The world of work has changed significantly, and many organizations now have a much stronger focus on issues regarding the mental health and well-being of their employees.
ISO/FDIS 45003 is an international standard that provides a structured framework to help organizations identify and address areas that can negatively impact Employee’s mental health.
What is ISO/FDIS 45003?
Historically, many organizations’ Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management was focused far more on safety than on health, and what focus there was tended to be directed more towards physical health than mental health and well-being. But this has changed significantly in recent years, as the impact and costs of worker ill-health, both physical and psychological, are increasingly recognized. These changes are also reflected in OH&S standards, most recently with the development of ISO/FDIS 45003 which will be the first international standard to provide guidance on psychological health and safety at work and will be used as guidance to support ISO 45001.
The new standard addresses many areas that can contribute to work-related stress and adversely impact Employee’s mental health including:
- how work is organized, including:
- clarity of roles
- job demands, workload and work pace
- organizational change management
- job security
- social factors at work, including:
- organizational and team culture
- recognition and reward
- supervision and support
- work-life balance
- harassment, bullying and victimization
- work environment, equipment and hazardous tasks, including:
- adequacy and suitability of work equipment
- workplace conditions including working space, lighting levels, ventilation, noise
It defines what psychosocial hazards are, how to identify the hazards and offers actions that can be taken to help manage and improve employee well-being.
The publication of ISO/FDIS 45003 is expected in the third quarter of 2021.
How can organizations benefit from ISO/FDIS 45003?
ISO/FDIS 45003 helps organizations remove the stigma around talking about mental health in the workplace. It supports organizations who want to:
- build a positive working environment
- improve organizational resilience
- create a positive health and safety culture
- enhance performance and productivity
- reduce absenteeism
The pandemic has prompted many organizations to recognize the improvements needed to better protect their Employee’s and their business operations. As such, supporting Employee’s mental health and well-being has become a key issue ISO 45001 provides a strong framework to help organizations review the effectiveness of their occupational health & safety management and prioritize improvements, with ISO/FDIS 45003 and ISO/PAS 45005 providing detailed supporting guidance.
