Road Haulage Association joins HSE’s Working Minds campaign
More needs to be done to protect Britain’s HGV drivers from work-related stress.
HSE’s Working Minds campaign has been launched in the transport sector with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) joining as a partner to help raise awareness of legal duty and the support and resources available.
Stress, depression or anxiety is now the number one cause of work-related ill-health in Great Britain. Within the transportation and storage sector, around four in ten cases of work-related ill-health are due to stress, depression or anxiety.
Long hours away from home, demanding delivery times and limited access to toilets and showers are common causes of stress for drivers.
Michelle Upson, a lorry driver who has been in the industry for more than three decades, said: “I’d say there is a mental health problem in the industry. Especially for the guys up the road all week and without their families – it is a lot tougher for them.”
Employers have a legal duty to prevent work-related stress and support good mental health by doing a risk assessment and acting on it.
Elizabeth Goodwill, from the HSE’s Stress and Mental Health Policy Team said: “HGV drivers keep the country and our economy moving. It’s therefore vital employers meet their legal duty to ensure risks of stress and mental ill health are factored into risk assessments.”
Get started today, see HSE’s Working Minds website for advice including risk assessment templates, examples and practical toolkits to help make conversations easier.
The earlier a problem is tackled the less impact it will have. If you or someone you know needs help, you can use an anonymous text support service provided by the charity, Mates in Mind. When it’s safe to do so, simply text “BeAMate” to 85258 and trained volunteers can help with issues including anxiety, stress, loneliness or depression and are available 24/7.
If you’d like to sign up to be a campaign champion and receive a monthly newsletter with access to downloadable resources, sign up here.
About RHA
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is a member-led trade association supporting people and businesses in the road transport industry on the issues most important to them:
