Care for One Another Like You Care for the Trees By Natasha Buffo
The tree care industry isn’t alone with the high risk of safety accidents on the job. Any operation with heavy ma- chinery, working long days in the early morning or late at night and relying on the power of nature and weather is prone to incidents. Although a focus on technical and physical checks, like PPE and operational training, is vital to safety, there is a crucial aspect that is oen missing from the conversation— mental health. Mental health challenges can partly or wholly cause accidents on the job. Vice versa, incidents in the tree care industry can also create mental health challenges like trauma, substance use issues or anxiety. Unfortunately, most businesses are not prioritizing these discussions, let alone creating a safe space without repercussions of job loss or ostracization. As a certified Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA) USA instructor, who has worked in the ski industry for eight years, I’ve observed and trained ski patrollers, snowcat and loader op- erators, li mechanics and more. For the tree care industry, I see three main areas to step up its game, increase the safety of its employees and reduce in- surance claims. PROACTIVE CHECKS AND ROUTINES Navigating through a mental health challenge is difficult enough on its own, and it can lead to secondary effects – job loss, relationships ending (with family, friends, colleagues or partners) or negative coping mechanisms, like a substance use challenge. In a precari- ous industry like tree care, we must also recognize injuries or death as po- tential secondary effects of a mental
health challenge. So, how can one help during early intervention or worsening signs and symptoms to prevent these secondary effects? Mental health must be as default and mandatory as all the other safety checks before and during the job. If your crew already reviews a safety checklist, make sure to also include a mental health check. See what feels comfortable for the staff, or ask a mental health profes- sional for guidance. We don’t need to use “mental health” if it feels too vulnerable and uncomfortable. Find a “safe word” that is approachable. OneWave Interna- tional opens conversations for people “doing it tough” at their Fluro Fridays.
Another company that has simplified the query is “R U OK?” I interviewed Danny Prout—a tree climber with 10 years working around the world, from the UK to New Zealand and Canada—who explains that the in- dustry is “quite competitive,” filled with “masculine personalities,” all there to prove themselves. He elaborated that “people get themselves in situations where they are biting off more than they can chew and on a job above their experience level. With experience, you learn to know when you can or cannot show up.”
Prout shares that, in his experience,
22 | ArborTIMES Spring 2023
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online