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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s mission is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers. As a regulatory agency, we have historically approached that mission by focusing on physical hazards in workplaces, things you can see and measure. But today's work environment requires a broader approach that includes both traditional occupational safety and health and paying attention to the huge impact of mental health on workers' well-being as well.
Work-related stress is a significant problem in the United States:
- 83% of workers report suffering from work-related stress.
- Work-related stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths each year.
- For every $1 spent on ordinary mental health concerns, employers see a $4 return in productivity.
We also know that the pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health, with nearly half of Americans surveyed reporting symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder in 2021. It is clear from these statistics that it’s time to recognize mental health hazards as occupational hazards. To bring about meaningful change, we all will need to work together to protect the mental health of workers.
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