Stress, Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol
Work-design risk factors, supportive intervention, impairment control, confidentiality and escalation.
How to prepare for SMSTS
Connect each legal and technical topic to a manager's planning, communication, verification and learning decisions, then practise the resource-timing and two-mark focus-area boundaries.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Managers should assess work-related stressors such as demands, control, support, relationships, role and change.
Exam cue: Address workload and organisational causes, not only individual resilience.
Concept 2
Mental-health support combines prevention, early conversation, competent referral and respect for confidentiality.
Exam cue: Use private, factual and non-diagnostic conversations.
Concept 3
Drug or alcohol impairment requires a fair safety response under site policy while urgent risk is controlled.
Exam cue: Remove immediate safety exposure and follow the agreed procedure.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Diagnosing a worker or promising absolute confidentiality.
Guardrail: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Treating a wellbeing poster as a stress risk assessment.
Guardrail: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Ignoring suspected impairment because no incident occurred.
Guardrail: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Memory anchors
Design Work, Reduce Stress
Control organisational causes before relying on coping advice.
Notice, Ask, Listen, Signpost
Support without diagnosing.
Safety First, Process Fair
Control impairment risk and follow the agreed policy.
Private, Factual, Respectful
Protect dignity while recording necessary facts.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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