We all LOVE this business! BUT you aren’t going to “love” anything IF YOU ARE SIX FEET UNDER! Say what, Steve?
Yep, far too many carpet cleaning and restoration contractors (and their techs) wind up DEAD due to carbon monoxide poisoning! Sadly, they ignore my #1 Safety Question: “What happens if…?” In other words, THINK before acting!
Yes, “thinking before” is essential with the subtle, silent AND odorless killer- carbon monoxide! My favorite “How to avoid carbon monoxide” safety principle? In the 1994 film “Forrest Gump”! Mrs. Gump (Sally Fields) told Forrest…
“Stupid is as stupid does!”
And yes, every year otherwise smart cleaners “wake up dead” because they are STUPID with carbon monoxide! I bring this up now because…
Most carbon monoxide deaths happen in winter! After all, nobody likes going out in the cold so you park closer to (or even in!) the garage. As in, “I’ll just leave the door open for the exhaust to escape!”
IMPORTANT NOTE: Even parking too close to the house may create a “chimney effect” that will suck carbon monoxide right in. (This is how two of my techs were permanently disabled … in the summer!)
PLEASE listen carefully here: Carbon Monoxide is a very real danger to you, your employees AND your customers. So please, please download this SFS “Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Dangers” QuickFIX HERE. It is straight out of our “Strategies for Success” Operations Manual and totally free for all. Here are a few safety reminders from the procedure:
1. Park with your exhaust lower than the opening into the building. (Carbon monoxide is heavier than air and will sink to lower levels.)
2. Upon arrival check prevailing wind direction and park so your exhaust is blowing away from the building. (Or use an air mover at the entrance.)
3. Use a “Door Guard” to block exhaust gases (and cold air!) from entering the building.
4. Keep a portable carbon monoxide detector clipped to your belt (or on your spotting kit) on every job! (Isn’t your life worth $250.00?)
5. Use an exhaust hose to divert gases out of tight areas.
6. Above all else don’t ‘save steps’ by parking too close (OR IN!) the building!
Sorry to sound shrill here, folks. But I don’t want to lose even one QuickTIP reader! (More importantly, your family doesn’t want you DEAD!) So please download (and implement) the Safety Procedure I mention above! NOW!
Steve
PS Please join our new SFS: “Growing Your Business” Facebook group! (You don’t have to be a SFS grad to jump in!)