Blog post: mental health at work week

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) dedicates the middle of May to raising awareness of the impact of poor mental health on workplace safety. PSS safety, health and environment technician apprentice Umayya Rahman has been reflecting on the week and PSS’s own campaign week which takes place in March.

Stress is defined by the HSE as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them’. While many people benefit from a certain amount of pressure to stay motivated, excessive pressure can lead severe consequences with the majority of ill health due to stress, depression and anxiety. The impacts of stress and poor mental health can also lead to negative behavioural and emotional issues which can affect the safety of others as well as oneself.

In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a duty of care to protect their employees from the risk of stress at work, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 dictates ‘suitable and sufficient assessment of risks’ for employees’ health and safety at work.

Mental health plays a large role in every aspect of our lives, and it is essential to acknowledge that in all risk assessments. From causing low mood to worsening heart and back conditions, it is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point each year. According to a report from Mind in 2023, 6069 registered deaths were caused by suicide across England and Wales, with 75% being male. With the demographic of ports being predominantly male itself, it is essential that the sector recognises this as a call for change.

Factors of stress include:

• Too many or conflicting demands.
• Little control over work environment and decision-making.
• Change within an organisation
• Lack of support and encouragement from peers
• Bullying, harassment and conflict at work
• Uncertainty of expected roles and responsibilities or lack of skills to complete them.
• External factors i.e. in one’s personal life
• Insufficient breaks

The implementation of the 5Rs can be used to support mental health within the workplace. These are:

• Reach out and have conversations
• Recognise the signs and causes of stress- this can be done via risk assessment
• Respond to any risks identified by agreeing action points
• Reflect on actions and if it has created improvement
• Make it Routine to check back on how things are going

What can be done to improve this?

With mental health being such significant part of our lives, it is essential to acknowledge and promote this, and to provide methods of support for workplace stress. Campaign weeks such as these are a good reminder to us all to stop and think about our own, and our colleagues’, mental health. Some things to consider include:

• Check in with your colleagues to see if they are okay.
• Reviewing the articles and resources posted during this and previous year’s Mental Health in Ports weeks.
• Enrolling on the next PSS Mental Health First Aiders course.
• Reviewing the HSE’s Working Mind’s campaign, and the HSE’s Management Standards to identify work design stressors.
• Implementing some ideas from the Talking Toolkit from the HSE to encourage open discussion on mental health, and provide resilience training to strengthen mental health and awareness.
• Ensuring you take regular breaks, away from your normal working environment.