Friday, November 22, 2019 ~ VICTORIA
~ West Shore Voice News
Leaders from first responder and public safety organizations from around the province will meet next week in Victoria to discuss positive mental health in the workplace.
The goal is to provide a framework for activating that process.,says WorkSafeBC in a news release this weekend.
The Building Resilient Workplaces workshop is being organized by the BC First Responders Mental Health Committee, a multi-agency committee representing labour and management from both urban and rural communities. The committee is working collaboratively to provide cross-organizational leadership, recommend practices, and develop resources that promote positive mental health for first responders in BC.
First responders experience job-related traumas and stressors unlike those experienced in most other occupations, and they are at a higher risk of mental health injuries. Agencies that employ first responders are looking for ways they can best support their workers’ mental health.
“This is such a critical issue among first responders, and we want to provide leaders, influencers and implementers who have mental health responsibilities in their organization with solutions they can use to build resilient workplaces,” says Sergeant Ralph Kaisers, President of the Vancouver Police Union and Vice-President of the BC Police Association.
The interactive workshop will cover a range of key aspects of the Recommended Practices, which is a guide created by the committee. Sessions will cover an introduction to mental health and resilience, the role that leaders have in promoting mental health in the workplace, addressing stigma, intervention and treatment, occupational awareness, action planning and more.
The full-day workshop will be held on Monday November 25, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour, 720 Humboldt Street, in Victoria. Up to 72 participants can be accommodated.
The workshop on Monday is one of five workshops being held in BC. Other workshops are being held in Richmond, Prince George, Kelowna and Surrey.
WorkSafe BC is one of 14 organizations listed in the promotional materials. Others include the RCMP, Province of BC, and Ambulance Paramedics of BC.