Mental health is just as important as our physical health. In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness. By the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, 1 in 2 have – or have had – a mental illness.
Mental Health Awareness Week will take place May 1-May 7, as part of a national campaign by the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Hand-in-hand with awareness is access to information on prevention. No workplace is immune from mental injury hazard. That is why our definition of occupational health and safety cannot be limited to physical well-being only; it must include mental well-being as well. With most adults spending more of their waking hours at their workplace than anywhere else, addressing issues of mental health on the job is crucially important.
Together, we must keep this responsibility to ourselves and to our co-workers in mind during any work activity. Ensuring a psychologically healthy workplace (a workplace that promotes workers’ psychological well-being and actively works to prevent harm to worker psychological health) is a key function of Occupational Health and Safety Committees (OHSC). Just like any other hazard at workplace, our Joint Health and Safety Committees need to recognize, assess, control, evaluate, review, adjust, monitor and maintain the program. Learn more about the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace which identifies psychosocial risk factors in the workplace.
No Unifor member is alone
Dave Simmons EFAP/Addictions Rep
davidlsimmons1@gmail.com
519 521 7051
Joy Hickox EFAP/Addictions ALTERNATE
lovejoy79@me.com
519 532 4217
Charlotte Johnston EFAP/ Addictions ALTERNATE
charlottejohnst@gmail.com
Posted on behalf of the EFAP Representatives at Unifor Loacl 88