Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/353330
26 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com That concept was echoed by André Marin, Ontario's ombudsman, who conducted an audit of the Ontario Pro- vincial Police's (OPP) mental health policies in 2012. The report, In the Line of Duty, made 34 recommendations to the provincial police force, including confronting persistent stigma against OSIs, increasing psychological services available to officers, and developing comprehensive programs to handle those issues. Now, the OPP has come back with a report on its progress. That includes making headway on the number of people accessing internal and external support provided by the OPP, consult- ing with other policing agencies, and introducing a lunch-and-learn series, hosted by the OPP's operational stress injuries working group. Inspector Leslie Craig, team lead for H aving a best friend die in a collision would be tough for anyone — even more tough if you are the police officer responding to the car crash, only to have your friend die in your arms. Staff Sgt. Brian Knowler lived through that traumatizing experience on a miserably rainy night in 2004. As a 15-year veteran of an Ontario police service, Knowler suffered from post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an operational stress injury, which he buried until he says he finally hit rock bottom and sought help. The culture of policing has histori- cally been to sweep mental health issues under the rug. But recently, the spotlight has been focused on how operational stress injuries (OSIs) and mental health can affect the well- being of an individual. the working group, says the agency has made significant strides when it comes to dealing with the mental health of its officers — but there is still a long way to go in terms of training and educat- ing the force. "This isn't something that's going to be wrapped up in short order. This is something that's going to take a long time. It's going to be constant, it's going to be ongoing," says Craig, who is based in Barrie, Ont. Police officers not only face height- ened risks in their day-to-day jobs, but they also face an additional stigma when it comes to mental health, says Kathy Jurgens, the national program director for the Canadian Mental Health Association's Mental Health Works program in Toronto. "Policing, the OPP, has a unique challenge because not only do we have preconceived ideas of people with mental health issues, we certainly have preconceived ideas of what a police officer should be, too, (and) they kind of collide," she says. "We have an assump- tion about police officers — that they're screened, that they're young, they're healthy, they're fit, they're invincible." Knowler agrees, saying emergency responders also have to deal with an attitude that perpetuates the notion if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. "(With) any paramilitary, firefight- ing, even paramedical thing, you're going to see horrible things. And part of the job is dealing with it. And if you can't deal with it and you have these strong psychological and emo- tional reactions to it, then you're not cut out for it," he says, adding while boosting awareness, accommodation for occupational stress injuries COPS TAKeDOWN MeNTAL HeALTH By Sabrina Nanji Canada's prestigious fourth annual health and safety awards have launched a new category to recognize employers for best practices and leading initiatives in workplace mental health. To nominate your organization visit www.safestemployers.com for details. Nominations close June 2, 2014 Mental health problems will cost businesses $198 billion in lost productivity over the next 30 years, predicts The Mental Health Commission of Canada. To recognize employers that are leaders in addressing psychological issues in the workplace, Canadian Occupational Safety has launched the Canada's Safest Employers Psychological Safety Award. Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace Great-West Life www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com Presented by National Founding Sponsor & Title Sponsor Psychological Safety Sponsor Is your organization a leader in workplace mental health? CSE1032-2014 psychological saftey ad.indd 1 2014-03-19 2:39 PM