The next step

A practical guide to wellbeing at work

[Weblink]

Do workers with poor mental health take more risks?

Impact on businesses

Mental illness now represents 49% of work-related ill health. 1.8 million workers suffered from work-related ill health in 2022/23, of whom roughly half (an estimated 875,000) cited work-related stress, depression or anxiety.

Managing the problem

Many businesses now try and support employees with poor mental health by offering workplace initiatives such as mindfulness sessions, the provision of employee assistance programmes and mental health first aiders. However, for those experiencing acute workplace stress they may not be in the right frame of mind to participate and benefit. Another concern is that lower earners and those in less responsible roles often have less access to benefits, even though they can be equally affected by poor mental health. As they tend to be in higher-risk jobs, it is more likely they are exposed to a workplace injury through poor mental health.

The tip of the iceberg?

Recent analysis by IOSH Magazine found that poor mental health may have been a contributory factor in some of the 60,645 work-related injuries collated under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 . Mental health challenges can result in significant instances of misconduct, mistakes, negligence and safety concerns stemming from unaddressed stress, all of which can be causal factors in physical injuries.

Understanding the root cause

The main causes of workplace stress are psychosocial risks arising from workload, particularly in terms of tight deadlines, too much work or too much pressure/responsibility. Poor managerial support, violence and bullying, organisational changes at work and role uncertainty are also factors.

A holistic approach

Whilst work-related psychosocial factors are believed to be more challenging to manage than traditional health and safety hazards, management of them may help to reduce not only absenteeism, but your injury rate. For example, if you have a person who is suffering poor mental health and not focused on their surroundings, they may step into the path of a moving vehicle or may not think about how heavy a load is before they lift it, both of which can result in serious long-term injuries.

Tip. By viewing psychosocial risks as an organisational issue rather than an individual fault, you can begin to tackle them in the same structured way as other hazards in the workplace.

Tip. IOSH estimates that for every £1 invested by employers in mental health there is a £5 return, with increased productivity, reduced staff turnover and the prevention of absenteeism and presenteeism.

Tip. The European Agency for Safety and Health at work has published a useful guide for SMEs to tackle psychosocial risks. It suggests a five step approach including preparation, assessing risk, action planning, taking action and evaluating the changes (see The next step ).

For a link to the guide, visit https://www.tips-and-advice.co.uk , Download Zone, year 22 issue 14.