Global and National Frameworks: Mapping the Future of CSA Z1003 Standard and ISO 45003 Guidelines
Increasing recognition of PHS as a top organizational concern has led to robust frameworks designed to provide support for organizations in applying the standard. Two prominent standards provide comprehensive advice: the Canadian National Standard and international ISO 45003 guidelines.
The National Standard of Canada (CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013): This groundbreaking standard, the world’s first, offers a comprehensive guide to creating and continuous improvement of a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Its primary focus is on positively fostering the psychological health of workers and averting psychological harm resulting from conditions in the workplace. Although it is a voluntary set of guidance, tools, and resources, its adoption is a recommended priority within Canada’s Campus Mental Health Strategy, underlining its authoritative nature. The application of this standard is an official process of assessing and acting on the “13 Psychosocial Factors” that heavily influence workplace mental health. The last aim of the standard is to initiate increases in organizational productivity, financial performance, risk management, and above all, recruitment and retention. Implementation is defined in terms of a Psychological Health and Safety Management System (PHSMS) with five fundamental components: Commitment, Leadership and Participation; Planning; Implementation; Evaluation and Corrective Action; and Management Review.
| Psychosocial Factor | Plain‑Language Description |
|---|---|
| Organizational Culture | The beliefs, values and traditions in which people treat one another, for instance trusting each other, fairness and respecting one another. |
| Psychological & Social Support | To what degree the employees feel supported by the organization, by colleagues, and by leaders in case of work or personal problems. |
| Clear Leadership & Expectations | How clear leaders define expectations, including outlining roles and providing constructive feedback. |
| Civility & Respect | A company culture in which employees are respectful, considerate, and polite towards one another. |
| Psychological Competencies & Demands | Whether the correct balance of the job demands and the emotional-interpersonal competencies of the staff exists. |
| Growth & Development | Opportunities for learning, development of skills and improved careers. |
| Recognition & Reward | Acknowledgment of the employees’ efforts and proper material and non-material remuneration. |
| Involvement & Influence | To what extent workers are part of decision-making with influence on their work. |
| Workload Management | Managing workloads to sustainable levels and deadlines which are realistically possible without excessive stress. |
| Engagement | To what degree the employees are engaged and dedicated in the company and in the work environment. |
| Balance | Creating work-life balance for the workforce by integrating work obligations and personal responsibilities. |
| Psychological Protection | Ensuring the work environment functions effectively to safeguard the employees against harm to their well-being, i.e., bullying or harassment. |
| Protection of Physical Safety | Making the physical workplace safe and not hurt or damaged in any form. |
ISO 45003:2021 Occupational Health and Safety Management – Psychological Health and Safety at Work – Guidelines for Managing Psychosocial Risks: The international guideline document is chiefly directed towards making people more aware of overall employee health, with specific emphasis on how occupational safety professionals can integrate psychological risk analysis into their existing occupational safety and health (OH&S) management systems. ISO 45003 is intended to complement the current ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard. It provides direct advice on how to deal with psychosocial risks within an OH&S setting, and hence allow organizations to prevent work-related injury and ill health among their workers and other interested parties, as well as actively promote overall workplace well-being. The standard’s applicability is universal, extending to organizations of all sizes and across all sectors. A core tenet of ISO 45003 is its advocacy for a “whole-person, whole-organization approach” to managing psychosocial risks, emphasizing that successful implementation requires commitment and participation across all levels of the enterprise. Furthermore, it strongly recommends that organizations determine and establish a systematic approach to continuously monitoring and measuring psychosocial risk management activities data-driven, rather than based on perception.
Direct linkage of ISO 45003 with ISO 45001 is a great strategic step. It suggests that psychological safety cannot be seen as an independent, sole initiative but rather as an integral and organic component of an existing safety structure of an organization. This is a call for organizations to leverage and capitalize on the processes, committees, and reporting mechanisms they already have in place to expand to include psychological risks. This offers major advantages in terms of resource optimization, consistency in risk management policies, and optimal utilization of available expertise, rather than the necessity for the creation of entirely new, parallel systems. The integration of these global and national frameworks offers a strong, internationally recognized template for organizations committed to integrated PHS.
