Many workplaces have invested heavily in improving their performance when it comes to managing mental health in the workplace. A lot of research has been conducted which has outlined the impact mental health can have on the number of accident rates, death rates and productivity within an organisation.
The ‘mental health first aider‘ is an example of a physical change that many health and safety departments have made to tackle the growing challenges faced in many industries. Here are some of the ways that mental health first aiders can help encourage better behavioural safety within the workplace.
Mental health first aiders can help employees unload issues
When it comes to creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, a designated mental health first aiders is often a good first step to make. If employees know there is someone within the organisation that they can go to, this is often enough to lower their mental burden. Mental health first aiders are often trained in providing qualified mental health support. Just as regular first aid professionals have to complete something similar to one of Brampton’s cpr training courses, mental health first aiders will normally undergo the equivalent for mental health. If employees feel less stressed, this will often lead to them exhibiting healthy safety behaviours like for example, speaking up when they see open hazards.
Happier employees will exhibit positive safety behavioural changes
Similar to previous points, if employees are happy in themselves, this can often lead to better behavioural health and safety. Happy motivated employees are often more conscientious, and this can help promote better individual changes. For example, a happy and motivated employee will often let management know when a hazard is present. Additionally, their work may also follow a safer procedure. Getting this right is particularly important in safety-critical industries like oil, gas, and construction. It might be a good idea for the employees suffering from mental health to have a look at what is available to them in the way of treating or suppressing the effects of their condition. This might be looking into marijuana and its equipment choices whether they be rasta pipes or vaporizers for example. Many places allow it for medical use these days for its positive effects on mental health illnesses like depression or anxiety. Perhaps this could keep them in a more constant mental state to be able to carry out their job properly and feel calm at work. Obviously, this should be taken in moderation to remove the possibility of becoming too calm at work! However despite this, changes within the workplace might play a major role around the mental welfare of the staff, and it might be the best way to prevent the triggering of panic attacks or depressive episodes in itself.
The visibility of mental health first aiders can help workers feel supported
Having mental health first aiders who have strong visibility in the organisation is often enough to make employees feel more supported. This can be done through the distribution of lanyards, jackets and potentially hardhats. It is also important to make sure mental health first aiders know that they can ‘switch off’ from their added duties if they need to. This is why it is important to make sure they have something on them that identifies when they are ‘on duty’ or not.
Find out more about the ways to implement mental health first aiders
Getting the implementation of mental health first aiders is crucial as if not done correctly, it can often appear to just be another corporate policy that does not actually encourage any real change. Make sure you research all the relevant sources of information on the subject to help you implement mental health first aiders successfully.