Occupational safety measures: Why companies often reach their limits when it comes to mental health and safety

Occupational safety measures are more than just legal requirements; they are an essential part of a healthy and productive working environment. Especially the psychological Occupational safety measures Many companies are facing significant challenges. While physical risks can often be addressed through clear, tangible measures, mental health and safety requires a deeper, often more complex approach that is not only expensive and time-consuming, but also difficult to implement in practice.

In this article, we look at why managing mental health and safety measures is so demanding and how mentalport helps companies overcome this challenge.

The legal background

According to Section 4 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), employers are required to take measures to protect the health and safety of their employees. This paragraph requires that all risks be systematically recorded and that appropriate measures be taken to reduce risks. In particular, employers must also take psychological risks into account, as part of risk assessment is done. Requirements include:

• Risk assessment: Employers must identify and assess all potential hazards, including psychological distress.
• Documentation and implementation: The identified protective measures must be documented and regularly reviewed.
• Training and information: Employees must be informed and trained about the risks and protective measures.

Practice: challenges and costs

In theory, it is easy to meet the legal requirements for occupational safety. But reality shows that many companies are struggling to implement mental health and safety measures:

1. Complexity of psychological stress: Psychological burdens such as stress, burnout and emotional exhaustion are often difficult to identify and even more difficult to quantify. While physical hazards have clearly defined risks and solutions, psychological hazards are more complex and less tangible.
2. Lack of expertise and resources: Many companies do not have the necessary expertise or resources to develop and implement effective mental health protection measures. There is a high need for specialized professionals who can assess psychological risks and plan appropriate interventions, but the appropriate professionals are often difficult to find.
3. Cost-intensive measures: Implementing mental health and safety measures can be expensive. This includes costs for training, advice and the development of prevention programs. These investments can be a major financial burden, particularly for smaller companies.
4. Proportionate prevention vs. behavioral prevention: Companies often tend to Preventive relationship measures to take action, such as improving the work environment or offering stress management courses. While these measures are important, they can only address the underlying causes of psychological distress to a limited extent. However, the real success in occupational safety lies in Behavior prevention, i.e. by changing work habits and improving individual coping strategies. This type of prevention requires targeted and often lengthy implementation, which can hardly be made effective without specialized support.

How mentalport can help

mentalport goes far beyond conventional occupational safety measures and offers a comprehensive solution for managing psychological risks. Here are some of the essential features that mentalport provides to companies:

1. Systematic risk assessment: mentalport enables a detailed and structured analysis of psychological stress. With modern tools and AI-based analyses, companies can precisely identify and assess psychological risks.
2. Easy documentation: With mentalport, all measures to reduce risks can be easily documented and regularly updated. This makes it easier to comply with legal requirements and ensures that no important steps are overlooked.
3. Behavior prevention: mentalport offers behavioral prevention measures tailored to psychosocial risks in the workplace. Individualized content, such as AI-personalized stress management strategies or biofeedback mechanisms, combined with human coaches, provide ideal support.
   These interventions aim to strengthen employees' personal coping mechanisms and achieve long-term improvements.
4. Anonymous feedback: The platform enables anonymous feedback from employees to review and continuously improve the effectiveness of the measures. This ensures that the needs and concerns of employees are effectively addressed.

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Feel free to book one directly short demo and find out how mentalport uses the unique combination of risk assessment and coaching app to make mental health more individual than ever!

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Photo by Wes Hicks upon Unsplash