JHSCs: an untapped mental health resource

Pressure has been building on workplaces to provide physically as well as psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. Many employers are talking about it and wondering what to do.

Workplace pressure points

Factors compelling employers to address mental health include:

• rising disability costs - mental health problems are a leading cause of short‐and long‐term disability in Canada
• new laws on workplace violence and harassment
• a broadening definition of “health” to include mental health
• growing awareness of mental health issues in the workplace
• greater legal recognition of the employer’s duty to prevent psychological harm to workers

Among the solutions: tapping into the in-house expertise of your own joint health and safety committee (JHSC). They’re ideally positioned to act as champions of mental health. They can help the employer reduce stigma and pinpoint psychological hazards in the workplace.

The JHSC's role

Reducing mental health harm involves looking at how workplace factors such as culture, organization of work, and workplace relationships and interactions are impacting workers’ mental health.

JHSCs are well suited to root out psychological workplace factors.

• JHSC's conduct workplaces inspections, participate in investigations, and make recommendations to management about safety issues. They can integrate workplace mental health into these tasks. Although it would require looking at the workplace with a different lens, it makes sense for them to keep their eyes and ears open to ensure the workplace is safe in all respects.
• They are trusted by employees. Workers may feel more comfortable talking to a JHSC member about a problem than a mamanger or human resources - especially if it feels personal or involves difficulties with others in the organization , such as “I’m really feeling stressed,” “My supervisor is always picking on me,” or “I’m frustrated that I have no role in the decisions that are made.”
• It's a natural fit with their other duties. They can easily survey workers about company culture and health and safety related beliefs during their routine ispections. Questions that require a simple yes or no questions, such as, “I think I could report instances of dishonest and unethical practices without fear of reprisal,” or “Safety rules are carefully observed even if it means work is slowed down,” could be very telling indicators of the health of the organization and comfort of staff.
• The JHSC can help identify the mental health impacts of safety-related issues. For instance, “Is the worker with the MSD injury able to do his job without feeling frustrated or stressed?”

How WSPS can help

The following resources could help your JHSC members reduce psychological harm in the workplace by becoming mental health ambassadors or champions:

• Workplace Mental Health: What Health and Safety Committees Should Know (1-day; online, instructor-led training)
• WSPS workplace mental health consultants can work with you and your JHSC to identify and implement effective ways to improve the work environment and encourage a supportive workplace mental health framework.