MENTAL HEALTH & STRESS
“The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) provides a tool for
measuring fatigue – its Fatigue Risk Index which is available online as a spreadsheet.”
used widely across industries including utilities, oil, gas, chemical and transport sectors.
SMALL STEPS OFFER BIG WINS To keep workers safe, employers in industrial sectors
of course need to carefully think this through and put relevant policies and practices in place that suit their unique working environment, and this can be complex. However, there are a number of quick and easy steps that can offer big wins for industrial workers, especially those working shifts. The NHS recommends ear plugs as an effective and low-cost aid to improved sleep, with less side effects than medication. Providing your workforce with sleep plugs is a very quick win.
Night shift workers and on-call workers are particularly at risk from sleep disturbances, which over time will inevitably lead to fatigue. Day sleep is often lighter, shorter and more easily disturbed because of daytime noise and a natural reluctance to sleep during daylight hours.
The custom-moulded earplugs you provide to protect your workers’ hearing whilst they are at work are made from unique mouldings taken from your workers’ ears. PPE suppliers like ProtectHear can provide sleep plugs at low cost made from the same mouldings they already hold in store for your workers. There’s no need to re-mould, a quick call to order your workers’ sleep plugs from existing moulds (as long as they are less than five years old) is all that is required.
Also, simple adjustments to working conditions involving lighting, temperature and ventilation can make all the difference to a worker’s wellbeing, hydration and comfort. All of which can lead to better quality sleep.
ACKNOWLEDGING THE LINKS Ensure you have a mental health policy in place,
and that it acknowledges the importance of sleep and the dangers of fatigue. As outlined by the HSE – whether work is causing the mental health issue or
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aggravating it, employers have a legal responsibility to support their employees.
The relationship between sleep and mental health is complex. While lack of sleep is known to be a consequence of a number of psychiatric conditions, mental health experts suggest that sleep deprivation plays its part in the development and worsening of mental health problems. Sleep problems can lead to negative changes in mental health, and mental health conditions can also worsen problems with sleep. Lack of sleep may trigger the onset of certain psychological conditions. There seems to be a gear change in society as a whole in terms of how we recognise, acknowledge and support mental health.
Some believe we are on the brink of a mental health revolution in the workplace. Mental health still carries a stigma in many organisations initiatives such as the NHS’s ‘Every Mind Matters Campaign’ and the Government-backed ‘Time To Change Campaign’ have really started to build momentum, encouraging employers to take some shared responsibility for employee mental wellbeing.
Next year ISO are bringing out a new standard, ISO45003 which will offer accreditation for organisations re psychological health and safety in the workplace. We are also seeing government grants encouraging organisations to address mental wellbeing in the workplace. All of this will have a positive impact on fatigue related incidents and injuries in industry in the long term. Network Rail’s Validium Employee Assistance Programme is a good example of the way this is going.
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EDUCATE AND PROMOTE Adopt a culture that promotes sleep and rest periods.
Recognise and reward a good work-life balance. Provide your workers with opportunities to engage in fatigue education, and training on how fatigue affects workplace safety.
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