KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) fully supports efforts by the government to address mental health issues among civil servants.
It said its Occupational Psychology First Aid (OPFA) course, which will train civil servants to be psychological first aid providers in the workplace, is among its efforts to support the government’s efforts.
Currently, 10,000 participants are attending the two-day OPFA course, which is aimed at providing awareness and basic skills to employers and employees on psychosocial issues so they can recognise and manage workplace stress, it said in a statement today.
It said OPFA is one of the several initiatives aimed at supporting immediate intervention through preventive, rehabilitative and research-based approaches to prevent civil servants from falling into further mental disorders.
“Stress at work can be caused by various factors such as the way work is managed, social factors, work environment, equipment and exposure to hazards.
“In addition, the practice of bullying in the workplace can also be the main cause of psychological problems as outlined under the ISO 45003:2021 standard on the Management of Safety and Psychosocial Health in the Workplace,” read the statement.
It said through OPFA, employers and employees learn to detect early signs of stress, form support mechanisms and deal with the issue before it becomes more serious.
The efforts taken by NIOSH are in line with the announcement by Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz that the government will address psychological health issues among civil servants.
Wan Dahlan said over 40,000 civil servants are at high risk of experiencing mental health problems, based on the Civil Servant Psychological Health Digital Profiling System, which was carried out from March to September.
Based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, 2.3 per cent of Malaysians suffer from depression, while the Relate Mental Health Malaysia 2018 study found 29 per cent of workers have unsatisfactory levels of mental health.
NIOSH said there is an urgent need to improve psychological well-being in the workplace and called on employers and employees to participate in the OPFA course through E-Daftar to increase awareness and skills in dealing with work stress.
— Bernama
