“all near misses have been in a place of stress, tiredness or personal prob- lems,” where one was “distracted and not focused.” His advice to a young- er or newer arborist is to be aware if you’re ever in “check-out mode” (imag- ine a clerk at a supermarket scan- ning items, zoned out in routine). “If you ever find yourself in that mental
I always recommend utilizing weekly or daily meetings because if one per- son would benefit from the resources or information, chances are everyone would. Sharing with the whole team removes the discomfort of singling someone out, reduces stigma within your team and makes the leader run- ning meetings more approachable regarding mental health. Topics should range from common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges (ex. distancing from friends and family) to resources that could help (ex. peer support groups). Reflect on recent experiences on the job, in the industry or in similar job functions. Reports provide data on how many tree care workers are killed every year. As heartbreaking as such reports can be, they can be used as examples to dis- cuss how mental health might have been a cause or effect. REACTIVE CONVERSATIONS AND RESOURCES In AMHFA, a traumatic event is defined as, “any incident experienced by a per- son that is perceived to be dangerous and threatens serious injury or death.” Ring any bells? Prout shares detailed stories of the near misses and severe injuries that he has experienced and how they were treated as “just anoth- er day” by those around him. Even aer losing a portion of his finger on a simple pruning job—which he says was a prime example of a day he was in “check-out mode”—one colleague laughed while saying, “you’ll never do that again!” Another example was when a 200- foot tree fell inches from where Prout was—100 feet up in another tree, while he clung to life strategically on the one side of the trunk that kept him safe—
referred to as a near miss, and that was that. Trauma is a risk factor for nearly all mental health issues; therefore, af- ter such an event, one is more at risk for depression, substance use, anxi- ety, and even crisis situations. Yet, he also shares, “over my ten years in the tree care industry, not one person has ever provided me a resource for mental health.” Prout expressed that your men- tal health can be even more adversely affected when you hurt someone else. Therefore, we must also keep an eye on and support the person who almost caused a serious injury or death. Outside of doctor’s appointments or reviews with the client, companies working in tree care need a post-inci- dent process regarding mental health. These near misses on the job are risk factors for the mental health challeng- es that stick with your employee and lead to severe injury or death for them- selves or others on the next work site. In turn, this leads to huge insurance claims for your company, monumental impacts on your employee’s family, and increased anxiety or grief for your oth- er employees. Since not everyone on your team is trained on AMHFA, encouraging ap- propriate professional help (one of the five steps of the ALGEE Action Plan) might be the most beneficial. This means suggesting options—a therapist, counselor or check-in with their pri- mary care doctor. Recognize barriers— stigma, cost, time, transportation. How can you, or someone on your team, help this person navigate these barriers to access the professional help they need? Offering to drive someone to an ap- pointment, covering a shi so they can attend or babysitting kids are common ways to help. When a company offers a few free therapy sessions through an
space for even a few minutes, some- thing will likely happen. Tree care is not a job where a single day can be like that.” When he observes himself in this headspace, he chooses to stay on the ground by saying, “I can’t today because of personal reasons.” A frequently asked question during an AMHFA course is what to do when you’re worried about an individual but don’t feel it’s appropriate to talk to them one-on-one. The National Alliance on Mental Health says, “eight out of 10 workers with a mental health condition list shame and stigma as factors that prevent them from seeking care.” So,
Incidents in the tree care industry can also create mental health challenges, like trauma, substance use issues or anxiety.
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