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Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
Previous generations fought to establish minimum standards of protection from physical injury including:
- Exposure to harmful substances
- Working from heights
- Tools and machinery
While we continue to fight for stronger protection from physical hazards and for enforcement of these standards; today we are becoming increasing aware of an entire new category of workplace hazard: Psychosocial Hazards
Psychosocial Hazards can cause Mental Injury.It is important to differentiate Mental Injuries from Mental Illness, while illnesses are often chronic long term conditions, Mental Injuries are inflicted on us by unsafe workplaces and we are all potentially at risk.
While this is still an emerging field there are resources available to workplaces to manage these hazards. Like physical hazards, managing Psychosocial Hazards depends on having a system in the workplace to (1) identify, (2) assess, and (3) address the conditions that creat these hazards.
Recently the Mental Health Commission of Canada partnered with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop the first standards for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace and unlike other Health and Safety standards developed by CSA this one is currently free for workplaces to use and adopt.
Psychosocial Hazards can cause Mental Injury.It is important to differentiate Mental Injuries from Mental Illness, while illnesses are often chronic long term conditions, Mental Injuries are inflicted on us by unsafe workplaces and we are all potentially at risk.
While this is still an emerging field there are resources available to workplaces to manage these hazards. Like physical hazards, managing Psychosocial Hazards depends on having a system in the workplace to (1) identify, (2) assess, and (3) address the conditions that creat these hazards.
Recently the Mental Health Commission of Canada partnered with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop the first standards for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace and unlike other Health and Safety standards developed by CSA this one is currently free for workplaces to use and adopt.
For more information on the CSA standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace please visit: http://www.csa.ca/cm/ca/en/news/article/standard-for-psychological-health-and-safety-in-the-workplace