Navigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Workplaces

Did you know, almost two-thirds (63%) of adults are exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event at some point in their lives?  

While PTSD may be commonly associated with the first responder community, it’s important to remember that anyone can experience PTSD.  

What is PTSD? 

PTSD is a mental health condition caused by witnessing or experiencing actual or threatened death, serious injury or violence. It is a reflection of psychological stress and the collection of feelings and behaviours resulting from these events. Unfortunately, it is a common experience for many people from events they’ve witnessed, experienced themselves or they themselves caused including: 

• Actual or threatened death 

• Serious injury or illness  

• Sexual violence 

• War, combat, and terrorism  

• Major accidents 

• Natural or human-caused disasters 

• Domestic violence 

• Transportation accident 

• And more 

Knowing the signs and providing support 

It’s important to highlight that these are general signs related to PTSD. You may never know if someone is suffering privately, away from the eyes of the workplace or social circumstances.  

PTSD can affect anyone and at any time during or following an event, can change overtime and vary per person. In general, symptoms of PTSD can include:  

• Flashbacks 

• Sleep disturbances and nightmares 

• Intrusive memories 

• Being hyperalert  

• Persistently negative thoughts 

• Low mood, anger, or feeling emotionally numb 

• Hard time concentrating 

• Withdrawn from people in their lives, their work and hobbies 

• And more 

Triggers can also happen when exposed to sounds, sights, smells, thoughts and memories and many people feel like they are constantly on edge or nervous, causing them to be startled easily.  

Providing support in your workplace can come in different ways including: 

• Access to resources available in an easy to access location like on a company portal or posted in a lunchroom: 

• • Numbers to call like 988 (National Suicide and Crisis Support) and 1-833-677-BOOT (2668) (Boots on the Ground for first responders). 

• • Links to resources in your area like support groups, psychologists and crisis centers.   

• • Links to support offered by the Ontario government. 

• • Internal information like items in your benefits program that those suffering with PTSD could utilize. 

• • Information on when to seek professional help. 

• Have PTSD prevention plans in place: 

• • First responder workplaces covered by the presumption in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act are required to provide information about their plans to prevent PTSD in their workplaces. PSHSA also has an eLearning available for organizations and individuals who are looking for information to support plan implementation.  

• Keep communication lines open. If a worker is not ready to open up, wait for them. When they do, listen to what they’re saying. It is often hard for someone to come forward and ask for help. 

• Deal with stigma as soon as possible from other workers if it comes up, creating a safe and open workplace. Normalize mental health. 

• Let workers know that they are not alone.  

First responders’ community and PTSD 

First responders are at least twice as likely to suffer from PTSD. They put their lives at risk each and every day to keep all of us safe, and it’s important we provide our first responders the same unconditional support they provide to us when we need them. Unfortunately, many people never come forward due to the amount of stigma surrounding mental health in their sector and how they “should be used to it”. That isn’t the case at all, they should not have to suffer in silence.  

For first responders looking for support, Boots on the Ground offers peer support for first responders, by first responders, that is operational 24/7 for retired, serving, sworn or civilian members. It can be hard to talk about “work”, but some things aren’t just “part of the job”. They are there whenever they’re needed through their anonymous peer support helpline, resources and programs (Like therapy dogs). 

Ontario has taken steps to address the harmful impacts of exposure to traumatic events on first responders, including the requirement for employers to develop PTSD prevention plans. Our first responders first online toolkit consists of resources for the first responder community to help employers establish their PTSD Prevention Plan and Program. The website is currently undergoing a renovation so workplaces can look forward to updates and new resources coming in the future as well.