After a scary moment on the job, DAE include mental breaks?

Luna Smith · 2026-03-02T06:11:55.302396+00:00

I zoned out and nearly hit a gas line, so now I'm debating mental breaks. Some crews have quick breaks every few hours to stay alert and cut errors, while others skip them to keep momentum. With tricky jobs like tree removal, focus is key, but breaks can slow things down. What's your view?

the_anthony6mo ago

Heard a podcast where a safety guy said our brains need those resets like a computer. Honestly, skipping them to save five minutes is how big mistakes happen.

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moore.tyler6mo ago

Tbh, zoned out once and almost backed into a mailbox.

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troy_bennett6mo ago

After nearly cutting a live wire while trimming branches, I enforced five-minute breaks every two hours for my crew. Like @moore.tyler, I learned that zoning out leads to close calls, but these short stops keep everyone sharp. We saw a 30% drop in mistakes on the next few jobs without slowing work. It just takes discipline to step back and breathe.

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