Our participation in the Global Asbestos Awareness Week campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks of asbestos amongst our site team and provide them with the tools to protect themselves and others from the risks that asbestos poses to their health. The HSE states that ‘asbestos still kills around 5000 workers each year, more than the number of people killed on the road’: a very concerning statistic! We take the threat of asbestos very seriously at Cognition. All site-based Cognition employees are asbestos awareness trained, as a minimum, and additional training is allocated on a site-by-site basis, which could include non-licensed training. Cognition is deeply committed to upholding exceptional health and safety standards and prioritising the health and safety of our team and communities.

We will also be participating in the campaign for Stress Awareness Month. The HSE calls us to ‘make it routine to prevent stress and support mental health at work’. Their campaign provides many resources to help companies effectively address stress related ill-health in the workplace including the five Rs:

1. Reach out and have conversations
2. Recognise the signs and causes of stress
3. Respond to any risks you’ve identified
4. Reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken
5. Make it Routine to check in on how people are feeling and coping.

Cognition has a dedicated team of five Mental Health First Aiders and Managers whose role is to identify early signs of mental health issues and provide timely support, helping employees feel heard and valued. They are our teams first port of call to reach out to if they are feeling stressed or are experiencing a crisis. This year we have invested in training more of our staff to be Mental Health First Aiders and Managers as we recognise how important good mental health is for our workforce.

If you wish to find out more about the HSE’s campaigns for Global Asbestos Awareness Week and Stress Awareness Month, please see the following links to access more resources:

• Global Asbestos Awareness Week: click here
• Stress Awareness Month: click here