Carbon Monoxide...2 more die

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

Carbon monoxide is a sneaky devil. I've experienced it myself working in a well with a family member. Seriously it's as though someone slipped you mickey. If I even catch a whiff of tailpipe on a job I'm popping windows. Last year I routed my exhaust out the top of the van just because of this potential. I can't believe I'm reading about this twice in one week.

 

[John Olson]

Ashley while I agree with you in theory your delivery is coarse and right now frankly I don't want nor need to hear it so out of respect give it rest for a minute please. Now to address what your saying, there are a lot of folks that lack basic understanding of gas combustion engines add in the barrier of English as a second language and accidents like these happen. Sure 99.9999% of cleaners never make this mistake. If taking a minute to slap a sticker on a machine and having a 30 second safety meeting with each customer and giving them a $50 life saving device saves one "Jose" then it is worth it. Ashley if you had met Jose you wouldn't be taking this hard line. He made a terrible mistake that cost him and his wife their lives. Yes it is 100% his fault but was there something I could have said or done to make him think about his decision or offer a way he might my have thought of to protect himself ( portable co2 detector) this is what I can and will do. I will leave the rest to someone else.

 

[Mikey P]

Please tell me they didn't have kids..

 

[Mikey P]

Anyone know how much carbon monoxide is being spewed from a DEF'd Isuzu?

 

[AshleyMckendree]

Sorry John, I've always lacked in the Empathy department. Except when it comes to children and Animals.


....

 

[John Olson]

Please tell me they didn't have kids..

Lora is pretty sure they did but I don't remember him ever talking about any.
Friday was the first time I met his wife. I didn't even know for sure he was married when we talked it was always about cleaning, techniques tools and chemicals and how to grow his buisness. I'm waiting for more information to come out in the news.

 

[Billy]

John Olson" data-source="post: 4268548" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

Ashley while I agree with you in theory your delivery is coarse and right now frankly I don't want nor need to hear it so out of respect give it rest for a minute please. Now to address what your saying, there are a lot of folks that lack basic understanding of gas combustion engines add in the barrier of English as a second language and accidents like these happen. Sure 99.9999% of cleaners never make this mistake. If taking a minute to slap a sticker on a machine and having a 30 second safety meeting with each customer and giving them a $50 life saving device saves one "Jose" then it is worth it. Ashley if you had met Jose you wouldn't be taking this hard line. He made a terrible mistake that cost him and his wife their lives. Yes it is 100% his fault but was there something I could have said or done to make him think about his decision or offer a way he might my have thought of to protect himself ( portable co2 detector) this is what I can and will do. I will leave the rest to someone else.

John you really shouldn't blame yourself there are many times people don't even bother to read manuals, Ignore or remove Warning labels, the list goes on. Also how many times have any of us seen someone defeat a safety device? None of us can ever know if a CO Detector (although I firmly believe this is the most likely best preventive that may have saved some or all of the recent lost lives), Training, Warning Stickers etc would have prevented any of these Senseless deaths because none of us know what was going thru the minds of the lost victims.

I know many times I have been told Ear Protection, Safety Cones, Flashing LEDs, Cameras are all overkill items I wasted money on that prevent nothing. I always decide for my self what I think is worth the cost though & in most cases at some point they pay-off. So do what you think will help even one victim not lose their life unnecessarily & it was worth it IMO.

As for Ashley's comment I don't know for sure but I don't believe the comment was meant in a disrespectful way but more as a point we can't put warnings on every conceivable real danger.


I am very sorry for the recent losses which is the reason I started the post to warn others & bring awareness to the very real danger of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

 

[Billy]

John Olson" data-source="post: 4268559" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

Lora is pretty sure they did but I don't remember him ever talking about any.
Friday was the first time I met his wife. I didn't even know for sure he was married when we talked it was always about cleaning, techniques tools and chemicals and how to grow his buisness. I'm waiting for more information to come out in the news.

Have you thought about sponsoring an actual short safety class on the safe operation & proper maintenance of equipment we all use daily? If an actual in person class is too much what about a well done video that could be seen on the web as well as handed to anyone on a inexpensive Flash Drive?

 

[dgardner]

Anyone know how much carbon monoxide is being spewed from a DEF'd Isuzu?

The DEF reduces NOx, not CO, but diesel exhaust naturally contains a lot less CO than gasoline engines (unless very poorly maintained). That having been said, people have died from CO poisoning from diesel exhaust, so it can happen. It's just takes a higher concentration of exhaust to do it.

 

[John Olson]

Have you thought about sponsoring an actual short safety class on the safe operation & proper maintenance of equipment we all use daily? If an actual in person class is too much what about a well done video that could be seen on the web as well as handed to anyone on a inexpensive Flash Drive?

We cover this in our basic maintenance class already. Problem is getting everyone in if. What we are going to do will have us in credit contact with very done that brings in a machine to us, or visits our education or store website. If just one person stops and thinks holy shit I have/thought about doing that and doesn't do that then it will all be worth it.

I know Ashely wasn't saying anything that I don't agree with. I agree 100% with what he said just right now the delivery was really coarse and I don't hold anything against Ashley I just needed to tell him right now it added nothing and took away from the only positive that May come out of this tragic accident.

 

[Billy]

John Olson" data-source="post: 4268570" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

We cover this in our basic maintenance class already. Problem is getting everyone in if. What we are going to do will have us in credit contact with very done that brings in a machine to us, or visits our education or store website. If just one person stops and thinks holy shit I have/thought about doing that and doesn't do that then it will all be worth it.

I know Ashely wasn't saying anything that I don't agree with. I agree 100% with what he said just right now the delivery was really coarse and I don't hold anything against Ashley I just needed to tell him right now it added nothing and took away from the only positive that May come out of this tragic accident.

Sounds like you are doing more than many distributors are. I have never been offered a Safety/Maintenance class in my 20 yrs.


I understand your feelings & I for one am also very guilty of being a little course with my comments which is why I added an in-advance Apology to my Signature to most any place I am a member of.

 

[mirf]

Education is the best thing. Signs help also. Many people think it is okay to run engines in garages, lawnmower, snowblower, even warming up cars. All homes should be required to have Carbon monoxide detectors in them. I have one now but will put one on every floor and on in the garage. Probaly over done but I have other people that live in my house and service people here too. I showed the last article to all employees, Hate to say it put I know some said to themselves this could never happen to me.
Dan, that sign should be in all garages
John, sorry for your loss

 

[JS41035]

I wonder if there's a chance someone else closed the garage door. Maybe with a remote while they were working. I hate to speculate but it just doesn't make sense for an experienced carpet cleaner to make that mistake. Could have been an innocent mistake with tragic results


....

 

[Becker]

Garage door open or closed the result could have likely been the same!
Air sucked out of a house must be replaced from somewhere, an open door connecting the house and a semi closed area like a garage set up a perfect flow of poisoned air. I

Never a reason to park in a garage while running equipment. That means if it is raining, freezing, late and trying to reduce noise, lazy.. Zero reason at all to park a cleaning truck in a garage door open or closed. LET ME SAY IT AGAIN... ZERO REASON!! And besides risk of death I can think of many other reason why there is ZERO reason to park in a garage on a job!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

There were fatalities at a hotel in Evansville IN when a CC truck was parked next to a HVAC air intake on the first level for several hours.

 

[JS41035]

Of course you don't run a gas engine in a garage. The article stated that the garage door was closed. Even most people who aren't carpet cleaners know not to leave a car running in a garage especially with the door closed. I just wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt that he might not have meant to have the door shut. Either way it's dangerous but shutting the door sure speeds up the process. Poor guy just trying to make a buck.


....

 

[Becker]

The local near death happened when a cleaner set up in a garage under am apt building with lots of cross air. Condition were just prime for the air to flow in.

I think even with the door open death would have resulted.

A tm pulls at least 200 cfm to 400 plus. That exchange of air needs to come from somewhere. A cracked door 2" leading to a garage even with door open is deadly.

 

[jcooper]

Anyone have a specific "portable co2 detector" they use? Did a google search and most small(belt clip) are like $150.

 

[Becker]

Anyone have a specific "portable co2 detector" they use? Did a google search and most small(belt clip) are like $150.

If you are concerned, isn't $150 cheap?

 

[Spurlington]

Walmart online shows units for $15-25 and up .. just plug it in near the door your hose comes in .. belt clip on sounds cool but if youre on a job with a customer who happens to be sitting at the kitchen table while youre in the attic or basement, the clip on alert might be too late

 

[doylebloss]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of our industry colleagues who passed away in this tragic accident. Anyone who knows John Olson knows he would always do his best to make sure his customers were trained.

HydraMaster includes the following ANSI approved warning label on all of our new truckmounts. I am sure all of the reputable truckmount manufacturers do the same. Still, constant reminders can never do anything but save someone else from these horrible consequences. Technicians and owners alike if they get in a hurry may not always read every warning, so let's just keep reminding and reminding.

View attachment 3802

 

[SamIam]

Ya my old prochem 405 has this sticker on it already

 

[Steve Toburen]

Still, constant reminders can never do anything but save someone else from these horrible consequences. Technicians and owners alike if they get in a hurry may not always read every warning, so let's just keep reminding and reminding...

I took you at your word, Doyle, and we just posted this article about carbon monoxide on the SFS site.

Steve

PS Folks, I can't stress enough how sneaky CO is. My techs were cleaning on a warm summer day with their TM at least 20' away from the house with the garage door closed and yet they still got nailed just due to a horrible fluke. Constant awareness is required.