• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • 500 OF THE BEST AND WORST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychological Safety
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
    • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
    • What is Psychological Safety?
    • Understanding Psychological Terminology
    • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
    • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
    • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / Robert Long / How Not to View Mental Health and Safety

How Not to View Mental Health and Safety

March 17, 2022 by Dr Rob Long 2 Comments

How Not to View Mental Health and Safety

imageThe latest animated promo from Worksafe Victoria is yet another classic fail when it comes to understanding and tackling mental health. Why is it that Safety continues to go to dumb animations and semiotics that convey the opposite message for what is needed? Goodness knows how much money is wasted on this rubbish. Whenever Safety doesn’t know what to do it goes to meerkats, mums for safety, pickles, dumb ways to dumb, broken eggs, fluffy dolls, hazardman and sexy sophie for answers (https://safetyrisk.net/meerkat-safety-can-it-get-more-dumb/ ). Can someone please explain to me with evidence showing how Safety is an industry of intelligence?

So how does Worksafe Victoria present the challenges of mental health at work? Just check out the latest video in dumb. How much of this stuff do you have to watch before you work out that safety is NOT a profession?

With brain on legs with geek glasses ‘ensuring the right measures are in place’. Yep, that‘s where you start when it comes to dumb down safety, measures.

Of course, mental health is NOT a brain problem not is a challenge in cognition or has anything to do with what can be measured. Only Engineering would think that mental health is a measurement problem. Indeed, it’s the worldview of engineering that most often creates the mental health issues in the first place.

Mental health is a challenge holistically. Mental health is not a brain problem but rather a social problem. Goodness me, do some research. Unless mental health is tackled holistically it is doomed to fail.

Of course, what does the animation show this little brain what are the critical contributors to poor mental health. You guessed it, social psychological arrangements are the principle factors that generate poor mental health outcomes. So, the logic is that mental health is a brain issue and then little brain-man is shown what social factors create mental health issues. Now that’s clever.

From this foundation, the suggestion of the animation is to get a workwell toolkit.

So, what is the workwell toolkit about?

‘Understanding the signs of a mentally healthy workplace is tricky – especially when you can’t see them. That’s why we’ve created the WorkWell Toolkit, to help you control hazards that you can’t see and help you on your way to creating a mentally healthy workplace and fulfilling your responsibilities as an employers.’

Hmmm, hazards that you cannot see. Would that have anything to do with the human unconscious that Safety never wants to talk about? Yes! But mental health is not about hazards and such language demonises the discussion about mental health. Only Safety could think that the language of ‘hazards’ should be used when speaking about this issue.

By this stage of my investigation into this promo I’m already convinced that Worksafe Victoria don’t have a clue about mental health.

I would suggest accessing the intelligence and professionalism of Lifeline (https://www.lifeline.org.au/ ) if you want to be professional in understanding mental health. You can also find some sound research on this blog (https://safetyrisk.net/?s=Mental+health ).

As long as Safety anchors to zero and thinks mental health is a brain problem, it will never be professional.

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
  • More about Rob
Dr Rob Long

Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Dr Rob Long

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

  • An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video - January 31, 2023
  • The KISS of Death in Safety - January 31, 2023
  • SPoR, Metanoia and a Podcast on Change with Nippin Anand - January 31, 2023
  • Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health - January 31, 2023
  • The Worst Approach to Psychosocial Problems is an Attitude of ‘Fixing’ - January 31, 2023
Dr Rob Long
PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Robert Long Tagged With: worksafe, wrokwell

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Clive says

    December 1, 2022 at 11:23 PM

    Great points, mental health in the workplace is often overlooked but is an important as there is a connection with productivity which can make a big difference in larger organisations with a bigger workforce.

    Reply
    • Rob Long says

      December 2, 2022 at 7:25 AM

      Thanks Clive. Organisations are so good at counting and interrogating LTIs but woeful at tackling the challenges of mental health. Indeed, much of what is done doesn’t even understand the challenges as social and cultural, traumatic or unconscious. The last place to go for any understanding of it is Safety.

      Reply

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,498 other subscribers

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

SAFETY MYTHS SERIES

The Mythic Symbology of Safety

Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics

Safety Mythbusters

Don’t Be Emotional! Another Safety Myth

Tackling the Challenge of Heuristics in Safety

The Myth of Normal

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Recent Comments

  • Rob Long on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Brian Edwin Darlington on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Brian on The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Jaise on The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Rob Long on Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics
  • Linda McKendry on Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics
  • Rob long on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Matt Thorne on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Anonymous on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Jason on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Admin on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Gustavo Saralegui on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Rob long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Wynand on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Rob Long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • simon cassin on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Rob Long on Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Matt Thorne on Free Online Workshops

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Footer

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • 500 OF THE BEST AND WORST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
  • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS, CHECKISTS, REGISTERS, TEMPLATES and APPS
  • 15 Safety Precautions When Working With Electricity
  • NATIONAL SAFETY DAY/WEEK IN INDIA 2023
  • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
  • The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health

Recent Posts

  • An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • The KISS of Death in Safety
  • SPoR, Metanoia and a Podcast on Change with Nippin Anand
  • Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health
  • The Worst Approach to Psychosocial Problems is an Attitude of ‘Fixing’
  • SPoR Comes to Vienna June 2023
  • The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • The Visionary Imagination – Louisa Lawson
  • Heaven ‘n Hell and the Safety Religion
  • Confirmity in Conformity
  • Numerology and Psychic Numbing
  • Thinking of Mortality
  • Safety is the Wrong Anchor
  • Foresight Blindness, Hindsight Bias and Risk
  • Getting the Balance Right in Tackling Risk
  • What is SPoR?
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety
  • When You Don’t Know What to do in Safety, Have Another Blitz!!!
  • Gloves and Glasses Compliance
  • A Case of Desensitisation – What Would You Do?
  • How to Leave the Safety Industry
  • The Mythic Symbology of Safety
  • Dark Waters, The True Story of DuPont and Zero
  • 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Am I stupid? I didn’t think of that…
  • Don’t Look Now Safety, Your Metaphor is Showing
  • Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
  • To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Culture as a Wicked Problem, for Safety
  • Safety Leadership Training
  • Cultural Orientation in Risk
  • The Stanford Experiment and The Social Psychology of Risk
  • Objectivity, Audits and Attribution When Calculating Risk
  • Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Zero, The Seeking of Infinity
  • Safety Leadership Essentials
  • What Can Indiana Jones Tell Us About Culture
  • Safety as a Worldview
  • The Loathing of Limits
  • Culture Cannot be Framed Through Safety
  • Free Online Workshops
  • Safety Culture–Hudson’s Model
  • Book Launch – For the Love of Zero – in Portuguese
  • Advancing Backwards in Safety
  • The ‘Noise’ of Safety, Silence and Practicing of Mindfulness
  • All Things Must Pass in Risk
  • I’m just not that into safety anymore
  • Sticks and Stones and the Nonsense of Zero Harm

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

Study at The Centre for Leadership and Learning in Risk

Psychology and safety

Safety and Risk Culture Cloud

Y is Being and Doing

Safety and the Spin of Disruption

Managing the Unexpected

Mental Health, Risk and Safety

The New Safety Saviour – Algorithms

An Social Ecology of Resilience

Free Download – Tackling Risk, A Field Guide to Risk and Learning

Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety

Acknowledge Trade-offs to Make Better Inquiries

Models From Social Sensemaking

Intuition and Safety

A Picture Tells a Thousand Lies in Safety

SPoR and Myth

The Worm at the Core

The Psychology of Blaming in Safety

Who is the Enemy and What War is Safety Fighting?

Reflections of a ‘Doer’

Investigations and Power

Free Online Introduction to the Social Psychology of Risk

A Semiotic Map for Safety

The Safety Control Delusion

Safetie

Emotions, Bias and Heuristics in Risk

Accidents Happen Because You Don’t Put Safety First

Understanding Goal States, Motivation and SPoR, A Video

Social Psychology Of Risk Workshops

Confirmity in Conformity

Speak Up, Reporting and Trust in Safety

Ethics, Morality and an Ethic of Risk

3 Things I learned about Safety from Buddhism

Focus on ‘Meeting’ people, not legislation – a path to risk maturity

Social Sensemaking – Free eBook

The Learning (and unlearning) that Revealed my Vocation

Why Have Some Freedom in Safety When a Dose of Fear and Guilt Will Do?

Desensitisation–the by-product of ill-conceived safety initiatives

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF RISK – INTRODUCTION WORKSHOP

Risk and Safety as a Social Psychological Problem

More Posts from this Category

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,498 other subscribers

How we pay for the high cost of running of this site – try it for free on your site

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?