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Psychological health and safety for employers

If you are an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure a healthy and safe workplace.

I want my workplace to be psychologically healthy and safe.

Employers are responsible for ensuring a healthy and safe workplace. Not only is it good for your workers’ well-being, but it’s good for your bottom line, too. Plus, emerging legal and regulatory mandates articulate employer responsibilities in this area.

Workplace safety and health committees or representatives should also be actively involved throughout the development and implementation of the safety management system. This includes assessing the workplace for potential psychological hazards, recommending improvements, tracking results and fostering a psychologically healthy and safe environment.

For tips on assessing and addressing psychological health and safety in your workplace, visit this resource.

Start with the Standard

The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety (the Standard) outlines a systemic approach to develop and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. It provides guidelines, tools and resources to help organizations prevent psychological harm at work, including the  13 psychosocial workplace factors employers can use as a lens when designing management systems.

Adopting the Standard and incorporating it into an existing health and safety management system can help your organization with productivity, financial performance, employee retention and risk management.

Implementing psychological safety

Review the elements of a safety and health program outlined in the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulation and add psychological considerations to your existing safety and health programs. The eleven elements are:

  1. a policy that demonstrates your commitment
  2. adequate systems to identify and control hazards
  3. identifies people, resources and procedures that are needed to deal with emergencies
  4. a statement of responsibilities
  5. scheduled regular planned inspections
  6. plans to control chemical and biological hazards
  7. procedures to control hazards when working with contracted employers and self-employed persons
  8. training plans for workers and supervisors
  9. procedures to investigate incidents
  10. ways to involve workers in the program
  11. regular evaluation

Critical incident employer guidelines

A critical incident is an event that takes place suddenly—like an injury, fatality or robbery—which can cause emotional or psychological trauma. As a result of a critical incident, workers may have difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, being alone, being around people and other responses. Workplace morale and productivity may also suffer. Know that this is expected and usually resumes to normal overtime.

As an employer, you can support workers by providing information about available services for counselling, meet with your workers regularly and answer their questions as best as you can. Clear policies as well as sensitive procedures are necessary to help workers who have been affected by a critical incident.

In the case that a worker seeks medical help, a WCB claim should be made. If a worker has made you aware that they have sought medical help, submit a claim with the WCB.

Related links

Psychological health and safety
Health and safety topic list