Safety as a Standard! Are we doing our part for Mental Health Awareness?
I have personally been involved and come from a background in the transport industry of over 15 years. During this time, I have seen several people including some of my closest friends of mine suffer through mental health breakdowns and much more horrific experiences because the care and help to identify and support wasn’t there.
The logistics and transport sector, as we have always known it has been a crucial part to the economy through the day-to-day activities. Without the people in this industry that strive, push, and work excessive hours, we as nation would stand still. But have we or do we consider or are we even aware of the greater picture of tolls on mental health it causes for each individual? what are we doing about it? or are we even aware as people and companies of what mental health is?
There are several reasons why workers in logistics are suffering mental health issues. Workers within this industry are known to suffer with sleep deprivation, sedentary behaviour, and poor nutrition. These factors are known to link to mental health issues.
The sector on its own can be a stressful and potentially dangerous sector to work in. In recent trends we have seen a greater increase of work-related illnesses. The main health conditions as of experienced included 48% Musculoskeletal disorders, 27% stress, anxiety and depression and 25% suffered from other illnesses.
These results have led to mental health issues of various scales as it was evident through a recent survey conducted by Make it Right Campaign in 2020 showed a staggering 76% of employees within the transport and logistics sector, believed that their employer wasn’t doing enough to help employees deal with work related stress, anxiety and mental health issues.
Why is this? Why are we failing to recognise these dangers? are we educating our workforce of the key issues around mental health or is it due to ignorance or just to use people as machines til they can go no more?
The resulting effect of this on employers are that they wouldn’t just be benefitting their employees by providing a modest health and wellness support in the workplace, they would be raising efficiency in the workflow. Each year, thousands of days are lost in business due to stress, anxiety, and depression. This equals a lot in terms of time and revenue lost. The current example of this is the drop of 40% in drivers in the transport industry. What effect has this had? Well limited drivers mean longer hours on existing drivers, pressures of meeting deadlines and much more thus has and will result in mental health concerns and in the long run illness.
Now is the time and I believe for the logistics sector to wake up and to take action of the issues presented and act to resolve them. Focusing on employee health and wellness won’t just keep workers happier, it will also greatly benefit the business and in raising safety standards
One of the things that I have found to be of success because it was proved and tested and also adapted into the private hire industry has been the SaaS training programme of educating the individuals themselves through gaining diploma that broadens and facilitates key issues of knowledge, training, provisions, health and safety and more importance the mental health awareness that is pinnacle in today’s ever-changing world of transport and logistics, and this is through the Safety as a Standard affiliate membership programme.
The programme itself, you will find is designed with the wider transport and logistics sector in mind and pays great emphasis and attention in educating everyone of all the key areas and issues that help tackle and control a person’s mental health and helps companies sustain a brighter future in protecting against time and revenue loss. For only £1 per month you too will have the depth and up to date knowledge in mental health awareness, which I wish was available many years ago because I believe in the programme, and that it would have helped my friends and many others, but at least its available today for everyone to take advantage, be educated and be qualified in mental health and gain the awareness that will help them today and tomorrow that many didn’t have opportunity before.
