Public Power - June 2008 - (Page 75)

SAFETY Tackling Depression at Work By William Atkinson Unlike normal emotional experiences of sadness or passing mood states, clinical depression is persistent and can significantly interfere with an individual’s thoughts, behavior, activity, physical health and performance in the workplace. Clinical depression affects 15 million American adults—about 5 to 8 percent of the adult population, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). In fact, clinical depression—sometimes referred to as major depression—is the leading cause of disability in the United States. More than half of those who experience a single episode of depression will continue to have episodes once or twice a year. Without treatment, the frequency and severity of depression tends to increase over time. There is no single cause of major depression, according to NAMI. Physiological/biological factors and environmental factors can contribute. Depression often comes at a cost. For one, workplace depression drains about $52 billion from the economy every year, according to a study appearing in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. “This is the result of absenteeism, reduced productivity, accidents, and healthcare costs,” said Rich Paul, vice president of health and performance solutions for ValueOptions, in Norfolk, Va., a national provider of managed behavioral health and employee assistance programs (EAPs). Many years ago, an employee at Texas Municipal Power Agency, in Bryan, Texas, called Tim Sanford, manager of safety/emergency training, and head of the utility’s EAP, threatening bodily harm. Fortunately, Sanford was able to avert the tragedy. “That’s when I knew our EAP was really working,” he said. In 1986, TMPA was one of the first employers to implement an EAP in the United States. “While we initially focused primarily on alcohol and drugs, we later expanded the program to deal with emotional issues, such as stress and depression,” Sanford said. The How to Help Depression Victims The University of Michigan Depression Center offers these best practices for employers: Ensure that employees have appropriate access to outpatient care and a broad spectrum of services, settings, and providers. Provide information to employees to help them understand the health care system and the benefits available to them for the treatment of depression. Provide information to employees on symptoms of depression and the importance of seeking care. Offer employee screening or other early detection mechanisms for depression. Provide guidelines for job accommodations, including time to participate in therapy and other mental health programs. Offer supervisory and managerial training, to help them identify and assist employees with depression. Offer a return-to-work plan for employees who have been absent due to depression. program arranges to have counselors available around the clock, seven days a week, including, if necessary, contact with TMPA’s medical review officer, who is a medical doctor. Benefits have been numerous. “Since implementing our EAP, the number of accidents has decreased significantly,” said Sanford. “We used to have multiple lost-time injuries. Now, I believe our safety policies and our EAP are the cornerstones of our safety success, allowing us to become one of the top leaders in safety.” At one point, TMPA went almost seven years without a lost-time injury. TMPA is adding a wellness program, which will include ways to deal with depression prevention and management, such as diet and exercise. “One of the main reasons for starting the program was the increasing cost of health care,” said Lynn Gilleland, the utility’s human resources manager. “To encourage participation, we plan to promote the program at the safety meetings that Tim [Sanford] holds each month,” she said. When not dealt with, depression can directly cause accidents in the workplace. Employees become careless or apathetic about their behaviors and actions, or lose their attention and concentration, said Paul. Depression also often leads to insomnia, which leads to fatigue. Employees with severe insomnia have a higher rate of work-related accidents and incidences of serious work errors, according to the American Journal of Managed Care. In fact, according to Progressive Insurance, worker fatigue is the immediate cause of 18 percent of accidents and injuries in the workplace. JUNE 2008 75 www.APPAnet.org http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - June 2008

Public Power - June 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Solutions A Patchwork Approach to Renewable Energy Whose Grid Is It Anyway? The Little Utility That Could Benchmarking Customer Service Can Prairie Hay Power Your Town? Storming the Control Room Investing in the Smart Grid Coming of Age: Superconducting Cables Community Broadband Economic Development Customer Service Human Resources For Governing Boards Safety Parting Shot

Public Power - June 2008

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