Psychological health is just as important as physical safety on the job. Psychological health and safety refers to the prevention of mental injury and the promotion of well-being in the workplace. This includes respectful communication, fairness and inclusion, workload management, and protection from bullying and harassment. A psychologically safe workplace helps everyone stay focused, productive, and resilient.
Psychosocial Hazards that may lead to decreased mental wellbeing over time:
- Overwhelming Job Demands/Expectations: Lack of role clarity or job description, if expectations aren’t set, workers struggle to know what is expected of them.
- Exposure to Traumatic Events: Incidents and injuries may have a long-term impact on an employees’ mental health and well-being. Every human being handles stress and trauma differently depending on their mental resilience.
- Workplace Conflict or Harassment: respectful communication is very important to psychological health and well-being, inappropriate comments, remarks, or anything that is discriminating to a person’s gender, culture, ethnicity, or personal life could be considered as harassment.
There are many other factors that can compound over time from workers’ personal lives that may play a role in what happens in the workplace. It is best to identify these as soon as possible, to reduce additional harm and impact in the workplace.
Controls
- Have a clear and outlined job description at the time of hire, realistic timelines to complete tasks, manager/supervisor support. Clear communication and job descriptions are important at the time of employment for workers to know what is expected of them.
- Counselling, regular check-ins, having an advocate in the workplace, re-integration to the workplace, return to work programs.
- Workplace Violence and harassment policy, training on psychological safety in the workplace, training on violence and harassment, strong safety and business culture.
- EAP Programs, phone support lines,
Prevention
As a worker:
- Speak up if you’re experiencing stress, burnout, or harassment
- Support coworkers—listen without judgment
- Follow policies and report concerns early
- Participate in training and wellness programs
As a supervisor or employer:
- Create an open, respectful culture
- Regularly check in with your team
- Ensure policies are in place and followed
- Offer resources like EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) or mental health supports
Legislation
In the Canadian Labour Code, there is no occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation that specifically requires employers to manage psychological hazards, but a general duties clause would apply making the Province of Manitoba and the Workplace Safety and Health Act best practice.
It is important to recognize as of June 3, 2025, the changes to the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulation Amendment, Bill 29 will now legally recognize psychological safety within the province. In Manitoba, employers have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that as far as reasonably practicable, workers are not exposed to psychological harm, including bullying, and harassment.
The Act states that a psychologically safe workplace is “a workplace in which the psychological well-being of workers is promoted, and active measures are undertaken to prevent harm, whether negligent, reckless or intentional, to the psychological well-being of workers”.
Need more resources? RPM can help!
Through Safe Work Manitoba’s partnership with CCOHS, companies registered in the RPM Trucking Industry Safety program can access free CCOHS courses, including:
- Harassment and Violence Prevention for Designated Recipients and Employers (federally regulated workplaces)
- Harassment and Violence Prevention for Employees (federally regulated workplaces)
- Harassment and Violence Prevention for Managers and Committees/Representatives (federally regulated workplaces)
- Psychological Health and Safety for Employers
To access these courses for free, make sure you register through the Safe Work Manitoba Training Portal (choose eLearning courses).
Looking for more great resources like this? Visit our Safety Talks page!