‘We’ve seen Saskatchewan workplaces dealing with unique psychological health and safety challenges. That reinforces the importance of providing Saskatchewan employers and workers with the tools they need’
WorkSafe Saskatchewan has launched a comprehensive online psychological health and safety resource centre to help employers and workers develop psychologically healthy and safe workplaces.
“We’re very excited to launch the Psychological Health and Safety Resource Centre in partnership with Dr. Joti Samra,” said Kevin Mooney, the Saskatchewan Workers Compensation Board’s vice-president of prevention and employer services. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen Saskatchewan workplaces dealing with unique psychological health and safety challenges. That reinforces the importance of providing Saskatchewan employers and workers with the tools they need to support mental health and safety in their workplaces.”
The online resource centre offers a variety of tools and resources to help Saskatchewan employers and workers develop psychological health and safety programs in their workplaces or enhance their existing efforts. It also has a comprehensive list of provincial mental health resources, as well as webinars and workshops.
The centre also provides answers to some commonly asked questions about psychological health and safety and lists contact information for community mental health resources in Saskatchewan.
Rising claims
The resource is the province’s response to the rising number of psychological health claims submitted in Saskatchewan. From 2016 to 2020, the WCB accepted 1,128 psychological injury claims. The number of accepted psychological injury claims increased to 274 in 2020 from 109 in 2016.
In Canada, 71 per cent of unpaid caregivers are feeling more burnout than ever, according to a report from EMD Serono, Canada.
The resource centre is part of a long-term strategy developed in partnership with Samra and Dr. Joti Samra, a national expert on issues relating to psychological health, wellness and resilience. Her research has contributed significantly to the evolution and development of a national standard for psychological health and safety in the workplace.
“Our team is very honoured to be working with WorkSafe Saskatchewan towards creating this publicly available resource centre on Psychological Health and Safety (PH&S) that organizations are able to freely access to help them through their journey,” she said.
One out of five
Dr. Samra noted that conservatively, one out of five will experience a psychological or mental health issue or illness every single year.
“Over the past year, we have witnessed increased rates of alcohol use, rates of depression have doubled, and rates of anxiety have quadrupled. Now, more than ever, we have a critical imperative to take action towards enhancing our psychological health, wellness and resilience – as individuals, and as organizations,” she said.
“Ultimately, healthy, resilient and thriving organizations and teams are comprised of healthy, resilient and thriving workers – both physically and psychologically.”
The resource centre is located on the WorkSafe website, under the “Resources” tab.
