Psychosocial Hazards at Work
In June 2021, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released a new standard, ISO 45003:2021 (Occupational health and safety management – Psychological health and safety at work – Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks) to address a long-standing issue, and one that has increased in recent years with the pandemic.
The ISO has structured the new standard in the same way as the more common ISO 45001:2018 to make it easier to implement. The context of the new standard focuses on understanding who the workers are, the external factors that can affect psychosocial risk, and internal factors such as workforce size, characteristics, location, etc.
What are psychosocial risk factors and how to identify them in the workplace?
Identified in a paper by researchers at Simon Fraser University, there are 13 psychosocial risk factors (PRS):
Psychological support – co-workers and supervisors supportive of mental health concerns
Organizational culture – basic assumptions held by a particular group on values, beliefs, meanings, and expectations
Clear leadership and expectations – support that helps employees know what they need to do and how it contributes to the organization
Civility and respect – employees are respectful and considerate in their interactions with others
Psychological competencies and requirements – the workplace is a good fit between interpersonal, emotional competencies, job skills, and their position
Growth and development – encouragement and support in the development of their interpersonal, emotional, and job skills
Recognition and reward – appropriate acknowledgement and appreciation in a fair and timely manner
Involvement and influence – employees are included in discussions about how their work is done and how decisions are made
Workload management – tasks and responsibilities can be accomplished successfully within the time available
Engagement – employees feel connected to their work and motivated to do their job well
Balance – balance between the demands of work, family, and personal lift
Psychological protection – employees feel able to put themselves on the line, ask questions, see feedback, report mistakes and problems, or propose a new idea without negative consequences
Protection of physical safety – steps taken to protect workers in the work environment
Other key issues in the workplace that can affect employee mental health can include:
Stigma and discrimination – a negative label on a group of people based on personal attitudes and beliefs that creates fear
Stress – negative physical or mental tension where an individual perceives as a threat, causing an adaptation or stress response. Not all workplace stressors are negative.
Demand/control and effort/reward relationships – a disproportionate increase/decrease in the workload demand and the employees control.
Presenteeism – employees coming to work despite suffering from sickness that justifies an absence
Job burnout – a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion or a cumulative result of stress
Harassment, violence, bullying, and mobbing
Substance use, misuse, and abuse at work
A strong starting point for companies is to include the commitment to prevent ill health and injuries related to psychosocial risk and promoting well-being at work in their OH&S policy statement or, as necessary depending on the organization, having a separate policy statement about management psychosocial risk. This shows workers that it is a core value of the company and that top management is committed to a psychologically safe workplace.
Organizations can also involve workers in the decision-making process to help employees feel motivated and committed to the new process, ensuring a more effective and sustainable implementation and continual improvement of the psychological health and safety program.
Preventing psychosocial hazards and risks in the workplace
The International Labour Organization lists 8 key methods to which organizations can prevent psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
Implement collective risk assessment and management measures, as it is done with other workplace hazards;
Adopt collective and individual preventive and control measures;
Increase the coping ability of workers by increasing control over their tasks;
Improving organizational communication;
Allowing workers’ participation in decision making;
Building up social support systems for workers in the workplace;
Taking into account the interaction between working and living conditions;
Enhancing the value placed on safety and health within the organization;
Creating a psychosocially safe workplace starts with the organization committing and implementing a program to identify, address, and control the hazards, but it also relies on the engagement and participation of the workers.
Managing Personal Stress
There are many different ways to be proactive when it comes to managing your own mental health.
A useful exercise that I have done, and highly recommend to everyone, is to write down a list of what you perceive to be work stressors and personal stressors each month. Once you have a list going, write down what controls or measures you can do to help manage them. By identifying and visualizing these stressors, I am better able to plan and manage their impacts through various control methods, reducing their effects and boosting my personal mental health.
If you would like a free copy of the mental health exercise, along with other free resources, consider subscribing to our mailing list by filling out the form below! It is also a great way to get the blog posts sent directly to your email if you do not have time to visit the site. We send out monthly emails that include the blog posts, free resources, as well as announcements for upcoming events or products.
Other steps that you can take to help deal with stress can include counselling services, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), stress management training, reaching out to mental health organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). For immediate help you can speak with someone through National Suicide Prevention Services by phone (833-456-4566 for Canada and 1-800-273-8255 for US). These services are available 24/7 and can be contacted if you suspect someone you know is under emotional distress. Their phone lines are confidential and staffed with trained crisis workers to provide counseling and mental health referrals.
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