Protection of Physical Safety

Nov. 1

Written By Worker's Compensation Board Of Nova Scotia -

Is present when a workers’ psychological, as well as physical safety, is protected from hazards and risks related to the worker’s physical environment.

What is protection of physical safety?

Protection of physical safety is present when a worker’s psychological, as well as physical safety, is protected from hazards and risks related to the worker’s physical environment or workplace.

An organization that protects physical safety would be able to state that:

The organization cares about how the physical work environment impacts mental health.
The organization is meeting legal occupational health and safety obligations.
Workers feel safe (not concerned or anxious) about the physical work environment.
The way work is scheduled allows for reasonable rest periods.
All health and safety concerns are taken seriously.
Workers asked to do work they believe is unsafe, do not hesitate to refuse it and report it.
Workers get sufficient training to perform their work safely.
The organization assesses the psychological demands of the jobs and the job environment to determine if there are hazards to workers’ health and safety.

This video was developed by The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health with content adapted from The Mindful Employer.

Why is protection of physical safety important?

Workers who view the workplace as prioritizing physical safety tend to feel more secure and engaged.

Studies indicate that when employees have increased confidence in workplace safety measures, they often experience reduced levels of psychological distress and mental health issues. This perception of safety is improved and advanced by thorough safety training, trust in the employer's efforts to minimize physical hazards, confidence in prompt and effective responses to safety incidents, and opportunities for meaningful involvement in shaping workplace policies and practices. This is particularly important in environments with increased safety sensitivity.

Safety conditions are closely connected to the broader organizational culture. A psychologically safe environment might be present when there's a commitment to promoting and safeguarding both physical and psychological well-being. This commitment may involve proactive efforts to identify and address risks.

Workplaces that neglect physical safety are more prone to hazards. Employees who perceive a lack of emphasis on physical safety are likely to feel less secure and engaged, increasing their vulnerability to psychological distress and mental health challenges.

FAQs

• Ensure legal occupational health and safety obligations are met.
• Adopt work scheduling and assignment practices that lessen risk for physical or psychological harms.
• Ensure all job descriptions include a role in identifying and reporting physical and psychological hazards.
• Respond promptly and properly to workplace incidents and injuries.
• Document incidents, injuries, and near-misses including the response.
• Ensure that timely and effective supports are available following a critical incident (e.g. defusing, debriefing, employee and family assistance programs, psychological treatment).
• Ensure assessment and controls are in place for work with high psychological and physical risks, and that workers are properly trained and supported.
• Ensure obligations for provision of worker breaks, rest, and access to washrooms and clean water are met.
• Ensure training on how to minimize exposure and impacts of physical and psychological hazards.
• Ensure all employees and leaders are trained to understand how physical hazards can impact psychological health and safety.
• Ensure all new employees are trained to identify and report physical and psychological hazards, and leaders to understand response and investigation.
• Provide proper protective equipment to control physical and psychological workplace hazards, including measures to prevent workplace violence.
• Provide all employees with a clear process for safe and timely identification and reporting of physical and psychological hazards.
• Provide employees with the knowledge and skills needed to help cope with the psychological impact of incidents, near misses, and injuries.
• Ensure health and safety policies and programs are clearly communicated on a regular basis.
• Work together with an employee’s group to ensure safety communication will be easily accessible and understood by all employees, including new hires and persons who may not be fluent in the primary language(s) of the workplace.
• Ensure safety committee minutes, inspection reports, copies of legislation, and notice of any upcoming safety changes are posted properly and promptly.
• Ensure all employees are trained and understand their occupational health and safety roles, responsibilities, and obligations.
• Ensure obligations and good practices for monitoring, reporting, and responding to hazards are in place and maintained.
• Include commitment to workers’ physical and psychological safety in workplace vision and values statements.
• Ensure policies state that discrimination of any kind is not permitted for the reporting of physical or psychological hazards.

Next Steps

Protection of physical safety at work

A work environment where management takes appropriate action to protect the physical safety of employees.
• Fewer job-related errors, incidents, near misses and injuries.
• Reduce costs arising from work absences.
• Improved physical and psychological health and safety of workers.
• Reduced costs of any legal actions that may arise as a result of unsafe conditions.
• Improved labour-management relations.
• Do issues related to protection of physical safety present a greater risk to particular groups of workers (e.g. new workers, certain jobs, shift workers, etc.)?
• What are the strengths in your workplace in terms of protection of physical safety (e.g. what do you do well and what should you continue doing)?
• What could your workplace do to improve in this area (e.g. what could you do more of and what could you do less of)?