When organisations compare training courses, one question often comes up:
Why does mental health risk assessment training cost more than basic risk assessment training?
At first glance, both may appear to follow a similar process: identify a risk, assess it, put controls in place and review the outcome.
But mental health risk assessment is not simply a standard risk assessment with a few extra questions added to the form.
It involves understanding psychological risks, workplace pressures, individual circumstances and the potential impact of work on people’s mental health. That requires a different level of knowledge, skills and judgement.
And with the scale of workplace mental health problems in the UK, this is becoming increasingly difficult for organisations to treat as something they can simply put off.
Mental health is already costing UK organisations billions
The financial impact of poor mental health at work is significant.
Deloitte’s research estimates that poor employee mental health costs UK employers around £51 billion every year. Presenteeism, people being at work but not able to perform at their full potential because of poor mental health, accounts for around £24 billion of that figure.
The Health and Safety Executive‘s latest figures show just how significant the workplace problem remains.
In 2024/25, an estimated 964,000 workers in Great Britain were suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 52% of all cases of work-related ill health.
These conditions also resulted in approximately 22.1 million working days lost in 2024/25. On average, each worker suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety lost 22.9 working days.
So the question for employers should not simply be: “Why does specialist mental health risk assessment training cost more?”
It should also be: “What is the cost of not having people properly trained to identify and manage these risks?”
Mental health risk assessment is not the same as a basic risk assessment
Traditional workplace risk assessments often focus on identifiable physical hazards.
For example, a risk assessment might consider machinery, slips and trips, manual handling, hazardous substances or workplace equipment.
These risks can often be observed directly and assessed against relatively clear criteria.
Mental health risks can be much less visible.
Workload, lack of control, poor communication, workplace relationships, organisational change, excessive working hours and insufficient support can all contribute to psychological strain.
This means that someone carrying out a mental health risk assessment needs to understand not only what the workplace hazard is, but also how work may be affecting people psychologically and what controls could reduce that risk.
That requires specialist knowledge.
Why does mental health risk assessment training cost more?
1. You are training for a more complex
A physical hazard can often be seen.
A psychological hazard may not be.
An employee might continue meeting deadlines while experiencing significant psychological pressure. Another person may become withdrawn, make more mistakes or start taking more time off work.
The risk may therefore not be immediately obvious.
Mental health risk assessment training helps those responsible for workplace wellbeing recognise potential psychological hazards and understand how they should be assessed.
The aim is not simply to identify whether someone is “stressed”. It is to understand what aspects of the work may be contributing to that stress and what the organisation can reasonably do about them.
2. The assessment requires a different type of conversation
Physical risk assessments can often rely heavily on observation and technical information.
Mental health risk assessments may require conversations with employees and managers about sensitive issues such as workload, workplace relationships, support, autonomy and organisational pressures.
That creates an additional challenge.
The person carrying out the assessment needs to know how to approach these conversations appropriately without turning the assessment into a medical assessment or making employees feel that they are being personally examined.
Specialist training helps provide the knowledge and confidence needed for these conversations.
3. You need to understand psychological hazards
A competent mental health risk assessment should consider the factors within work that may contribute to poor mental health.
Depending on the workplace, this could include workload and demands, control, support, workplace relationships, role clarity and organisational change.
These issues require a different perspective from a conventional physical safety assessment.
This is why simply giving someone a standard risk assessment course may not provide them with everything they need to assess workplace mental health risks effectively.
4. The controls can be more complicated
Identifying a risk is only the beginning.
The purpose of a risk assessment is to reduce the risk.
With physical hazards, controls can sometimes be relatively straightforward. A guard can be installed, a procedure changed or appropriate equipment provided.
Mental health risks may require changes to the way work is organised.
For example, if excessive workload is identified as a risk, simply telling employees to “manage their stress” does not address the underlying problem.
The organisation may need to consider workload allocation, staffing, deadlines, working practices, management support or communication.
This is where properly trained assessors can add real value.
The cost of poor mental health is already much higher than the cost of training
The £51 billion annual cost estimated by Deloitte demonstrates the scale of the issue for UK employers.
And the cost is not limited to absence.
Poor mental health can affect:
- productivity
- presenteeism
- employee retention
- recruitment
- sickness absence
- performance
- workplace relationships
- management time
The HSE estimates that work-related ill health and workplace injuries resulted in 40.1 million working days lost in Great Britain in 2024/25.
Mental health-related problems make up a substantial part of that picture.
This changes the way organisations should think about training costs.
If a course costs more because it provides specialist knowledge for assessing a significant workplace risk, the price should not be viewed in isolation.
The bigger question is whether the organisation has the competence to identify risks early and take effective action.
Investing in mental health training can make financial sense
There is also evidence that investing in workplace mental health can provide a financial return.
Deloitte’s research found that, on average, employers receive approximately £4.70 in improved productivity for every £1 invested in supporting employee mental health and wellbeing.
This does not mean every training course will automatically generate a £4.70 return.
But it does demonstrate an important principle:
Investment in workplace mental health should not automatically be treated as a cost. It can be part of a wider strategy to reduce risk, improve productivity and support employees.
Mental health risk assessment should be a priority, not an afterthought
With nearly one million workers experiencing work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25, mental health cannot realistically be treated as a secondary workplace issue.
Organisations need people who understand how to identify psychological risks, assess them properly and recommend appropriate controls.
That could include members of your:
- Health & Safety team
- HR team
- Wellbeing team
- Occupational Health function
- management team
- employee support or people teams
The exact responsibility will depend on the organisation, but the principle is the same: someone needs the competence to assess and manage workplace mental health risks properly.
So, is mental health risk assessment training worth the additional cost?
Yes! Particularly when you consider what the training is designed to help organisations manage.
You are not simply paying for another risk assessment qualification.
You are investing in the ability to:
- recognise psychological workplace hazards
- understand the relationship between work and mental health
- conduct appropriate mental health risk assessments
- have sensitive and constructive conversations
- identify meaningful control measures
- involve employees appropriately
- review whether controls are actually working
- build a more proactive approach to workplace mental health
The cost of specialist training may be higher than basic risk assessment training because the knowledge and judgement required are different.
And with poor mental health already costing UK employers an estimated £51 billion a year, the greater risk may be assuming that basic risk assessment training is enough.
Don’t wait for the cost of poor mental health to become higher
Mental health risk assessment should not be a tick-box exercise or something an organisation addresses only after sickness absence, complaints or serious wellbeing concerns have already emerged.
The priority should be identifying and managing workplace mental health risks before they become more costly problems.
If your organisation wants to build the knowledge and confidence to carry out effective mental health risk assessments, specialist training can provide the practical foundation to get started.
Book our Mental Health Risk Assessment Course today, or book a call with us to discuss the right training for your organisation. We’re happy to help.