The BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) has launched a workplace mental health training program.
The program has two parts.
Part 1 is called “Every Mind in the Workplace Matters – For Construction” and provides a six-module overview of mental health in the workplace.
The course will be held online and can be taken here at your convenience.
Here’s a quick overview of the six modules:
- Module 1: Introduction.
- Module 2: Learn the difference between mental health and mental fitness. Indigenous mental health models.
- Module 3: Learn about common mental health conditions in the workplace. Recognize the signs of mental health problems. Learn how to notice and support yourself and others.
- Module 4: Learn about the occurrence and impact of mental health issues in the workplace and how they affect safety.
- Module 5: Find out where mental health and wellness services are located and how to access them.
- Module 6: Learn what to do if you are exposed to a dire situation at work.
Diana Vissers, who developed and delivered the mental health program, said 38 people had completed the first part as of the end of March.
Part 1 is a prerequisite for Part 2, which is aimed at supervisors and managers.
Some of the materials covered in Part 2, “Managing Minds at Work – In Construction” include:
- Legislation covering the supervision and management of mental health in the workplace and the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and managers.
- Common indicators of underlying mental health issues. Strategies and actions to address potential mental health issues.
- A framework for how to have ‘difficult conversations’ with colleagues about mental health.
- Strategies to support and strengthen your organization’s mental health.
“This is a seven-hour in-person workshop for construction leaders,” Vissers said.
Workshops will be held in April, July and August in Vancouver, Victoria, New Westminster, Kelowna, Prince George and Fort St. John.
“There is a lot of interest in this program,” Vissers said. “There are 135 people on the waiting list (as of the end of March).”
Vissers is an occupational health consultant and CEO of Work to Wellness, a British Columbia company that addresses workplace mental health issues for individuals and organizations.
“We’re training resilience and stress management,” she says. “Think of this as physical therapy for the mind.”
Vissers said the most common conditions for poor mental health in the workplace are anxiety, depression and substance use disorders.
“Unfortunately, talking about emotions, especially negative emotions and mental health, is taboo in the construction industry,” she says. “Men are supposed to be strong and silent, and not pretend to be ‘weak’ when they are in emotional distress. But not speaking out means being alone, and the pain doesn’t go away. ”
BCCSA is the sponsor of this program.
Erin Linde, director of health and safety services for the alliance, said the program was inspired by a request from BCCSA’s Fire and Flood Recovery Program Technical Advisory Committee (FFRP TAC).
“The committee came forward to meet with me to address some of the secondary trauma that group members experience on the job,” Linde says.
The committee is chaired by Justin McConville, Director of National Health and Safety at OnSide Restoration Services, a fire and flood recovery and reconstruction company with operations from coast to coast.
McConville says restoration workers face a number of psychosocial hazards unknown to most other professions.
“We’re trying to restore the lives of victims of natural disasters and other disasters, and the work is very stressful,” McConville says. “Property owners are angry and stressed, work hours are long and unpredictable, and it’s hard on our families. The worst part is the trauma when people are injured.”
McConville said that in seeking a mental health program for its employees, FFRP TAC wanted to be proactive and protect its employees from the mental stress and strain they face on the job.
“It’s a very difficult job, both for restorers and the people they’re trying to help,” McConville says. “Our employees need to know that what they are experiencing is not normal and that help is available if they need it.”
Some restoration companies, such as On Side, host large groups for mental health programs.
“About 50 OnSide employees will be taking the course in British Columbia,” McConville said.
“I signed up for it,” he says. “We have a lot to offer our industry. I’m looking forward to it.”
The program costs $65 for Part 1 and $299 for Part 2.
