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Employers are being urged to improve the process for reporting and addressing psychiatric injuries
A corporate psychologist is calling for mental health injuries and physical injuries caused by work-related incidents to be treated equally.
Psychologist Tina Catling, who is also a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, is lobbying for mental health injuries to fall under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
Catling said this would put mental health injuries “on par with physical injuries”, which would create “more psychological safety in the workplace”.
“It would not only save companies thousands in absences and productivity; it would save lives,” she added.
Employee engagement
In March, AXA UK published a study which showed that poor mental health in the workplace cost the UK economy £102bn in 2023.
Further research from Gallup highlights the link between mental health, staff engagement and physical injuries. According to the findings, the least engaged workers are 64% more likely to experience a safety incident at work compared to the most engaged workers.
“We need to ask ourselves a fundamental question – why do we separate mental health from physical health? Our heads are connected to our bodies. Yet, if someone sustains a mental health injury due to work, there is no legal obligation for employers to investigate and report it,” said Catling.
“Recognising and recording mental health injuries would lead to better protection for employees and encourage employers to take proactive measures, such as implementing psychological safety risk assessments and addressing workplace factors contributing to stress-related harm.”
RIDDOR reporting
Catling added that there would be an “immediate shift” if RIDDOR reporting was required for mental health injuries.
“Employers would look closer at issues such as microaggressions, unconscious bias, bullying and the general psychological safety of their employees. There is an ISO for Psychological health and safety at work it is ISO45003 from 2021, but companies are not incentivised to apply for it,” she said.
“Creating the correct organisational protocols for psychological injury is a crucial step in creating inclusive, psychologically safe cultures that value both mental and physical well-being equally. A first step that every organisation can take is to ensure that individuals can report mental health injuries in the accident book.
“As a practicing corporate psychologist, I know that psychiatric injuries are happening at work and they are going unreported. They are not investigated and dealt with in the same ways as physical injuries and that is wrong.”
Mental health support and advice for CIOB members, past members and related family is available through CIOB Assist. CIOB, in partnership with Anxiety UK, also provides wellbeing support.
For additional support or advice, contact the Samaritans by calling 116 123. Support is also available via the industry charity Lighthouse Club by calling the support line on 0345 605 1956 or texting HARDHAT to 85258.
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Excellent idea, it is time that employers treated mental health the same as physical, as it can be as debilitating, sometimes more so than physical health challenges. By making this reportable under RIDDOR, it may start to change the stigma and challenges people suffering with mental health challenges face.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, until discrimination, bullying, intimidation, victimisation, the stigma and consequences attached to reporting mental health is addressed, we will only ever go around in circles, as we have now for years. Like all health, safety and welfare issues, education is the key and until these thick headed baffoons actually listen to the evidence, that clearly shows the risks to not having good policies, we will always not be providing the support that more and more people are needing in todays mixed up world, we will still see the sideways smirks, sniggers and the off hand remarks to not feeling yourself etc, that only make things harder.
We need policies that actually work, and not just something that looks good on a poster, or on a post once a year for mental health day.
People are taking their own lives more and more now, with our industry being one of the worst hit. Something needs to be done, something more than talk. The legal system is being abused by companies with unscrupulous legal teams, who very easily make a mockey of the legislation and legal system set up to protect people. Its getting better, but like the mental health crisis, it just keeps growing.
The way that interim releif claims are dealt with by the Employment Tribunal should be one of the first things the government look at, this may send a message to employers that its time for real change, not just a checkbox excercise to give the impression of being compliant.