Psychological Health & Safety
The National Association of Safety Professionals Announces a Major Expansion
A New Corporate Division of NASP: Psychological Health & Safety Plus
Personal, All-Inclusive Health, Safety,
and Wellbeing.
Life is about more than surviving. It’s about thriving.
Brittany Harris, PHD, Industrial & Organizational Psychologist, Director of the Psychological Health & Safety Division of NASP
I am very excited to have the opportunity to manage NASP’s new Psychological Health & Safety Division. We are introducing training, consulting, and all the tools necessary to implement Psychological Health & Safety (PHS) in your workplace. We will offer a number of relevant courses both online and in classroom format. I look forward to working with you in your PHS implementation and in incorporating PHS into all workplace safety training. All NASP courses are currently being expanded to include the relevant principles of PHS. Addressing PHS in the workplace addresses psychological hazards that have not been addressed in the past and eliminates many workplace physical injuries that result from the psychological states of mind of workers. I invite you to review the following information for an overview of PHS.
Explore PHS
THE GREATEST ADVANCEMENT IN WORKPLACE SAFETY EVER
Welcome to the National Association of Safety Professionals’ homepage dedicated to Psychological Health and Safety (PHS). While the concept of PHS has long been recognized in academic circles, it’s application in the workplace is still emerging in the United States but has been very successful in much of Europe, Canada, and Australia for some time.
At NASP, we are proud to be at the forefront of this transformative evolution in safety. We believe that implementing PHS principles in the workplace will profoundly impact your workforce, yielding significant benefits for both employees and organizations alike. For years, safety professionals have wondered why the many improvements in workplace safety they made did not significantly reduce their injury and illness rate. The answer came with the discovery that 52% of workplace injuries had their root cause in psychosocial hazards and risks. It was later determined that organizations that properly addressed psychosocial risks experienced a 4 to 1 return on their investment and an exceptionally resilient workplace.
HOW DID PHS ORIGINATE?
PHS stems from the field of human factors as they relate to at-risk behavior. Many are familiar with the discourse surrounding 'Safety I' versus 'Safety II'— a concept also known as Safety Differently, introduced by Sidney Dekker. Safety I emphasizes compliance and the elimination of hazards, whereas Safety II focuses on learning, adaptability, and the active engagement of all employees in fostering a safe work environment.
This evolution of thought has led to operational philosophies such as behavior-based safety and human and organizational performance (HOP), which have gained traction among safety professionals seeking effective solutions to workplace injuries and illnesses that compliance with OSHA and other regulations alone cannot address.
However, while these frameworks are beneficial, they do not adequately address the underlying causes of most workplace injuries and illnesses. Merely applying these principles is insufficient; it is crucial to delve deeper into understanding why employees and organizations, as a whole, may fall into these error traps.
WHAT IS PHS AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Psychological Health and Safety (PHS) pertains to the study and management of psychosocial risks in the workplace. Psychological health and well-being have long been critical issues within organizational settings. Conditions such as stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression not only incur substantial financial costs but also lead to high rates of long-term sickness and absenteeism, resulting in significant disruptions to business operations. However, recent research has shown that psychosocial risks have a large impact beyond mental health. In recent years, we realized that psychological health issues are often the root cause or a contributing cause to many physical injuries in the workplace.
Many organizations feel ill-equipped to address these challenges effectively. Approaches to PHS have often been superficial, reactive, or entirely overlooked. A psychologically safe workplace is one where employees are shielded from stressors that negatively impact their performance and contribute to physical injuries.
Organizations that prioritize the mental health of their employees tend to experience increased productivity, higher levels of employee engagement, and improved staff retention. Furthermore, a strong emphasis on mental well-being can mitigate the risks of workplace accidents caused by issues such as loss of concentration, distraction, frustration, fatigue, and complacency.
To learn more about various PHS stressors, click on the link and hear from NASP’s Director of Psychological Health and Safety regarding some of the more common psychosocial risks in the workplace.
HOW DO I TAKE ACTION?
We invite you to discover how you can make a huge impact on your injury and illness rate while significantly influencing your company’s bottom line by effectively applying the insights gained from PHS. To begin this journey, we recommend enrolling in our newly launched PHS Manager Certificate Course. This comprehensive program will equip you with the essential knowledge and skills to enhance the safety, health, and well-being of your employees, ultimately leading to a reduction in workplace injuries and illnesses associated with these risks.
PHS Related Courses
