IWMD 2022 Liverpool Event Announces CWU Campaign On Workplace Suicide Prevention

Following the laying of memorial reefs of flowers below the newly unveiled memorial plaque and Liverpool's first and only International Workers Memorial Day plaque dedicated to ALL workers who have lost their lives at work or died of work related illness; Jamie McGovern member of the event's organising committee and CWU's Area Safety REp for the Greater Mersey Amal Branch, spoke of the subject of workplace suicide prevention.

Speaking at the event's annual meeting at St Nicholas Church in Chapel Street, Jamie surprised many of the 50 or so people attending the meeting that workplace suicide is not recognised by the HSE and is not counted in the figures of workplace deaths.

Sadly, the mental health of workers and the prevention of suicide amongst their workforce, is not high on the priorities of most businesses in the UK.

Furthermore, the slashing of workplace health and safety legislation and regulations, is increasing the risks of workers being placed under so much mental pressure, both from within work and as a result of associated accumulating pressures at home; that suicide risk is increasingly an issue for the Health & Safety community of Union Safety Reps and Mental Health First Aiders.

With the CWU Trade Union being at the forefront of mental health support and illness prevention through it's network of safety reps and mental health first aiders, especially in the North West, and through industrial agreements with employers such as the Royal Mail; a great deal of work is being done to develope prevention techniques and identifying those who may be at risk of suicide.

In the meantime, Area Safety Reps such as Jamie McGovern are working flat out to raise the issue of suicide prevention and campaigning for suicide to be recognised and counted in the workplace deaths statistics gathered by the HSE as reported via the RIDDOR Regulations.

Having attended the CWU's Annual Conference in Bournemouth this week, Jamie told Unionsafety that this week's debates had been very emotional given the motions dealing with the subjects of mental health, suicide, and contributing factors such as miscarriage and stress and anxiety caused by work.

Here Jamie raised at the end of the IWMD 2022 meeting, the need for a new campaign around the issue of workplace suicides: