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| Understanding Depression |
Depression affects so many people it’s sometimes called the common cold of mental illness, accounting for about 80 percent of psychiatric disability cases. It’s estimated to affect about 20 percent of the population at some time in their lives, and about 10 percent each year.
In the workplace, depression is costly. It’s a contributing factor to injuries, decreased productivity, disability payments and lost time from work.
With treatment, most depressed workers can be returned to full productivity. But an estimated 2 out of 3 don’t seek help. Embarrassment, fear of job dismissal and ignorance of effective new treatments are some of the reasons.
Many people do not understand depression is a physical illness, a glitch in the body’s biochemistry. The condition can be treated by anti-depressant medication and/or short-term talk therapy to overcome the negative thinking patterns caused by the physical illness.
As a supervisor, you might observe these signs of depression in an employee.
- Tiredness, lethargy and lack of motivation
- Forgetfulness and poor concentration
- Errors
- Absences
- Tardiness
- Getting into arguments with colleagues
- Decline in dependability or productivity
While it’s not your place to suggest a diagnosis, you should encourage the person to seek assistance if there’s a problem affecting work performance or safety, such as a health care professional or an Employee Assistance Program.
Work itself can be beneficial to a depressed individual. It provides a structure for the day, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Work involves interaction with other people and the opportunity to experience personal pride about accomplishments. When a person is recovering from depression, light-duty or a part-time schedule can help hasten recovery.
SafetySmart has dozens of articles, posters and Safety Talks to help you address wellness issues in your workplace, including this Safety Talk on depression.
Need access to additional resources on this topic? Try SafetySmart today and get immediate access to safety talks, presentations and more. Sign up for a free 14-day trial now. |
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| EKU's Online Bachelor's in Occupational Safety |
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| Earn Your Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety Completely Online with Eastern Kentucky University. This online degree program will equip you with the skills to handle personal and environmental risks within the workplace and teach you how to investigate, manage and prevent hazards and threats. EKU’s online program offers you the flexibility to maintain your current lifestyle while earning your bachelor’s degree.
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| Take Our Survey and You Could Win a $50 Gift Certificate |
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We invite you to participate in a survey on safety compliance programs in the United States.
This is part of our continuing series of surveys intended to determine the methods and resources safety professionals use to stay compliant, their satisfaction with current resources, and how they believe safety compliance needs will change over the next few years.
It takes about 7 minutes to complete the short survey (15 questions). We’ll keep your responses and email addresses strictly confidential.
And to sweeten the deal, those who complete the survey and furnish an email address will have the option of entering a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com.
To participate in the survey, click here. The survey will remain open until midnight July 31st, 2011.”
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| If this set-up doesn’t appear safe, it’s only because it isn’t safe. A few temporary timber support posts were put in place after the original support posts were removed during demolition. The structure these workers are working from is not properly supported and could easily fail. (WorkSafe Victoria, Australia) |
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| Study Finds Mental Health Issues Affect 44 Percent of Workers |
A Canadian study of 1,010 workers has found that 44 percent of them were either currently suffering from or had previously experienced mental health issues, including anxiety, burnout, depression, substance abuse and schizophrenia.
Yet more than half of the workers interviewed said they would be reluctant to disclose their burden to a co-worker, union official or especially, their boss. Fifty-four percent of the workers felt that disclosing a mental health problem to a supervisor would hurt their chances for promotion.
"Mental health is a significant business issue that requires the attention of organizations. People who experience mental health issues face incredible challenges in the workplace," says Karla Thorpe, Associate Director, Compensation and Industrial Relations for the Conference Board of Canada. "Many are misunderstood, shunned and underutilized."
Only about one in four of the respondents felt that their supervisor effectively manages mental health issues.
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Related news story: Stress on the Job Leads to Fat on the Body
(Note: Subscription is required. To get instant access, simply sign up for a No-Cost Trial of Safe Supervisor.)
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| Upcoming Events: |
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| Webinar - Jul 14, 12:00 EST (9 a.m. PST) |
| What You Must Know and Do NOW to Prepare for OSHA's New Stepped-Up PPE Enforcement Program |
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| Due Diligence: Defining, Establishing & Demonstrating Your Record of Compliance |
Oct 24th & 25th
Hyatt Regency, Toronto, ON |
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