BEMS teams attend mental health awareness sessions

Staff psychologist Andrew Craker, TradeMutt co-owner Dan Allen, Director of BEMS Adrian Duff, TradeMutt co-owner Ed Ross.

BEMS staff across Metro North were recently invited to attend mental health awareness sessions, given by TradeMutt co-owners, Ed Ross and Dan Allen.

Social enterprise TradeMutt is an Australian workwear brand which aims to make workers of all kinds look and feel great at work, and in doing so, aim to reduce the suicide rate in Australia. The two former tradies started the company after losing a young friend in the construction industry to suicide.

The loud and vibrant shirts act as a catalyst to starting the conversation around mental health, a topic that men often find difficult to discuss.

Men experiencing mental health issues are more likely to ‘tough’ it out due to stigma around mental health and a perceived weakness in asking for help. In Australia, 75% of those who take their own life are male with tradies being a particularly vulnerable group. Tradies, for example, are six times more likely to die from suicide than from an accident at work.

Director BEMS Adrian Duff who organised the sessions with TradeMutt said while there is a greater awareness of mental health issues in the community, individuals are still reluctant to reach out for help.

Metro North BEMS staff attending mental health awareness training – RBWH session

“TradeMutt’s workwear has become part of our uniform and are popular choices for our Funky Fridays, but we wanted to also give staff the opportunity to hear how we can better support our team’s mental health,” Adrian said.

“I hope Ed and Dan’s story will encourage our BEMS teams at Metro North to start conversations about mental health. If we can provide a space where it is ok to open up and talk about our feelings the more people will seek assistance rather than struggling on alone.”

A portion of profits from the sale of TradeMutt workwear go towards operating This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS), a not-for-profit mental health support service, specifically for blue collar workers. In memory of the friend who inspired TradeMutt, the right pocket of the workwear features the letters YNWA – a reminder to everyone that “you never walk alone”, as well as an inside barcode linking people to TIACS.

TPCH session

Redcliffe session

For more information on TradeMutt’s mission to break down mental health barriers, see Dan’s TEDx Talk.