Workplace mental health
Workplace mental health, which includes psychosocial risks, is a good example of an occupational safety and health (OSH) concern that can be multifactorial, impacted by both work and non-work contributory factors.
It is important to remember that both employers and employees have a shared responsibility under the EU OSH Framework Directive to achieve improvements in OSH conditions. Consequently, efforts to improve OSH standards should not solely rest with the employer, but also with the individual and indeed with society Even though societal changes take time, campaigns encouraging a healthy diet, more active lifestyle, sensible use of social media and tackling the ideal parent picture and gender stigma, are all factors that contribute to a healthy and prosperous population, from young to old.
The new world of work, caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, has brought about root and branch changes. Many of these changes have been positive, such as the development of remote work and telework in so-called “teleworkable” occupations, which has facilitated the newly found possibility of better reconciling work and personal life. However, we must be cognisant of the added challenges, for example, for managers in managing employees at a distance. In this context, either at the company or sector level, social partners are best placed and have stepped up to reach tailored solutions on telework and remote work. Thus, balanced and pragmatic solutions exist throughout the EU, allowing flexibility for the worker to telework, while taking into account that employers’ obligations are proportionate to their means of control and influence over the workplace or work environment. The differences in solutions are due to the Member States’ parafiscal context as well as different systems of social partner practice, fields where the subsidiarity principle will always prevail.
The MET employers’ position on workplace mental health is discussed in our recently adopted position paper under the following four headings: the EU Framework Directive caters for all workplace OSH risks, we need a holistic approach to psychosocial risks, the impact of multifactorial factors outside the employers’ control and the causes of psychosocial risks.
Read more about the MET industries’ views on psychosocial risks in our position paper.
EU-OSHA campaign on healthy workplaces
Employers are fully committed to providing safe working conditions and protect their employees from harm. Not only is it morally the right thing to do, but it also represents good business. As non-work factors have impact on an individual’s capacity to work and their health and safety, also employees have the responsibility for improvements in occupational health and safety conditions from individual lifestyle choices and activities taken outside of work.
Ceemet assists manufacturers in their aim to create healthier workplaces for their employees.
#EUHealthyWorkplaces
Ceemet is a partner of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. They organise the Healthy Workplaces campaigns that run for two years and are dedicated to one issue: improving health at work. Where previous campaigns were dedicated to the management of dangerous substances, raising awareness about work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and how to tackle them, the current one focuses on smart digital systems and their implications for occupational safety and health.
New OSH monitoring systems can use digital technology to collect and analyse data in order to identify & assess risks, prevent and/or minimise harm, and protect occupational safety and health.
Since 2020, Ceemet has been an official campaign partner of the ‘Healthy Workplaces’ campaign.