Neurodivergent workers may experience risk at work differently from their neurotypical co-workers, so your OHS Management System needs to be flexible. Every person is different and every workplace is different, so you may need to work with the individual to create an individualised safe work plan.

BUT HOW?

Lethbridge Piper & Associates is an Australian Occupational Health and Safety Management Consultancy with a difference. Specialising in neurodiversity, we work with Boards, Executive and Leadership Teams to support you in creating workplaces that are safe, healthy and inclusive of your neurodiverse workforce.

Background

This wasn’t the first time Kyle had been involved in an incident. In the last four months, Kyle has had a few minor accidents and he has been making operational mistakes.

After an operational error that caused a loss of product, Kyle’s supervisor tried to talk to him about what had gone wrong and gave him a warning. Kyle blew up at him and walked off the job. This resulted in him getting a second warning from HR the next day. This is all out-of-character for Kyle.

Catherine was asked to investigate the most recent incident to see if she could find out why Kyle had fallen and also to whether there was any underlying issue to explain the change in his behaviour and performance.

Investigation Findings

There were no obvious slip/trip hazards, the lighting was good and Kyle was wearing good non-slip work boots. Looking at the CCTV footage with Kyle, he explained that there was an obstruction on the conveyor that he needed to fix, but he forgot to turn the line off and when he quickly turned to rush back to the head of the line, his feet went from under him and he landed heavily.

Kyle told Catherine that he was just rushing and not paying attention. He said he felt overwhelmed and stressed out because of the warnings. He blamed himself and said he felt stupid. He was certain at this point he was going to lose his job.

Catherine pointed out to him that he’d been doing this job for 6 years and he was good at it. He must have cleared obstructions on the line hundreds of times. What was different about it this time? Why was he feeling overwhelmed and stressed?

Eventually Kyle told Catherine that when he was 11 years old he had been diagnosed with ADHD. He had taken Ritalin ever since but he didn’t really think it affected him anymore.

When his employer introduced a Drug and Alcohol Policy that meant all workers could be randomly screened at work, he decided to stop taking the Ritalin because he “didn’t want to get busted”. He assumed he’d grown out of his ADHD and didn’t need the medication any more. He had not discussed this decision with his doctor.

The root cause of Kyle’s fall was far more complex than a simple slip or trip hazard. Because Kyle had stopped taking his medication, the symptoms of ADHD had returned. He was feeling more hyperactive and restless, was finding it hard to concentrate on the essential record keeping tasks and had been making mistakes. He wasn’t paying attention to the hazards in his environment and was constantly feeling overwhelmed and irritable.

The reason Kyle stopped taking his medication, and the root cause of the incident, was that he had never been informed and did not understand his rights and responsibilities under the Drug and Alcohol Policy. He assumed he’d grown out of his ADHD and didn’t need the medication anymore. He didn’t want to tell his employer about it because he didn’t want to be judged and was worried he’d lose his job.

Catherine recommended the following systemic actions:

1. Review of the Drug and Alcohol Policy to make sure that it complied with the relevant Australian Standard, was revised in consultation with workers, and that all staff would be educated in why it was necessary, how it would be implemented and what procedure would be followed in the event a worker returned a “non-negative” result.

2. Review of the OHS Management System – Consultation and Communication Policy and Procedures to ensure workers are engaged in informed.

3. Review of the OHS Management System – Risk Management Policy and Procedures to accommodate neurodivergent workers and workers with disabilities.

4. Review of HR Policies to accommodate neurodivergent workers.

Conclusion

After 6-months Kyle was working his normal duties again and had taken on the role of Workplace Health and Safety Representative on the newly established OHS Committee.

He wants to give that Committee a different perspective about health and safety at work. He’s also enrolled in a Mental Health First Aid course which his employer is committed to supporting.

Have you noticed some of these characteristics in your employees?

•  Distractibility
•  Impulsivity
•  Hyperactivity.
•  Difficulty managing long-term or complex projects.
•  Boredom.
•  Poor working memory.
•  Procrastination.
•  Hyperfocus.
•  Time blindness.
•  Interpersonal/social skills.
•  Fatigue.
  

Are you reading this and someone who works for you instantly jumps in your head and has you questioning if they could have ADHD? However, not only are you unsure how to support them, you don’t even understand ADHD to know what your employee is dealing with.

This ebook will provide you with information about neurodiversity and why it’s important to understand both the benefits and the risks.  

Covering topics such as:  

• ADHD – the facts 
• What does this mean for employers 
• The OHS Management Systems Approach 
• The Person – Centered Approach 

We will discuss the negative impacts of untreated ADHD, supporting those on medication for ADHD and how you can create a positive and inclusive safety culture for workers with ADHD or any neurodivergent condition. 

This short, 25 page ebook, which is packed full of tips and recommendations, will give you a much better understanding of neurodiversity, and particularly ADHD to help you manage the safety and health at work of all your workers.  

WHO IS CATHERINE LEE? 

With her qualifications and extensive experience, Catherine has achieved outstanding results for our clients in the areas of OHS management systems auditing, incident and claims investigation, complex case management, conflict resolution, mediation, health promotion, professional coaching, and mentoring. Working with Catherine, clients have been able to:

• Make tangible improvements to their workplace culture by focusing on worker engagement, consultation, and negotiation;

• Implement systems for the early identification and management of risks to the health and wellbeing of workers; and

Reduce their workers’ compensation costs through injury prevention and management programs, proactive and complex case management, and self-insurance.

Most recently, recognising that employers are generally not realising the benefits or recognising and managing the risks for neurodiverse workers, Catherine has created the Neurodiverse Safe Work Inititiatve which is designed to raise awareness and educate employers about the benefits of embracing neurodiversity and provide tools and techniques to assist employers in adapting their health and safety management systems to accommodate the different ways that all workers think, learn, process, and retain information, regulate emotions and attention, perceive and respond to risk.