

Heather Beach draws on the findings from her new book and asks why workplaces sometimes struggle to implement a workplace wellbeing strategy.

Proposed employment law changes could put construction workers’ lives at risk, says CIOB

Eddie Tuttle at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB0 says a government proposal to amend several areas within retained EU Law, in particular employment law, could have a detrimental impact on construction safety. 

Challenges in organisational wellbeing – EHS Congress 2023

At EHS Congress in May, held in Berlin, a panel discussion focused on health and wellbeing and how it can be recognised and monitored on a larger scale in organisations.

NHS Health Board fined £235,000 after failings resulted in man’s death

The largest health board in Scotland has been fined £235,000 after a man took his own life while in its care on 22 January 2020.

Last orders? Should we call time on workplace drinking culture?

During Alcohol Awareness Week, Janet Hadley, Director at Choose Sunrise, says it’s time to rethink the culture around drinking and the workplace.

Wellbeing: Much ado about nothing?

Dominic Cooper suggests ambiguity around wellbeing is skewing OSH priorities. 

SHP PODCAST: ‘Curiosity leads to innovation’ – Rachel Butler on working in health and safety

In this episode, SHP caught up with Rachel Butler, who is Head of Health, Safety and Risk at Bruntwood, on how she got into health and safety from early beginnings in the construction industry.

Skanska UK partners with Maximus to improve mental health support for employees

Construction firm, Skanska, has partnered with Maximus to provide mental health support for their UK employees and help improve wellbeing in the wider construction sector.

Men encouraged to seek health help at the first signs of symptoms

Men are being encouraged to seek health help at the first signs of symptoms instead of leaving it until issues are severe, says RedArc.

The ‘Zoom’bie Effect 

In this month’s legal column from Eversheds Sutherland, Catherine Henney, speaks to Mental Health and Strategist and Consultant, Amy Mckeown, about the impact of the pandemic on workers’ mental health and ISO45003, the first international standard on managing psychological health and safety at work.

How a little game of chess can open up a conversation and improve mental health and well-being in your organisation

SHP hears from 5asideCHESS, which was set up as a social enterprise in 2015 by co-founders, Ross Smith and Ian McKay, in response to their concern about the levels of disconnection and inequality that they saw in society. 

Employers and employees do not agree on workplace wellbeing priorities, finds research

Employers and employees do not agree on workplace wellbeing priorities – as 51% of employees believing stress and anxiety wellbeing should be the number one, then depression and burnout.

New mental health charter to benefit energy industry workers after almost half admitted to suicidal thoughts

 A new mental health charter is being developed to benefit North Sea workers in the energy industry.

Fiona O’Donnell – “It really is mental health in your hands”

The Global HSE Strategy Lead at Jacobs won this year’s Trailblazer in Workplace Wellbeing accolade at the SHP Awards. Here, she speaks to SHP Online about the organisation’s free and influential One Million Lives tool and her wider internal role promoting mental health and wellbeing.

Working group says employers must “sustain investment” in wellbeing during cost of living crisis

The UK National Forum for Health & Wellbeing at Work is urging employers to sustain investment in health and wellbeing during cost of living crisis.  

Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on anxiety in 2023

The annual Mental Health Awareness Week this year has a focus on the theme of anxiety.

How music can help to ease anxiety at work

Find out how music therapy and specific types of music can transform your work environment and improve your well-being.

Sir Lenny Henry CBE to speak at Safety & Health Expo next week

In an exciting addition to the programme, he will address mental health and his star-studded career.

Employers being impacted as menopause is often misdiagnosed as depression 

Employers are being impacted by a common misdiagnosis of psychological menopause symptoms, experts have said.

Latest trends in workplace wellbeing – In conversation with campaigner Rob Stephenson

Ahead of EHS Congress, taking place in Berlin in May, SHP catches up with one of the event’s speakers, Rob Stephenson, who is CEO and Founder of FormScore.

‘Organisations rarely evaluate the impact of psychological health interventions’: HSE’s Phoebe Smith on risk assessments for work-related stress

Human Factors Technical Team Lead previews her upcoming Safety & Health Expo presentation to SHP.

SHP PODCAST: The irreversible impact: mental health and accidents at work

In this sponsored episode, we hear from two speakers from Proud2BSafe – an organisation of motivational speakers who share personal stories about the impact of workplace accidents.  

Metaverse helps to alleviate anxiety in the workplace

A metaverse has been used to carry out an anonymous study which found miscommunication and fear are root causes of anxiety in the workplace.

Taking action on strategies and hybrid working – A summary of the British Safety Council Wellbeing Conference 

Last month, an array of speakers presented on critical topics on wellbeing at the British Safety Council Wellbeing conference. Here, we take a look at some of the main topics discussed at the event…

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stuart Gibbon
stuart Gibbon
6 years ago

Whilst there is a huge plethora of good information on the internet regarding Mental Health & Well-being and what to do to reduce and assist with it , i feel that H&S legislation is falling short on enforcing employers to safe guard employees mental health. It’s ok that section 2 of the HASAWA states that it is the employers duty to safeguard the Health safety & well-being of their employees whilst at work, but why cant we encompass Mental Health First Aid into the standard First Aid at Work Regulations, whereby, based on the risk, diversity and size of an… Read more »

David Whiting
David Whiting
6 years ago
Reply to  stuart Gibbon

Hi Stuart, You make a good point. We have started in my company to introduce trained Mental First Aiders (MFA). To introduce MFA will require a well thought out strategy as it goes to the very heart of how do we do business. Many Health and Safety people see this as an extra task to have to do. For as long as I have been in practice (many years) it has never been at the front of our agenda, but with the means of popular media attention and AI and modern technology. Could be another means to get underneath the… Read more »