Call to put mental health injuries on par with physical injuries in workplace

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Joanne Swann
mental health training

A leading corporate psychologist is spearheading a campaign calling for mental health injuries caused by work-related incidents to be treated with the same importance as physical ones.

Tina Catling, a Principal Practitioner for the Association for British Psychology, is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Royal Society of the Arts. She is lobbying for mental health injuries to fall under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).

Tina Catling said:

This would put mental health injuries on par with physical injuries, which would create more psychological safety in the workplace. It would not only save companies thousands in absences and productivity; it would save lives.

Tina Catling, a Principal Practitioner for the Association for British Psychology

As the founder and director of the Leeds-based consultancy ThinkOTB, Tina works with global leaders to foster psychologically safe teams that unlock innovation and creativity. Her extensive experience includes co-authoring two best-selling books on workplace culture.

A recent study by AXA UK highlights that poor mental health in the workplace cost the UK economy £102 billion in 2023. With issues such as workplace bullying and stress being prevalent, employee engagement suffers, leading to increased risks of physical injuries.

Tina emphasises the urgency of this issue, stating that the cause is very close to her heart. Tina works to create healthy, positive cultures in her own business and in those she advises and works with. She coaches many senior people who are struggling. She believes the disconnect between mental and physical health needs urgent addressing.

Tina further explains that we need to ask ourselves a fundamental question – why do we separate mental health from physical health? Our heads are connected to our bodies. Currently, if an employee suffers a mental health injury due to work, there is no legal obligation for employers to investigate or report it.

Recognising mental health injuries, she argues, would encourage employers to adopt proactive measures like psychological safety risk assessments, addressing workplace factors that contribute to stress. “If we required RIDDOR reporting for mental health injuries, we’d see an immediate shift,” she asserts, urging employers to examine issues like microaggressions and bullying more closely.

Additionally, she points out that creating the correct organisational protocols for psychological injury is a crucial step in creating inclusive, psychologically safe cultures. A simple yet significant action for organisations would be to allow reporting of mental health injuries in the accident book.

Tina added,

As a practicing corporate psychologist, I know that psychiatric injuries are happening at work and they are going unreported. They are not investigated and dealt with in the same ways as physical injuries and that is wrong.

The campaign is part of a growing movement for workplace change: United Minds (from Unite the Union) is advocating for similar initiatives.

Joanne Swann, Content Manager, WorkWellPro
Editor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional | Website |  + posts

Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.

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