From Response to Readiness
Line-of-duty deaths, mass-casualty events, pediatric fatalities, and serious injury or death to personnel are predictable exposures in public safety work.
Organizations already have important resources to support personnel afterward. Employee assistance programs, peer support teams, chaplains, and behavioral health resources provide expertise and support that no standard replaces.
What has been missing is a consistent framework for what the organization itself does when a qualifying exposure occurs—decided in advance, rather than left to the exposed individual to recognize a need, disclose a concern, or ask for help.
The FRBH National Standard for Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection (OPHP) provides that framework. It establishes organizational expectations for protecting personnel following qualifying Occupational Psychological Hazard Exposure (OPHE), while preserving each organization’s flexibility in how those protections are implemented.
FRBH-OPHP-003 is freely available and is currently published as a Provisional Field-Test Edition.
Public comments are welcome at info@frbh.org.
EXPLORE THE STANDARD →
Organizations already have important resources to support personnel afterward. Employee assistance programs, peer support teams, chaplains, and behavioral health resources provide expertise and support that no standard replaces.
What has been missing is a consistent framework for what the organization itself does when a qualifying exposure occurs—decided in advance, rather than left to the exposed individual to recognize a need, disclose a concern, or ask for help.
The FRBH National Standard for Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection (OPHP) provides that framework. It establishes organizational expectations for protecting personnel following qualifying Occupational Psychological Hazard Exposure (OPHE), while preserving each organization’s flexibility in how those protections are implemented.
FRBH-OPHP-003 is freely available and is currently published as a Provisional Field-Test Edition.
Public comments are welcome at info@frbh.org.
EXPLORE THE STANDARD →
A Safety Function, Not a Wellness Program
Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection (OPHP) is an organizational safety function for protecting personnel following qualifying occupational psychological exposure.
It does not replace EAP, peer support, behavioral health providers, chaplaincy, CISM, occupational health, or other existing workforce protection capabilities. It does not diagnose employees, mandate treatment, measure an individual's psychological condition, or require personnel to participate in services.
Instead, OPHP strengthens the organizational system around the resources an organization already has. The distinction is important.
OPHP establishes the organizational structure around those resources—defining which exposures trigger organizational protection, when that protection activates, who is responsible, and how the organization knows the system is working.
LEARN ABOUT OPHP →
It does not replace EAP, peer support, behavioral health providers, chaplaincy, CISM, occupational health, or other existing workforce protection capabilities. It does not diagnose employees, mandate treatment, measure an individual's psychological condition, or require personnel to participate in services.
Instead, OPHP strengthens the organizational system around the resources an organization already has. The distinction is important.
OPHP establishes the organizational structure around those resources—defining which exposures trigger organizational protection, when that protection activates, who is responsible, and how the organization knows the system is working.
LEARN ABOUT OPHP →
Built on Familiar Occupational Safety Principles
Occupational safety relies on systematic organizational processes. Criteria are established. Responsibility is assigned. Protective actions are defined. Performance is reviewed. OPHP applies that same organizational discipline to protecting personnel following qualifying occupational psychological exposure.
The Standard requires organizations to establish:
☑ Governance and executive accountability;
☑ Documented criteria for qualifying exposure;
☑ A defined recognition and activation process;
☑ Coordination of existing workforce protection capabilities;
☑ Confidentiality and protection from reprisal;
☑ Leadership oversight and organizational evaluation; and
☑ Continual improvement and documented self-assessment.
The goal is not to create another behavioral health program. It is to ensure that when qualifying exposure occurs, the organization has a reliable process for protecting its personnel.
LEARN ABOUT CONFORMITY →
The Standard requires organizations to establish:
☑ Governance and executive accountability;
☑ Documented criteria for qualifying exposure;
☑ A defined recognition and activation process;
☑ Coordination of existing workforce protection capabilities;
☑ Confidentiality and protection from reprisal;
☑ Leadership oversight and organizational evaluation; and
☑ Continual improvement and documented self-assessment.
The goal is not to create another behavioral health program. It is to ensure that when qualifying exposure occurs, the organization has a reliable process for protecting its personnel.
LEARN ABOUT CONFORMITY →
Implementation Support at No Cost
Organizations do not have to navigate the Standard alone. The FRBH National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) provides general implementation support at no charge and on the same terms to every organization.
Ask FRBH™ — AI-assisted guidance, on demand
support@frbh.org — questions by email
1 (844) ASK-FRBH — to schedule a call
Implementation guidance, tools, self-evaluation resources, educational materials, and general technical assistance are available without charge. FRBH does not provide organization-specific consulting, assess work environments, recommend exposure controls, or determine whether an organization conforms to the Standard.
VISIT NTAC →
Ask FRBH™ — AI-assisted guidance, on demand
support@frbh.org — questions by email
1 (844) ASK-FRBH — to schedule a call
Implementation guidance, tools, self-evaluation resources, educational materials, and general technical assistance are available without charge. FRBH does not provide organization-specific consulting, assess work environments, recommend exposure controls, or determine whether an organization conforms to the Standard.
VISIT NTAC →
Designed for Public Safety
The National Standard establishes profession-neutral organizational expectations for public safety organizations whose personnel encounter predictable Occupational Psychological Hazard Exposure (OPHE) as a foresseable condition of their work.
🚒 Fire Service
🚑 Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
🚔 Law Enforcement
📞 Public Safety Communications / Dispatch
🔒 Corrections
🌲 Wildland Fire
🌪️ Emergency Management
🏛️ Federal Public Safety Organizations
The Standard applies to personnel who encounter OPHE in course of duty, regardless of sworn status, licensure, employment classification, or whether their role is field-based.
VIEW FAQ →
🚒 Fire Service
🚑 Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
🚔 Law Enforcement
📞 Public Safety Communications / Dispatch
🔒 Corrections
🌲 Wildland Fire
🌪️ Emergency Management
🏛️ Federal Public Safety Organizations
The Standard applies to personnel who encounter OPHE in course of duty, regardless of sworn status, licensure, employment classification, or whether their role is field-based.
VIEW FAQ →
SCOPE NOTICE: The American Board of First Responder Behavioral Healthcare (FRBH) is an independent nonprofit standards-development organization. It establishes and maintains the FRBH National Standard for Occupational Psychological Hazard Protection and supports implementation through the National Technical Assistance Center.FRBH does not perform conformity assessment, certification, or accreditation of any organization and does not operate such a program. FRBH does not provide clinical care, prescribe treatment, regulate behavioral healthcare services, provide organization-specific consulting, assess hazards or work environments, recommend exposure controls, accredit healthcare providers, or evaluate individual workforce mental health conditions.