The CSA/BNQ National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace

What is the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace?

The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace – the first of its kind in the world – is a voluntary set of best practice guidelines that specify requirements for a systematic approach to develop and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. A psychologically healthy and safe workplace has been defined in the National Standard as “a workplace that promotes workers’ psychological well-being and actively works to prevent harm to worker psychological health, including in negligent, reckless or intentional ways.” The Standard recommends that organizations look to implement a Psychological Health and Safety Management System (PHSMS) for assessing how policies, processes and interactions in the workplace might impact the psychological health and safety (PH&S) of workers. It should be noted that implementation of a PHSMS is not about diagnosing the mental health issues of workers.