Most people get positive mental health boosters from their work. These include deriving satisfaction from work and building self-esteem and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the extent or strength of one's belief in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals.
On the flip side, we all know stress can wreak havoc on our health, and many report that most stress in their lives comes from the workplace. There's also the ever-unpopular burnout factor. Other less discussed psychological hazards in the workplace include seclusion and intimidation.
Depression can be a health consequence, and workers who experience psychological hazards can suffer from other health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, musculoskeletal problems and even bowel diseases.
What can help? Employers can recognize mental and psychological hazards and encourage dialogue, as well as employees. This may include stress issues. It may be formally addressed through reducing the workload, enhancing job security and even enacting anti-bullying policies.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) gives employees legal rights to ask for an inspection of the workplace if they feel it is not good for psychological or mental health hazards.
Ergonomics
The word “ergonomics” is derived from two Greek words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws. Combined they create a word that means the science of work and a person's relationship to that work.
Ergonomic problems top of the list when it comes to non-fatal workplace injuries, both in health and safety hazard categories.
From your desk to your chair to the assembly line, ergonomics is at work.
At the office, the applied science of equipment, office and desk design can protect your health and maximize productivity by reducing worker fatigue and discomfort. It also can reduce the number and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
MSDs affect the muscles, nerves and tendons. The most common are neck, upper extremities and lower back. MSDs are one of the leading causes of lost workdays through injury and illness in numerous statistics.