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News release

20 January 2011 – NR 02/11

Death trauma at work is focus of occupational health event

How employees cope with deaths they witness at work will be tackled by occupational health experts gathering in Nottingham today (20 January).

During 2009/2010, 12 people lost their lives at work in the region, and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) East Midlands Branch is addressing the issue of how businesses can help their workers overcome workplace tragedy.

There are often employees who suffer mental health issues and post traumatic stress (PTS) after seeing or experiencing the effects of a traumatic event. During the event at the National Watersports Centre, Prohms (Professional Occupational Health Services) Healthcare, from Huddersfield, will be talking through the best ways of assessing which employees might need support.

Branch chairman Richard Whitehead said: “For every 12 people who lose their lives at work, there is always a high possibility that their colleagues will have been affected by the trauma.

“Occupational health does not have the same high profile as safety, but we want to place it higher up the business agenda to make sure PTS and mental health issues aren’t the forgotten side effects of a workplace tragedy.

“Together, we want to do more to provide advice and guidance for East Midlands business owners who may be struggling to know how to best provide support.”

Following the event, the East Midlands Branch is considering setting up workshops in the near future to help ingrain into businesses, a culture of dealing with trauma.

Prohms mental health specialist practitioner Janice Martland, provides help and advice to companies that have experienced serious accidents, fatalities or even violent crime.

She said: “The fact is these things happen and while most of us never come across a death at work, businesses –especially those in the construction, engineering and manufacturing industries - still need to have a process in place that gives their employees counselling and reassurance that they do care.

“It’s also about having a good model in place that reduces sickness absence relating to PTS and stress following trauma.”

Janice explained that she had worked with a small bank where there had been a robbery and employees had been held at gunpoint. Six months later some staff were still off work with post traumatic stress, as the company had done little to intervene and show support to its workers, thereby dealing with the fallout.

“My talk with IOSH will look at ways businesses can draw up effective strategies where they consult employees following an incident. Companies that simply hope it will go away set themselves up for a fall later on, as these things don’t just disappear.”

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Notes for editors:

IOSH is the Chartered body for health and safety professionals. With more than 40,000 members in 85 countries, we’re the world’s biggest professional health and safety organisation.

We set standards, and support, develop and connect our members with resources, guidance, events and training. We’re the voice of the profession, and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people.

IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status.