‘The benefits to employers who invest in sustainable psychological health and safety management systems are considerable’
WorkSafe Saskatchewan has formed a partnership with Dr. Joti Samra, one of Canada’s foremost psychological health and wellness experts, to develop a long-term strategy to address mental health injuries in the province.
“We’re very excited to partner with Dr. Samra to develop a long-term psychological health and safety strategy for the province. Part of the initiative within the strategy will be to develop a resource centre available on WorkSafe’s website, which will include not only written resources, but also podcasts, videos, blogs and webinars,” said Kevin Mooney, Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board’s vice-president of prevention and employer services.
“The centre will provide Saskatchewan employers with the online tools they need to develop and sustain psychologically healthy and safe work environments for their employees.”
WorkSafe Saskatchewan is the workplace injury prevention partnership between the Saskatchewan WCB and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety.
Samra will provide hands-on support by offering office hours for consultation through peer learning groups and specific resources for high-risk industries experiencing a larger number of psychological claims.
“I’m very pleased to work with the Saskatchewan WCB on this important initiative,” said Samra. “The benefits to employers who invest in sustainable psychological health and safety management systems are considerable, including increased employee productivity and engagement, reduced absenteeism and fewer (and shorter in duration) disability claims.”
In July, a study found that employees’ mental health is linked to the quality of employer support during COVID-19.
Samra is also a known TV personality, being a co-host of reality TV show Million Dollar Neighbourhood. She has been a practicing psychologist for almost 20 years, and is also the Clinic Founder of Dr. Joti Samra, R.Psych. & Associates and the CEO & Founder of MyWorkplaceHealth.com.
WorkSafe Saskatchewan noted that the number of primary mental health claims accepted by the Saskatchewan WCB has increased by 213 per cent from 2015 to 2019. This represents 952 psychological injury claims. Also, the number of accepted psychological injury claims has increased each year, from 98 in 2015 to 307 in 2019.
In July, the government of Saskatchewan announced that Innovation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture are partnering with a health services company to provide farmers with a new tool to track their mental health and link them with supports.
Nearly half (48 per cent) of Canadians are very concerned about their mental health as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from Renascent.
