FORS has become an official Supporter of the national Mates in Mind charity and is encouraging its members to prioritise employee mental health as a staff safety issue.
FORS has announced Mates in Mind as a new FORS Associate and hopes the link with the charity will further reinforce the need for operators across road transport to take mental health concerns as seriously as other staff safety considerations.
FORS Associate products and services align with the FORS principles of safety, efficiency and environmental protection. FORS Associates offer discounts to help members meet the requirements of the FORS Standard.
As a FORS Associate, Mates In Mind will offer all FORS members access to employer mental health guidance resources and regular news updates regarding the latest developments in mental health in the workplace.
In addition, FORS members who choose to become Mates in Mind Supporters themselves will be able to access a broad range of Mates in Mind services and support, offering a flexible range of options to help them to take-action in line with their business priorities and needs. This includes an assessment piece, general awareness training courses and a suite of tools and communications resources to support their own bespoke programmes.
Mates in Mind was set up by the Health In Construction Leadership Group (HCLG) and is supported by the British Safety Council in its aim to provide industry employers with guidance to support the mental health of its workforce.
Initially established to improve mental health within the UK construction industry, Mates in Mind’s services have now expanded across various supply-chain and related industries. The charity hopes to extend their expertise to organisations across road transport as a FORS Associate.
Martin Lockham, Growth Development Manager at Mates in Mind said, “Working alongside programmes such as FORS, Mates in Mind is able to deliver the support, education, resources and materials organisations need to improve the mental health of their workforces.”
“The FORS values reflect our belief that there is no health without mental health and that in order to achieve exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection, we must include addressing mental health. As a FORS Associate, Mates in Mind will help build on FORS’s existing minimum accreditation requirements for members to have a mental health policy in place.”
When joining Mates in Mind as Supporters, FORS members will receive guidance from the charity, to help create, implement and build on mental health policies and procedures in order to achieve and maintain the health requirements as set out in the Standard.*
Sonia Hayward, FORS manager said, “FORS understands that mental health is a vital component of driver and operational safety and we are proud to welcome Mates in Mind as a FORS Associate to offer their expertise and services to our members. The joined-up programme offered by Mates in Mind will provide our members with the knowledge they need as they seek to support their own mental health, and that of their employees.”