The Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace – Prevention, promotion and guidance to staged implementation (the “Standard”) was released by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Bureau de Normalization du Québec and the Canadian Standards Association (“CSA”) on January 16, 2013.
Overview
The Standard provides employers with a framework to develop and
sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, through the
identification and elimination of hazards in the workplace, the assessment and
control of the risks in the workplace, the implementation of structures and
practices to facilitate psychological health, and the fostering of a workplace
culture that promotes psychological well-being.
Highlights of the Standard include:
· Implementing
a Psychological Health and Safety Management System (PHSMS)
· Developing
risk mitigation process
· Competence
and training
· Protecting
confidentiality and privacy rights
· Accountabilities
for implementation
· Reporting
and investigations process
· Monitoring
and measurement
The Standard calls for a “psychological health and safety
management system”, but provides few specifics. This is probably because
accommodation of mental health disabilities is such an inherently fact specific
undertaking that establishing “measurable objectives” will not assist in
assessing a particular case.
The Standard next recommends that employers implement preventive
and protective measures to address any identified hazards or risks. This should
include providing resources to employees who have been suffering from mental
health difficulties.
In light of this new Standard, employers should consider taking
the following action:
· Review
policies and programs and consider how mental health issues may be addressed
· Consider how
past incidents and particular employees were dealt with and if your
organization could have done better
· Assess the
workplace for any mental health hazards (high stress, exposure to risks, high
workload) and take appropriate action to mitigate these hazards
Mental Health is considered a
disability. What are some things your
company/organization has done to comply with this new standard?
If you are interested in learning more about Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a
natural part of your business through the application of Corporate Social
Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @ 416-579-1035 or sandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca or visit
www.accessibilitycompliance.ca
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