Call to recognise mental health injuries alongside physical injuries in the workplace
01 October 2024
A campaign is underway to push for mental health injuries caused by work-related incidents to be treated with the same seriousness as physical injuries, an initiative that could transform high-stress industries such as construction, demolition and decommissioning, where the physcial workplace hazards are also a daily reality.
Psychologist Tina Catling is a Principal Practitioner for the Association for British Psychology, and a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers. (PHOTO: Catling)
Tina Catling, a corporate psychologist and Principal Practitioner for the Association for British Psychology, is advocating for mental health injuries to be included under the United Kingdom’s Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
This would require companies to report incidents of mental health harm in the same way they do for physical injuries.
Tina, who is also a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers, argues that recognising mental health injuries could help create safer work environments and prevent issues like workplace stress and harassment from going unchecked.
Tina said: “We need to ask ourselves a fundamental question - why do we separate mental health from physical health? Our heads are connected to our bodies. Yet, if someone sustains a mental health injury due to work, there is no legal obligation for employers to investigate and report it.
“Recognising and recording mental health injuries would lead to better protection for employees and encourage employers to take proactive measures, such as implementing psychological safety risk assessments and addressing workplace factors contributing to stress-related harm.”
Tina added: “If we required RIDDOR reporting for mental health injuries, we’d see an immediate shift.
“Employers would look closer at issues such as microaggressions, unconscious bias, bullying and the general psychological safety of their employees.
“There is an ISO for Psychological health and safety at work it is ISO45003 from 2021, but companies are not incentivised to apply for it.
“Creating the correct organisational protocols for psychological injury is a crucial step in creating inclusive, psychologically safe cultures that value both mental and physical well-being equally. A first step that every organisation can take is to ensure that individuals can report mental health injuries in the accident book.”
For industries such as demolition, where physical safety protocols are already critical, this shift could prompt a broader focus on psychological safety, addressing issues like stress and bullying that can arise in high-pressure work settings.
Tina is not alone in this effort, with trade unions like Unite’s United Minds also campaigning for similar changes to workplace reporting and safety standards.
The move aims to bring more attention to mental health in sectors where demanding work conditions can take a toll on employees’ well-being.
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