Mental Health and the Safety Habitus How is the safety industry equipped to tackle the challenges of mental health? What assumptions about personhood and ‘mind’ dominate the safety sector? Do these assumptions help or hinder an holistic approach to tackling mental health at work? These questions ought to be of great concern to anyone in […]
Mental health
The Social Construction of Mental Health
The Social Construction of Mental Health As Safety starts to move into an interest in mental health it brings with it its baggage of individualism, cognitvism and behaviourism. It is through this worldview that it understands such things as: illness, suffering and harm, resilience, psychological injury, suicide and mental health. As we observe how the […]
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Mental Health, Risk and Safety
Mental Health, Risk and Safety – Part 1 (see part 2 here) One of our most popular articles ever! Republished by Request Understanding, awareness and response to mental health issues at work is challenging. There are some particular challenges that mental health holds for risk and safety people. The purpose of this article is to provide […]
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Suicide Prevention – a Social Psychological Perspective
Suicide Prevention – a Social Psychological Perspective Prelude: In June 2013, I joined the first cohort of students in post-graduate studies in the Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR), a program developed and presented by Dr Robert Long and Craig Ashhurst. After 5 years participating in a ‘learning adventure’ and through much ‘social sensemaking’, I offer […]
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The Sickness of Safetyism
The Sickness of Safetyism When I do training and safety people attend there is invariably someone who introduces themselves by the nominal ‘Safety Sam’ or ‘Safety Sally’. This is how they are known at work and want to be identified and unfortunately are proud of it. Funny, I’ve never met a ‘Teacher Tom’, ‘Dentist Debbie’, […]
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No Help for Mental Health in Zero
No Help for Mental Health in Zero I came into work in the safety industry after many years in various professions including Community Services, not-for-profit services, Social Work, Education, Youth Services, Youth Detention, Pastoral Counselling, EAP and Corrections. In all of these professional service cultures a core value is tolerance. You never know who will […]
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Safety, mental health and the safety paradox
It’s great to see such a focus on mental health at the moment and the activities being conducted for RU OK day etc. However, I do wonder if perhaps we are over doing it and if such an overt, theatrical or contrived approach may have unintended, harmful by-products for people with mental health issues? My […]
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White freight liner blues
White freight liner blues During the 1950s, the delivery of bread, cream and milk was categorised as an essential community service and legislation was enacted to secure supply. It has since ossified and effectively deregulated the supply chain. A recent report prepared by Pricewaterhouse Coopers identified a causal nexus between road safety and driver remuneration. […]
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Walk With Us – In Community
Walk With Us – In Community I recently sat with a friend who was in pain. Not of the physical type that I could see, but instead their pain was on the inside. They were hurting in a way that I couldn’t understand. Naturally, I wanted their pain to go away, as like most people, […]
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Support and Empowerment… in Helping Others
Support and Empowerment… in Helping Others How may our worldview influence our method when it comes to training and also helping others? If we do not acknowledge our own worldview, what impact may this have in how we support others? Also, how can we even begin to ponder what our worldview is, and so consider […]
