The Government is being encouraged to develop a National Workplace Mental Health Strategy that will enable businesses to manage and support mental illness in employees better.
In a ‘whitepaper’, the Occupational Safety and Health Stakeholder Alliance, an alliance of nine major health and safety organizations, made this call yesterday (10 October) to coincide with World Mental Health Day.
The grouping also called for businesses to review and assess their safety and health leadership and commitment, strategy, and culture in order to ensure that their workplaces are conducive to a positive mental health.
The alliance stated that occupational safety and health professionals, as well as others with OSH responsibilities such HR personnel, should use good OSH tools and approaches to help organisations, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, prevent and manage psychosocial risk and protect and promote mental wellbeing.
It also called on the government to make sure that the Health and Safety Executive and the local authorities have adequate funding and are able to provide the necessary levels of inspection and enforcement to support the organisational approach for preventing and managing psychosocial risks.
Vanessa Harwood Whitcher, CEO of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, a member of this alliance, stated: “To truly turn the tables and improve the mental health at the workplace, there must be a focus on prevention. Mental health can be affected by issues such as an unreasonably heavy workload or a poor work-life imbalance. Businesses must assess these risks and take proactive measures.
She added that “this needs to be supported by the government, and OSH professionals are able to drive change on the grounds, ensuring that good health and safety management is embedded into the overall organizational structure.”
The alliance consists of the following: IOSH (the British Occupational Hygiene Society), British Safety Council (BSIF), British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF), Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Human Factors Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors International Institute of Risk and Safety Management National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
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