National Standard of Canada for psychological health and safety in the workplace released

TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2013 /CNW/ - The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), and CSA Group have officially released Canada's first national standard designed to help organizations and their employees improve workplace psychological health and safety.

The National Standard of Canada titled Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace - Prevention, promotion and guidance to staged implementation is a voluntary standard focused on promoting employees' psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors.

"One in five Canadians experience a mental health problem or mental illness in any given year and many of the most at risk individuals are in their early working years. Canadians spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else," says MHCC President and CEO Louise Bradley. "It's time to start thinking about mental well-being in the same way as we consider physical well-being, and the Standard offers the framework needed to help make this happen in the workplace."

The Standard provides a systematic approach to develop and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, including:

• The identification of psychological hazards in the workplace;
• The assessment and control of the risks in the workplace associated with hazards that cannot be eliminated (e.g. stressors due to organizational change or reasonable job demands);
• The implementation of practices that support and promote psychological health and safety in the workplace;
• The growth of a culture that promotes psychological health and safety in the workplace;
• The implementation of measurement and review systems to ensure sustainability.

"This voluntary national standard is the result of a collaborative effort between MHCC, BNQ and CSA Group, and is supported by scientific literature from many relevant areas of workplace health and safety, social science, and law. There is also a clear business case which supports the need for continual improvement of psychological health and safety in the workplace," says Bonnie Rose, President, Standards, CSA Group. "Workplaces with a positive approach to psychological health and safety have improved employee engagement, enhanced productivity, and a better financial outlook."

The voluntary Standard is not intended to be adopted into federal, provincial, or territorial legislation. It can be used differently by businesses and organizations of all sizes depending upon their needs. Some businesses may use the Standard as a starting point and focus on creating policies and processes to promote mental health, while others may determine that several aspects of the Standard are already in place and use the Standard to build upon their existing efforts.

"This Standard will help enable organizations to introduce measures that will assist them in meeting important internal objectives such as the promotion and protection of workers' well-being, job satisfaction, self-esteem and job fulfilment - objectives which have been clearly shown to also lead to improvement in the 'bottom line'," says Jean Rousseau, Director, Bureau de normalisation du Québec.

The development of this Standard was funded in part by the Government of Canada (through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Health Canada, and the Public Health Agency of Canada), and through financial contributions from the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace and Bell Canada.

The Standard has been approved by the Standards Council of Canada as a National Standard of Canada. It will be available at no cost through CSA Group (www.shopcsa.ca) and BNQ (www.bnq.qc.ca) websites.

About The Mental Health Commission of Canada
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is a catalyst for change. We are collaborating with hundreds of partners to change the attitudes of Canadians toward mental health problems and to improve services and support. Our goal is to help people who live with mental health problems and illnesses lead meaningful and productive lives. Together we spark change.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is funded by Health Canada.
www.mentalhealthcommission.ca

About Bureau de normalisation du Québec
Reporting to the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ), the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) has acted as a central standardization and certification organization and disseminator of information on standards for over 50 years. Officially recognized by the Government of Québec, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the BNQ takes the lead in developing measures to support business, manufacturing, social and regulatory areas of interest.
For more information: www.bnq.qc.ca

About CSA Group
CSA Group is an independent, not-for-profit membership association dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability.  Its knowledge and expertise encompass standards development; training and advisory solutions; global testing and certification services across key business areas including hazardous location and industrial, plumbing and construction, medical, safety and technology, appliances and gas, alternative energy, lighting and sustainability; as well as consumer product evaluation services.  The CSA certification mark appears on billions of products worldwide.
For more information about CSA Group visit www.csagroup.org

The views represented herein solely represent the views of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Production of this document is made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada.

SOURCE: Mental Health Commission of Canada

For further information:

Media Contacts:

Kyle Marr, Senior Communication Specialist
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Office: (403) 385‐4050
Cell: (587) 226‐8782
[e-mail]

Anthony Toderian
Manager, Corporate Affairs
CSA Group
Cell: (416) 747‐2620
[e-mail] 

Marie‐Claude Drouin
Business Development Coordinator
Bureau de normalisation du Québec
Cell: (418) 564‐7282
[e-mail]