Benefits of ISO 45003 on Mental Health

According to the World Health Organization, one in eight people globally lives with a mental health condition. Millions grapple with mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD, some of whom probably work in your organization. 

Employees spend a lot of time in the workplace, and providing an environment that strives to mitigate psychological and psychosocial risks goes a long way. Here, we discuss what ISO 45003 is and its benefits for mental health and your business.

Understanding ISO 45003

ISO 45003 is a guideline for managing psychosocial risk for improved occupational health and safety.

Supporting mental wellness within your company builds a better work environment and promotes psychological well-being. In addition, your organization reaps rewards — these are the ISO 45003 mental health benefits for employees.

1. Improved Mental Health Literacy and Awareness

By adopting the ISO 45003 mental health standard, your organization actively promotes the understanding and awareness of mental health conditions employees may live with or are at risk of. Education helps people learn to manage their challenges while diminishing the persistent societal stereotypes around mental illness.

2. Better Mental Health Risk Prevention and Care 

Risk identification and prevention become far easier when your organization increases its overall understanding of mental health. If safety professionals and employees know what to look for and how to address it, they can expedite identification, prevention, and care. Also, with better employee wellness packages and resources, your staff has improved access to care and support.

3. Greater Inclusion and Less Stigmatization

Fear of stigmatization and exclusion is an obstacle we must address. More than half of those with mental health issues avoid or delay seeking professional medical help and treatment because they fear discrimination, which could include losing their jobs. Because mental health problems are so pervasive, it’s compassionate to promote an inclusive and understanding workplace that makes employees feel safe. 

4. Healthier and More Fruitful Relationships

When employees feel they can be open about their mental health conditions, it encourages them to learn more and accept help and treatment. Further, knowing that colleagues are better informed and fostering an accepting and supportive stance makes it easier for people to invest in healthier and more fruitful relationships. It frees them to no longer pretend and mask their conditions or fear they may get “found out” for having mental health issues.

5. Respect and Trust

With improved workplace knowledge and insights into mental health, employees can have open dialogues with their co-workers and employees to alleviate any sense of exclusion, help end stigmas, and allow people to create genuine and honest relationships. When people feel safe and understood, they are far more likely to respect and trust one another, which fosters organizational loyalty. Investing in implementing ISO 45003 and ensuring psychological safety enables an environment of mutual respect.

6. Reduced Stress and Anxiety Levels

Stress and anxiety are widespread in modern workplaces. However, the effects of stress on a person can ultimately lead to severe health complications. Organizations must know how to reduce stress factors in the workplace to further promote employee mental health and well-being. One of the ISO 45003 mental health benefits is that companies can better realize contributing factors and take steps to minimize them. Employees consequently become more energized, relaxed, confident, and physically healthier. 

7. Enhanced Employee Well-Being

Combining awareness, inclusion, acceptance, support, respect, care, and treatment opportunities can reduce employees’ stress and anxiety levels and equip them to manage existing mental health issues or risk factors. Implementing ISO 45003 mental health prevention and promotion is paramount to fostering collective physical and psychological well-being in the workplace. Good mental health influences employee psychological, emotional, physical, and social functions. 

8. Increased Happiness and Job Satisfaction

Psychological and psychosocial safety directly benefit employees. There is a definite correlation between employee psychological well-being and job satisfaction, and it stems from creating a work environment that understands the need for mental health promotion. 

Implementing psychological risk and safety management systems allows team members to feel safe, heard, understood, and recognized. Employees enjoy more job satisfaction with reduced stress levels, greater trust, and improved mental health prevention and care.

Benefits of ISO 45003 in the Workplace

It is becoming increasingly essential to manage organizational psychological risk and address it with the same relevance and urgency as physical health and safety. Regardless of company size or context, meeting ISO management system standards for psychological risk and safety is the first step to implementing ISO 45003 for current and future employees. The ISO 45003 benefits on mental health affect the company too, as improved employee mental health may lead to: 

1. Reduced absence from work 
2. Strengthened employee retention
3. Bolstered recruitment and diversity
4. Increased organizational stability
5. Enhanced worker engagement
6. Increased productivity and innovation
7. Improved customer satisfaction and company reputation
8. Greater potential legal compliance

ISO 45003 Mental Health FAQs

Read on for answers to frequently asked questions about ISO 45003 and mental health. Please contact National Association of Safety Professionals to learn more about workplace safety.

What Is ISO 45003?

The ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 283 created ISO 45003:2021 as an international guiding framework to help organizations develop, implement, maintain, and fine-tune their internal psychological risk and safety management system. The standard, published by the International Organization for Standardization, expands on the existing ISO 45001:2018 for occupational health and safety management systems. 

The standard, which you can read online for free, offers guidance for safety professionals to manage psychological risks and hazards in the workplace while establishing a safer and healthier environment for all. 

Who Is ISO 45003 Relevant to?

The standard is for all businesses that want to expand their occupational health and safety management system’s scope to include mental health. These organizations want to promote the understanding of psychological hazards, how to address them, and reap ISO 45003 mental health benefits for the company and its employees.

Additionally, if a company or organization has yet to implement an OHS management system, this is an excellent opportunity to build the framework to include ISO 45003 guidelines before implementation. The ISO 45003 mental health and safety guidelines are not a requirement — however, adding it to ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety is highly advisable. 

What Is Psychological Health and Safety?

Psychological health and safety is part of the broader OHS and focuses on reducing the work-related impact on employee psychological well-being to promote improved mental health and psychological safety. It is essential to mitigate psychological hazards that impact psychological well-being, which may include: 

• Management design 
• Poor leadership 
• Corporate culture
• Unfair treatment 
• Excessive work hours 
• Work-related stress 
• Exposure to hazardous tasks

The goal is to promote employee mental health and well-being by considering how employees think, feel, and conduct themselves while realizing the effects of psychological hazards.

Defining Psychological and Psychosocial

When safety professionals address mental health in the workplace, it’s vital to understand the differences between psychological and psychosocial. Though many people use these terms interchangeably, they are not synonymous. Still, there is a fundamental connection, meaning safety professionals must consider both components.

Psychological primarily refers to an internal mental and emotional state and processes, and psychological factors may impact that person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 

Psychosocial refers to external interpersonal and social context factors that affect someone’s psychological health. A person can also influence their social context, thereby impacting psychosocial factors. Psychosocial examines the relationship between social aspects and a person’s psychological components. 

Improve Safety With NASP

Ultimately, the ISO 45003 mental health standard examines mental health in the workplace and seeks to assist organizations in reducing psychological risk factors and limiting employees from experiencing effects such as stress, depression, burnout, and more. 

At NASP, we understand the importance of safety professionals in creating IS0 45003-compliant workplaces with effective implementation of psychological risk and safety management systems. That is why we are IACET-accredited and offer a diverse range of specialized online safety training courses and ANAB-accredited certification programs that promote OSHA compliance.

If you want more information on our courses and services, including on-site training and consulting, please call us at 800-922-2219. Or you can complete our online contact form, and a NASP representative will gladly discuss the practical approach to workplace safety with you.

Register for our live Psychological Health & Safety Specialist Classroom course today!