Michigan Pilot Program Treats Mental Health as a Workplace Safety Priority
Michigan’s new LEADS pilot aims to help employers reduce stress, burnout and communication-related risks by integrating mental health into core occupational health and safety practices.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Nov 21, 2025
A new Michigan initiative aimed at improving mental health in the workplace is being positioned as an occupational safety and health issue, expanding the state’s approach to identifying and reducing on-the-job risks.
The LEADS program — short for Learn, Educate, Act, Deploy, Study — is a four-month pilot designed to help employers address stress, burnout, and communication breakdowns that contribute to safety incidents. State officials say the initiative treats mental health as something that impacts workplace safety and health, aligning it with traditional occupational health and safety practices.
According to the program framework, unmanaged stress, poor communication, and low psychological safety can lead to errors, higher injury rates, absenteeism and turnover. LEADS provides employers with tools to identify these “hidden hazards” and implement structured policies to reduce them.
A central feature of the pilot is an evidence-based organizational assessment that functions similarly to a safety audit but focuses on psychosocial risks. Employers receive insights on issues such as workload imbalance, role confusion, conflict, and inadequate support systems — conditions that can compromise safety culture.
State officials note that the program is designed to enhance other workplace safety and health programs rather than replace them. Participating employers are expected to develop clearer roles and responsibilities, more consistent communication practices, improved reporting cultures, and increased employee engagement. These changes, they say, support reductions in stress-related injuries and absences.
The pilot prioritizes small and mid-sized employers in communities where health and safety risks are often higher. By targeting workplaces with limited resources and elevated exposure to both physical and mental hazards, the state aims to strengthen safety performance across vulnerable sectors.
Michigan will evaluate the outcomes of the pilot over the coming months to determine whether the LEADS model should be expanded statewide.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.