Psych Health and Safety Podcast USA

Much of the focus regarding safety in the United States is on private sector organizations, given that the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 exempts state and local governments that do not have state plans. This fact, combined with the complex and often highly political nature of public services, often creates significant risk for government and public sector employees based on the diversity and extent of hazards they are exposed to, including psychosocial hazards. The environment can be even more hazardous for workers with cultural differences from the majority in a workplace. The episode features Mayor Maria Mitchell of the City of Miami Springs, Florida. She is not only an extremely skilled and experienced safety professional but a national leader in efforts to provide for the safety of government and public sector workers. Mayor Mitchell will share her perspective on physical and psychological safety in the public sector, drawing on her experience protecting the safety of a highly diverse community in south Florida. Mayor Mitchell’s lived experience as a daughter of immigrants, bilingual safety professional, and sitting elected official is particularly poignant during the celebration of National Hispanic American Heritage Month.

EMS practitioners face challenging and traumatic events that can impact their daily mental well-being. The mounting effect of patient needs, family, long workdays, nutrition, physical health, and sleep deprivation all contribute to an individual’s sense of wellness. Paramedics and EMTs responding to the COVID-19 pandemic have also experienced increased stress levels over concerns about exposure to the virus, self-quarantines, and the health and safety of their families. Lisa Gurruzzi and Robbie MacCue are the co-founders of the EMS Leadership Academy and their signature event the EMS Leadership Summit. They bring their experience in organizational coaching and EMS leadership to help Emergency Medical Services become places designed for the individuals in the organizations with their psychological health and safety in mind.

While the U. S. may lack a specific set of laws that address psychosocial hazards in the workplace, some have a depth of understanding of the intersection between safety and the law. Adele Abrams is not only a safety professional but a licensed attorney with a law practice in three states. Attorney Abrams has expertise in both general industry and mining, including involvement in over 400 fatality investigations. She believes that many of the root causes of these incidents could have been traced back to psychosocial hazards had these kinds of hazards been better understood and investigated. Attorney Abrams will discuss some of the challenges that organizations face when dealing with workers' mental and emotional well-being, including some of the unfounded fears that stand in the way of focusing on the total health of workers. She will share the experience of workers and advise workers, employees, and safety professionals to improve psychological health and safety.

“Labor Day” is celebrated on the first Monday in September. However, in the workplace, there is often an imbalance of power between management and labor that creates a hazard for both. The COVID 19 pandemic, compounded by the rise of concerns about diversity and the Great Resignation, has helped workers recognize their power to influence how they are treated has changed. One way of balancing the scales is collective bargaining. This episode will feature a labor leader who, though multiple instances of serendipity, led a group of workers to a historic collective bargaining agreement.

While a psychosocial hazard is unique to the experience or perception of an individual, a culture of psychological health and safety is an organizational issue that requires organizational attention. This episode will focus on the role that an organizational psychologist can play in workers' emotional and mental health.

International standards identify “Inadequate equipment availability, suitability, (and) reliability” as a psychosocial hazard. OSHA requires personal protective equipment to be “provided, used and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition.” The word reliable means “suitable or fit to be relied on.” However, it’s difficult to feel safe, rely upon, or trust PPE that doesn’t fit. The guest for this episode Amy Roosa is the founder of Iowa Women in Safety and “The Safety Rack.” She’s a tireless advocate for women in the trades, and women in safety, with a specific focus on PPE for women.

In addition to focusing on physical health, the mind, will, and emotions can also play a role in one’s psychological health and safety. For the past two decades, Pastor Warren Henry has been helping public sector employees in his community, primarily in the public safety space, through his involvement in and leadership of a local government-supported chaplaincy. This episode will highlight how he has attempted to assist others in times of emotional and mental crisis, and he’ll share some of the challenges he’s faced personally, as well as his thoughts about how Chaplaincy can play a role in an organization’s psychological health and safety efforts.

A veteran of the U. S. Air Force, Subena Colligan started her safety journey as an Industrial Hygienist prior to moving into a corporate HSE position. Following a psychosocial hazard exposure, she began to focus on several mindfulness-focused strategies. She also focuses her management consulting practice on not only organizational development but on assisting safety professionals to deal with the challenges associated with the profession.

Christin Peeples shares the story of her exposure to 10 years of workplace bullying and abuse, and how it affected her both emotionally and physically, as well as how this experience led her to form a non-profit that focuses on assisting others that are facing similar circumstances. Her perspective is that often, abusive behavior is directed not at those who are weak and incompetent, but at those that are strong and highly competent. Christin uses her story to share practical tips and strategies to help targets of abusive workplace behavior deal with the impacts and find a path to better psychological health and safety. Her lived experience has transformed her from the target of abuse to an advocate for dignity in the workplace.

Dr. Namie will discuss his journey as a workplace bullying researcher and advocate over the past 25 years and his efforts to change the nature of work through the adoption of the Healthy Workplace Bill. From his experience of vicarious exposure to his wife’s experience of bullying, through their formation of an organization to train and develop anti-bullying advocates across the United States, supporting bullying targets and consulting with organizations, unions, and leadership groups as well as serving as an expert witness. Dr. Namie, his wife Dr. Ruth Namie, and the Workplace Bullying Institute have been pursuing healthier workplaces for years. He will discuss a number of important concepts that are essential in establishing a psychologically healthy and safe environment.