Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 CANADIAN HR REPORTER WEEKLY Recently, Brieann Spencer has been seeing a closer rela- tionship between human resources (HR) and occupational health and safety (OHS). "e two areas, if they're not merging, they're certainly working far more closely than they ever did in the past," said the healthy workplace lead at First West Credit Union in Langley, B.C. "It's the future of work: Breaking down silos of departments and bringing together cross-functional teams," she said. "I would say take that mentality and apply it to your OHS, understand how each area of the business will play a role in your whole safety culture, and it will certainly serve you well." First West's health and safety department used to fall under facilities, but was moved under HR about a year ago. "ere was such an overlap between the two areas, so there was a strong rationale," said Spencer. "OHS still has a strong connection with facilities but, in particular with the big movement around psychological health and safety in the workplace, it just really made sense to work more closely with HR since the two go hand in hand." For the last 10 years, the credit union has sponsored a mental health conference in Vancouver and the conversations there have evolved tremendously, she said. "At least half the attendees are health and safety professionals or union representatives who are also the health and safety representatives," said Spencer. "ey may be having some conversations about physical health and safety issues, but they're talking more and more about the mental health implications of safety concerns, as well as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)." Prioritizing psychological health Federally, Bill C-45, which became law in 2004, puts a le- gal duty on all people who direct others at work to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of workers and the public. And with the publication of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace in 2013, there's an understanding that mental health is an element of worker safety. Some provincial OHS regulations, including those in Ontario and Alberta, now state employers have a responsibility to proactively protect employees from mental injuries that could specifically occur because of psychological bullying, sexual harassment and workplace violence. "Up to this point, respectful workplace policies typically fell under HR," said Bill Howatt, chief research and development officer of workforce productivity at Morneau Shepell in Toronto, and president of Howatt HR Consulting. Now, with mental health defined as a safety issue, there's a window of opportunity open for collaboration. Bringing HR and OHS closer together can mean playing to each area's particular strengths, he said. In terms of psychological safety, for example, an HR department may already have programs in place that can be enhanced and adapted. And when it comes to OHS, "most groups will have a robust management and reporting system in place that can be adapted to facilitate a psychological health and safety management system," said Howatt. "If your organization hasn't integrated OHS and HR functions, you might want to consider doing so." Having OHS and HR work more closely together means companies keep an eye out for areas of overlap, and work to find efficiencies, he said. Bringing OHS and HR closer together Blending two areas of responsibility makes sense because of overlap – but HR's lack of education, knowledge can be a challenge BY MELISSA CAMPEAU Sign up for the Canadian HR Newswire today for free and enjoy great content from the publishers of Canadian HR Reporter. HR News at Your Fingertips THE LATEST NEWS THE BEST COMMENTARY DELIVERED WEEKLY FOR READING ON ANY DEVICE Visit www.hrreporter.com/ canadian-hr-newswire

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