Post-traumatic stress highlighted in conference

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) held an event recently entitled 'How employees cope with deaths they witness at work'.

The event focused on how best to support staff suffering from post-traumatic stress following the death of a colleague. It was held at the IOSH East Midlands Branch, following the death of 12 employees in the region due to workplace accidents during 2009/10.

Richard Whitehead, IOSH Branch Chairman, 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," he added.

According to figures released by the Health and Safety Executive, 152 employees were killed at work in 2009/10. As a result of their deaths, many colleagues were signed off work with post-traumatic stress, but in many cases, little was done to assist them.

Mental Health Specialist Practitioner with Prohms Healthcare, Janice Martland, said, "Companies that simply hope it will go away set themselves up for a fall later on, as these things don't just disappear."