Mental and Psychological Health of Workers: The Overlooked Right in Occupational Health and Safety Standards (Policy Paper)
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights has released a policy paper titled Mental and Psychological Health of Workers: The Overlooked Right in Occupational Health and Safety Standards,* which emphasizes the critical importance of workers’ mental health in the workplace—a subject that has been largely overlooked in existing legislation and policies.
Authored by labor researcher Hassan El-Barbary and reviewed and edited by Mahmoud Hashem, the paper argues that the psychological pressures faced by workers due to economic and social conditions at work can lead to severe mental health disorders, which in turn can negatively impact all aspects of the production process.
This paper seeks to foster a genuine dialogue and promote serious discussions on mental and psychological health as an essential aspect of occupational health and a foundational element in the advancement and development of the work environment. It underscores the importance of protecting the most crucial asset of any development effort—the human element—thereby enhancing the overall production process.
The paper points out the deficiencies in current Egyptian legislation, particularly Labor Law No. 12 of 2003, which focuses primarily on physical health while largely ignoring mental health. Despite the presence of approximately 32 articles related to occupational health and safety, the attention given to mental health remains almost negligible.
The paper advocates for the revision and updating of laws and regulations to include mental health as an integral part of occupational health and safety standards, aligning them with the international benchmarks set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
In its recommendations, the paper calls for improvements to the work environment through the adoption of preventive and psychological policies, ensuring that workers are provided with a work environment that is safe both psychologically and physically. Such improvements would have a positive effect on productivity and contribute to the overall well-being of society.
To read the full paper, click here:
