How to beat stress and keep the mind healthy

British Safety Council offers a toolkit of training and advice to help workers beat stress and manage their mental health

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, which begins on 14 May, the British Safety Council offers employers tools and advice which they can use to help their employees manage stress and deal with mental health issues. 

According to the research by the Mental Health Foundation, two thirds of people in Britain will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime, and stress is a key factor in this, hence the focus of this year’s Mental Health Awarness Week.

The latest HSE statistics (2016/2017) provide further evidence of the size of the problem: stress, depression and anxiety account for 49% of working days lost in Britain every year as a result of ill health. This is 12.5 million days every year. In comparison, musculoskeletal disorders account for 35% of lost days.

The British Safety Council, whose vision is that no-one should be injured or made ill at work, recognises that great progress has been made in Britian on addressing safety issues, but there is still significant work to be done on wellbeing and health, particularly mental health.

More recently, the British Safety Council has increased its focus on workplace health and well-being, including mental health. Last year, the charity helped to launch Mates in Mind, which provides a joined-up approach for employers when addressing mental health in the construction and construction-related industries. Mates in Mind is now working with over 100 organisations supporting more than 80,000 employees.

In February 2018, using its training expertise, the British Safety Council, launched a range of mental health training courses which are designed to start conversations about mental health and support employees who are experiencing mental ill-health. These courses are now available in both classroom and online formats.

To help employees manage stress more effectively, the charity is also launching a range of online wellbeing courses, including Stress Awareness for employees and managers, Resilience for building physical and emotional resilience and Mindfulness for use at work and home. The British Safety Council has produced this free learning video to give people a better understanding of different mental health and wellbeing issues.  

The organisation will also offer free taster sessions of its Start the Conversation and Manage the Conversation courses in London, Birmingham and Manchester in June. They are aimed at employers who may wish to book these courses for their staff. 

Walking the walk: British Safety Council for staff and by staff
The British Safety Council has also been raising awarness of mental health issues and supporting its staff with a range of the Start the Conversation and Manage the Conversation workshops.

During the Mental Health Awareness Week, the charity will provide for all its employees a three-hour workshop on ‘Engagement at work and ability to manage stress’, conducted by a specialist trainer.  

The staff of the British Safety Council will also be supporting the aims of the Mental Health Awarness Day with a range of fundraising initatives, such as

• A coffee and cake sale
• Money and gift donations
• A number of health walks and runs

The money raised from these initatives will be donated to the mental health ward of the Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, London, where the British Safety Council has its offices. 

About the British Safety Council: The British Safety Council believes that no-one should be injured or made ill at work. 

Since its foundation in 1957, the British Safety Council has campaigned tirelessly to protect workers from accidents, hazards and unsafe conditions, and played a decisive role in the political process that has led to the adoption of landmark safety legislation in the UK. Its members in more than 60 countries are committed to protecting and improving the wellbeing of workers, believing that a healthy and safe work environment is also good for business.

As part of its charitable work, the British Safety Council leads health and safety networking forums for all sectors, facilitates and promotes best practice in Britain and overseas. It also offers a range of services and products, including training, qualifications, publications, audits and awards. The British Safety Council works closely with organisations, charities and individuals who share its vision of ensuring that every worker goes home at the end of the day as healthy as they were when they went to work.