Working Minds: Much needed campaign launched to help HGV drivers with work-related stress

Long hours away from home, demanding delivery times and limited access to toilets and showers. These are all common causes of stress for HGV, drivers and a new Working Minds campaign aims to combat this by promoting good mental health whilst at work.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made it clear that more needs to be done to protect Britain’s truckers from work-related stress.

HGV drivers keep the country and our economy moving, but driving an HGV and its cargo naturally comes with pressure, and problems can arise when there is excessive pressure that workers are unable to cope with.

Elizabeth Goodwill, from the HSE’s Stress and Mental Health Policy Team has expressed “It is therefore vital employers meet their legal duty to ensure risks of stress and mental ill health are factored into risk assessments”.

Working with the Road Haulage Association (RHA), the Working Minds campaign will target HGV drivers and their bosses to promote good mental health whilst at work. It will enable them, when safe to do so, to text ‘BeAMate’ for free confidential health support 24/7 – a service provided by Working Minds campaign partner, Mates in Mind.

Elizabeth Goodwill has praised initiatives such as ‘BeAMate’, advising that they “can be helpful for people needing individual help”. However she also pointed out that HSE “would like to see more focus on preventing work-related stress at an organisational level, to stop it developing into poor mental health”

Material and advice from the Working Minds campaign for drivers and employers can be found here.

Laura Taylor, HR director at the RHA, said: “At the RHA we recognise that our employees’ mental health wellbeing is not just a personal concern to them but a vital component of our collective success as an organisation.

“Therefore, supporting mental health is not just a token initiative for us but a commitment to nurturing an environment where all employees feel valued, understood and empowered.”

Work-related stress is on the rise

The scale of work-related stress across the economy has increased in recent years. Stress, depression or anxiety is now the number one cause of work-related ill-health in Great Britain.

An example of this can be found within the transportation and storage sector (which includes road haulage), where around four in ten cases of work-related ill-health are due to stress, depression or anxiety.

Mates in Mind

Thankfully, help is available via charities such as Working Minds campaign partner, Mates in Mind.

Since its establishment in 2016, Mates in Mind has empowered hundred of organisations across the UK to tackle the silence surrounding mental ill-health and embed a positive culture change within these workplaces.

Sarah Meek, managing director at Mates in Mind, said: “As a partner of Working Minds from the outset of the campaign, we are pleased to be supporting this initiative to raise awareness of the impact that a proactive and preventative approach to mental health delivers within the transport and logistics sector.

“As a charity, Mates in Mind works with many businesses within the sector, including Wincanton and Palletways, that have made the commitment to raising awareness and supporting their teams by developing a positive culture towards mental health and wellbeing. Our fantastic anonymous text service is proving popular particularly with those on the road, to communicate any worries or personal challenges with someone available 24/7”.

Mates in Mind also offers support, guidance and resources across various other sectors in the UK. Their work was initially prompted by calls from the construction industry to address the pressing challenge of mental ill-health within the sector.

Due to their successes within the construction sector, they have expanded their focus to include workers in industries beyond construction, enabling more UK workplaces to drive a positive change.

How to use this new service

If you or someone you know needs help or support, you can use the ‘BeAMate’ text support service.

To use the service, text ‘BeAMate’ to 85258 and trained volunteers can help with issues including anxiety, stress, loneliness or depression and are available 24/7.

Further reading

Stress at work claims – Oakwood Solicitors

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