Mental health claims to the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board have risen by over 200 per cent in the last 5 years, although it’s still a small segment of the overall number of claims.
That’s according to the WCB’s vice-president of prevention and employer services, who has officially announced a new partnership between WorkSafe Saskatchewan and a leading psychological health expert, Dr. Joti Samra, as they work towards a a mental health resource centre to launch in the fall.
Kevin Mooney says the resources will be for employers and for employees.
The centre will provide employers with the tools needed to develop a psychologically health and safe work environment.
Mooney says behind each of the claims is a worker who has suffered – whether from anxiety or depression, being harassed or bullied at work, an unsupportive boss or an unrealistically heavy workloads, as a few examples.
In 2015, there were 98 mental health claims accepted by the Saskatchewan WCB and 307 in 2019.
The resource centre will available on the WorkSafe Saskatchewan website.