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F O C U S O N S A F E T Y 6 Other responses you can give are: I can see why it must look that way, however we are really doing this because … I can see why you’d object to that, however the advantage of it is this … Attacks Attacks differ from misunderstandings and objections. In an attack, the property owner is far angrier. They are not criticizing so much as they are venting anger. Extreme anger, yelling, rudeness, swearing and “you” statements, such as, “You’re an idiot” or “Your company is the worst in the world,” characterize attacks. People generally attack when they feel powerless or helpless. They may feel like they are “just one little person” against a big organization and nobody cares about what they want. Out of frustration, they lash out at you. Whatever the cause, an attack invites an argument and several negative consequences can occur. Unnecessary stress can build up, time is wasted that could be used to complete the job, the property owner’s bad opinion of our company only gets worse and we fail to accomplish what we set out to do. Attacks are not rational. While verbal attacks can be dealt with, threats of physical harm call for immediately leaving the area. When faced with an attacking property owner, the main goal is to avoid the argument. This takes willpower to resist the temptation to argue. Focus your energy on ways to try and calm the property owner down. Roll with the attack and take control verbally using the tips below. • Start by listening carefully to what the attacker is saying. Too often a person gets caught up in the emotion and does not hear what is actually being said. It is easier to avoid an argument if you listen to the words and not the emotion. • Find something in what the property owner is saying to agree with. This is the strategy of selective agreement as discussed in the previous LifeLine issue, or more commonly, the “rolling with the punches” theory. For example, a property owner may say, “You’re incompetent.” While you would never agree that you are incompetent, you could respond with, “You have every right to believe that.” This statement shows the attacker that you are listening and that, to some extent, you agree with them and are not the enemy. In a sense, you are agreeing without agreeing. Here are some other ways to accomplish this: I can see your point. It really must seem that way to you. I understand how you could see it that way. You have every right to believe that. There is some truth to what you say. That is a long time to have to wait for a reply. Once you have slowed the attack and used the selective agreement strategy, ask a leading question that may help you determine the root of the anger. This can help move the discussion away from the human, or emotional, level to the business, or professional, level. Some examples of leading questions are: What options have you thought about? Is there something I can help you with? Learning some of these simple phrases and using them at the right time can quickly defuse a situation. But even the politest of responses will not work in certain circumstances. The good field ambassador recognizes a situation that is out of control and backs off until further assistance is obtained. Never remain in any situation where you feel physically threatened!
F O C U S O N S A F E T Y Avoid Electrical Contacts with Proper Tree Trimming Techniques by Jeff Sachs, Safety Specialist, Region 466 Over the previous several months the line clearance industry has experienced several disturbing incidents regarding electrical contact injuries and near misses. Electrical contact, directly or indirectly, is one of the worst types of injury a line clearance tree trimmer could sustain. As a Nelson Tree employee, you have been involved in safety stand-downs and received information on how to prevent these contact incidents. This is an extremely serious subject and, as part of Nelson Tree’s ongoing training, this article is devoted to providing more information on this topic. After investigating many of these electrical contacts, it has been determined that properly pruning a limb before cutting it, or placing a rope on the limb, could have prevented these electrical contacts. A proper job briefing is the best defense against breaking minimum separation requirements. The first and foremost factor in determining the potential of any limb breaking minimum separation is a thorough tree assessment that determines which limbs pose a risk before any work begins. Before contacting any limbs, ensure they are outside the minimum separation. PREVENT ELECTRICAL CONTACTS: • Use pruners to shorten limbs when there is growth inside minimum approach distance. • Use pruners to pull limbs back away from the conductors. • Use ropes to pull overhanging branches, and on branches leaning toward conductors that are too big to handle safely. • When roping, properly assess the weight of the limb and use an appropriate rope size and anchor point that is strong enough to support the limb. Proper crew leader supervision is critical in preventing limbs from contacting conductors. In the job briefing, the crewleader and the crew will determine the limbs that pose a risk, and the crewleader must provide direct supervision as these limbs are trimmed. Never slice cut limbs that have the potential to contact conductors! This is not the correct type of cut. Trimmers have little or no control of a limb once the slice cut is made. Slice cutting is only a safe technique when limbs are below the conductors. Instead, remove limbs using a hinge cut on the front side of the limb, then pull back with the pruner or a rope. 7
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