A new study conducted by the CSA Group shows that creating a national standard will make it possible to deploy more measures aimed at reducing the stress and burnout some workers experience.
At present, cases of burnout in this country are skyrocketing. Today’s working environments and conditions are believed to be contributing to this increase in dissatisfaction and malaise among Canadian employees. The research report by the CSA Group, an international organization dedicated to safety and the common good, concludes however that it is still difficult to find a uniform solution that would allow employers to improve this growing problem in various workplaces. As of this year, burnout has been recognized by the organization as a real medical disorder.
Several sectors affected
Titles Workplace Fatigue: Current Landscape and Future Considerations, the CSA Group’s study reveals that several occupational fields are particularly affected by burnout. These include the railway, maritime, nuclear and aviation industries as well as the health sector.
The research also shows that the absence of a clear definition of this condition prevents a specific assessment of the effect of burnout on the performance of many workers who suffer from it. Yet it generally has serious consequences. The overtime and changing schedules experienced by medical personnel can contribute to generating stress, anxiety and fatigue. Being very demanding, the work of paramedics often causes physical and emotional exhaustion, endangering their health and safety.
The importance of setting standards
To remedy this problem, the Canadian Paramedics Association has associated with the CSA Group to establish a national risk management formula dedicated to occupational burnout of first responders. Pierre Poirier, Director of the Canadian Paramedics Association, is delighted with the creation of this management standard related to the fatigue of first responders, an initiative that he believes will contribute “to reducing the risk of exposure of paramedics to the dangers they are linked to, in addition to protecting them and the people they serve every day.”
According to Mary Cianchetti, President of Standards at the CSA Group, “Standards that address the problem of occupational burnout will have a real positive effect on the well-being of the country’s workers”, filling the void left by current laws.