Dealing with STRESS in the workplace
Kirstie Eden has worked as an RPA and RWA in the nuclear sector for over a decade . In this article , she speaks candidly about her own experiences and talks to Neil MacPhail , a senior RPA with over 30 years ' experience in the nuclear industry and wider health and safety environment , about coping with stress in the workplace .
The field of radiation protection is continually evolving and growing , with exciting new developments in many arenas : novel fission , fusion , nuclear medicine and more . Being a safety dutyholder for an organisation can be taxing as well as exciting , however . It can involve high volumes of work , diverse client requirements and emergent work .
With more years in the nuclear industry than I care to admit , and a number of employers in my portfolio , I ' ve experienced a proportionate share of challenges in the workplace . More often than not they ' ve been great learning opportunities and have led to personal growth and development , but sometimes they ' ve had a detrimental health effect . I have bipolar disorder , so if I don ' t manage stress adequately it can contribute to periods of profound illness . My symptoms include dissociation from reality , hallucinations , anxiety , depression and suicidal ideation . These periods of illness put me and , mortifyingly , those around me at risk . They lead to hospitalisation , psychiatric treatment and close care , and are accompanied by feelings of failure and shame . They also have a prolonged impact on my self-esteem .
Following a particularly overwhelming time at work and a late diagnosis of ADHD ( like many
“ women of my age , this condition went undiagnosed for most of my life ), I experienced a relapse which brought mental health to the forefront of my mind . I was motivated to contribute to the increasingly open dialogue on wellbeing in the workplace , hoping that I could play a part in reducing the shame which prevents people from seeking support for the wide variety of struggles they may face . I approached Neil MacPhail as a friend and respected former senior colleague , knowing that he would listen without judgement and be both careful and honest in response . We discussed personal wellbeing in stressful environments , particularly relating to self-esteem .
In Radiation Protection Adviser and similar roles I ' ve occasionally had my advice challenged . Even when sure my advice was correct , I ' ve sometimes been troubled by selfdoubt , worried whether I had the right balance of risk . I asked Neil whether he had any similar experiences .
Neil has experienced self-doubt himself on occasion , and admitted that it can lead to worry about the safety of the workforce and about your reputation as an adviser :
It ' s often said that no-one remembers the successes , but that they remember mistakes . This adds to a sense of pressure in providing the ' right ' advice .
Working in a safety role you shouldn ' t be rushed into providing your advice , but in reality the pressure increases when the stakes are high , and it can be a burden of responsibility . My most difficult challenge so far was a safety decision on a high profile and time-limited task . My advice was that the intended approach was potentially unsafe and should be delayed until a more appropriate start time when more resource was available ; discussions were naturally heated as there were programmes to be met too .
10 Radiation Protection Today www . srp-rpt . uk