Safety Officer Course: The Importance Of Safety Officers For Employee Mental Health

Today more than ever the workplace needs employees who have had the safety officer course training. Not only are safety officers an integral part of making your place of employment safer by implementing policies that protect you, but they can also play a critical role in supporting employees who struggle with mental health issues.

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) website, 15% of working age adults reported to have some sort of mental health issue in 2019. Financially for businesses that level of mental distress has cost the United States almost $1 Trillion dollars in loss of productivity. As these statistics show, the mental health of a company's employees is not something that should be underestimated, and good owners and entrepreneurs know that they should put structures in place to help those struggling with mental wellness.

Those who have completed a safety officer course, are well suited to help in this regard. That is why the demand for well trained safety officers is higher now, than in any other time in employment history. In this article we investigate how safety officers can be beneficial to those struggling with their psychological health in the workplace.

What Is A Safety Officer And The Importance Of The Safety Officer Course

Simply put, a safety officer is responsible for setting up a culture of safety in the workplace. In order to be employed for the role they must have received the necessary qualifications by completing a safety officer course. Their duties vary greatly depending on the industry in which they work, but there are a number of common tasks that most officers must be able to proficiently conduct. This includes tasks such as risk assessment and preventing, policy development, safety training and incident investigation.

Furthermore, it is expected that safety officers understand the workplace legislation of the country in which the company is situated, and make sure that all laws are being complied with. These duties are important to a company's long term success and therefore proper training is critical.

In South Africa, the best place for prospective safety officers to complete their training is through EMCARE, the country's leading safety officer course provider. EMCARE is proud to be accredited from the country's leading legislative and employment bodies, including the Department of Labour and the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority.

Thus, for South Africans, by completing an EMCARE safety officer course you can be sure to be well trained and accredited for any industry within South Africa.

Mental Health Challenges In The Workplace

Now that we better understand the role of a safety officer, their responsibilities and duties and what it takes to become one, we can now turn our attention to the primary theme of this article, mental health. Before we can truly appreciate the role of safety officers in supporting those with mental health issues, we should first understand a few of the most prominent mental health challenges faced by employees.

These include but are not limited to:

Stress
Stress is probably the key stone mental health disorder in most competitive work environments. It is also the great equaliser as everyone from a junior employee to a senior manager will experience some level of stress. This is caused by a number of factors, that include large workloads, deadlines and company expectations not being met. Stress itself can be a key cause of more mental health issues, some of which are described below.

Depression
Stress, isolation, no support and job demands not being met are key causes of depression. In recent years, the amount of people reporting some level of depression has skyrocketed. In 2023 almost twenty-one million Americans reported major depressive orders. Depression is linked to a whole host of physical issues including trouble sleeping, fatigue, chronic pain and a weakened immune system.

Anxiety
Work-related and chronic anxiety is another major mental health challenge that many employees face. Although, disregarded as "not serious" when compared to depression, anxiety can also be a very real struggle for many that can also be linked to a number of physical conditions. This includes things like hair loss, cardiovascular issues and even respiratory issues.

How Safety Officers Can Influence Workplace Mental Health

Safety officers, who have completed a comprehensive safety officer course through EMCARE are well suited to help alleviate mental health issues that are so prevalent in workplaces today. Below let us review some of the ways in which safety officers can influence workplace mental health:

Creating A Supporting Work Environment
One key goal of any good safety officer is not only to promote a safe work environment, but also a supportive one. Mental health challenges like stress and depression can be caused by feelings of isolation, which can be traced back to employment conditions in which workers do not feel supported. Safety officers should look to encourage workers to speak out (either privately in one-on-one sessions or publicly) about the mental health challenges they are facing, without worrying about being shamed or criticised.

Mental Health Training
Another important way that safety officers can create a more supportive environment for those struggling with their mental health is through training. By relating what they have learnt through the safety officer course they can help bring light to the growing mental health crises in workplaces. Not only can they highlight the growing struggle, but they can also teach employees practical methods to deal with mental health issues and emphasise the importance of expert help.

Risk Assessment
As mentioned in a section above one thing that any safety officer course teaches is how to conduct a risk assessment. Although one may assume that this is only for physical obstacles or issues around the workplace that could cause bodily harm, a full risk assessment is deeper than that. Assessing whether the workplace is conducive to a culture of positive mental health is also important. If there are no systems in place to help support those suffering from mental health challenges, then a safety officer should look to highlight and rectify the issue.

EMCARE: A Safety Officer Course That Works

Mental health is a growing concern in many places of employment. Luckily with the help of well-trained safety officers, positive steps can be made towards targeting and solving the issue. So if you are interested in learning more about how you can help and what it takes to become a safety officer, don't hesitate to visit our website to learn more about the courses we offer.