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Spray Foam Mafia: Toolbox Talks on Safety
Weekly Grab and Go Toolbox Talks on Safety in the Spray Foam Industry
Get ready to uncover the critical safety secrets of the spray foam industry with our host, Jeremiah Schoenberg, a seasoned expert with nearly 25 years of experience. Discover how Jeremiah's career took a surprising turn from a gun range in Montana to becoming an industry stalwart and learn about the rewarding yet intense work that shaped his passion of the industry. Alongside, co-host Dan Benedict shares his journey from the cattle industry to owning Spray Foam Arizona showcasing the rich diversity and dedication within our industry.
This podcast delves into the heart of safety, discussing the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and fostering an open communication culture around safety concerns. We emphasize the need for engaging and practical safety training and reflect on how individual safety practices impact the broader business ecosystem. We also highlight the importance of certifications and training to boost workplace safety and efficiency. Join us to set the stage for future enlightening conversations on equipment, mental health, and industry best practices.
Spray Foam Mafia: Toolbox Talks on Safety
Podcast #2 Heat Safety: Maintaining Health and Productivity in Extreme Summer Temperatures
Send us your Questions for Jeremiah and Dan
Discover how to safeguard your health and productivity while working in the scorching summer heat. Ever wondered if your hydration routine is up to par? Tune in to learn essential strategies for preventing dehydration with tools like liquid IVs, salt tablets, and low-sugar options like pickle juice. We'll share practical tips on recognizing the early signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and why taking immediate action can prevent severe health consequences on the job. Plus, get valuable advice on planning your hydration needs to ensure you stay safe and efficient in those high-temperature conditions.
Join us as we uncover the challenges of working in extreme heat and the critical importance of effective communication within a company. Hear a compelling real-life story about a new tech who discovered how frequent breaks during a sweltering Arizona summer significantly impacted production. This led to an important discussion with the job site owner about adjusting schedules to prioritize worker safety. We'll also delve into the complexities of managing work hours during the summer, addressing the genuine concerns workers have about their safety and well-being. Don't miss this episode filled with actionable insights to keep you safe and efficient in the heat!
For comments, suggestions, safety shares and questions email us at sprayfoammafia@gmail.com
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I need to have.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So liquid IVs, salt tablets, like I said, when I'm on the road I hit the gas station and I'll grab Gatorade and waters for everyone yeah, even if not a snack Right To make sure that we have food and water, things like that. But my go-to is, like I said, you know, pickle juice, and I'll drink that at night right before I go to bed.
Speaker 1:I'm not like taking a jar of pickle juice to the job site or anything, but you can. You can actually buy the little shots of pickle juice and gas nowadays, and you see, it. Um. So yeah, that's pickle juice. Liquid IVs. Like I said, I don't leave home without just because if I get in a situation where I'm feeling a little sideways, like the liquid IVs kind of like for me is the last resort. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like the liquid IV is kind of like for me is the last resort. Yeah, like I know I've gone too far because I'll drink water all day. Um, don't drink. I don't drink Powerade, or especially Powerade, because it's mostly freaking sugar. Yeah, um, gatorade is mostly sugar unless you get like the zeros and all the sugar. So I I highly tell guys, don't drink Powerade or these high sugar um rehydrating things, because they don't work. They actually make it worse. Yeah, um, but that's really me is salt tablets, liquid ivs, because I'm always I'm planning for the worst and hoping for the best right so that's kind of my thing yeah, yeah, and we've gotten to where.
Speaker 2:Um, especially summertime, if we do something dumb and we run out of water, we just shut down there. We're not going to stress ourselves out that much, we don't. We don't need it that bad that we can't just stop. Run to the store real quick, grab cold bottles of water out of the fridge and another pack of water throwing the ice chest. But same thing those Gatorade zeros, like they're on my little subscription from Amazon Fruit Punch. If you touch the Fruit Punches out of my trailer you're possibly going to get knocked out.
Speaker 2:Fruit Punch is a solid one. That's my number one go-to. Every once in a while they hand me a grape one. I'm good with that, but you can keep the other flavors, so we're not going anywhere without those. It's too easy anymore. We're not going to keep going if somebody walks in and goes hey, this is the last bottle of water in the ice chest. We just shut the valves on the gun and just stop. Even if a store is across the street, why put yourself in the situation where you've already done something stupid?
Speaker 1:yeah, because once you're thirsty, it's too late.
Speaker 1:Yeah, once you start to feel a thirst that you can't quench, you're done you should stop for the day, because you are right on the edge of heat exhaustion, yes, and on the path to heat stroke, right? Um, and that's what I try. If you're hot and not sweating, it's too late, yeah. If you're hot and thirsty and you can't stop being thirsty even after you drink a freaking, then you need to stop and take a break, because that's I try and tell everyone else, like if you're feeling heat exhaustion, yeah, stop yeah if you keep going, it's you're playing with fire.
Speaker 1:You're a couple steps away from heat stroke, and heat stroke is, if anyone here has ever had it it is brutal, it's painful and it takes days, if not a week, to get over yeah you're not going to go back to work the next day and be all freaking hunky-dory happy about it if you have heat stroke, you're out for a while.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah. And then you know, just watch the signs. If you're cramping up, you're done for the day. If you go to bed that night and you wake up in the middle of the night and you're cramped up, you're probably done for the next day. Or you're foolish like me and go no, no, no, I'm going to climb. Double stack. Scaffolding is free today. You know that's and. But your body's going to tell you where these limits are. We just have to be wise enough to listen, and I think that's important, an important lesson for a lot of us. I don't believe I'm the only one in the world that does that. No, thanks, I'm tough enough to make it through.
Speaker 1:No, and I I have a story to kind of go with this. He, I try to tell guys this. Look, I was. I was a new to being a tech. I'd been a contractor, had my own rigs, all this stuff for many, many years and it was probably my first month of being a tech for swg or thing and gone to the job sites running around. You know this guy's like owner calls me and he's like hey, you know, my guys are great. They get a set to a set and a half every day, depending on the applicator, day in and day out. It's like clockwork. He knows his applicators, you know he can spray, he's like. But All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I dropped a half a set a day and three quarters of a set a day. He's like I can't figure it out.
Speaker 2:I'm like okay, I'm pretty sure I know what's going on here.
Speaker 1:But I humored him. Okay, I'm going to go to your job site, so.
Speaker 1:I'll check with your sprayers. We'll see what's going on. Mind you, dan, this is Arizona, may June. Right, yeah, arizona, may June. I'm pretty sure I know what's going on. I go to the job site and I'm in my truck investigating. You watch the guys Summertime. You see the guys stop every 45 minutes to an hour, come down, drink a bottle of water and go back up. Is he doing this in the wintertime? No, he's not. He's grinding through it. He's braking every hour on the hour to not get heat exhaustion. He's stopping when he knows he needs to stop drinking his water and going back to work.
Speaker 1:Is this taking a hit on production? Yes, it is. Is the guy doing what he needs to do to stay healthy and keep? Yes, he is. Yes, the owners of the company didn't see this because they've never gone on the job site and there weren't applicators. They didn't understand. You're in this attic. It's 130 degrees. Your body can only take so much, right? So I go back to the guys like hey, man, I figured it out. He's like what he's like. Your applicators don't want to die.
Speaker 1:It's like I was being drastic and a little far, but that's the long and short of it's like your guys are breaking so they don't get any exhaustion, so they can keep doing their jobs in the summertime. You either need to add an hour or so to the day for your breaks and your estimates or you need to understand this is how it works, or not. Spray foam in the summertime if you have a problem with production. Um, he's like and he instantly was like oh my gosh, it's like I didn't even think about that. Yeah, man, like they're not lazy, right? They're just changing their schedule for the summertime to do the same job they did and you tell them they need to.
Speaker 1:You know they have eight hours in the summertime. They should have nine. Yeah, they need to prolong these things. Like oh my gosh, and it's like, once again, getting this knowledge out to guys is important because not only does the applicator need to know, but the owners need to know, the ops managers need to know, the production managers need to know. Yeah, because that guy, he couldn't believe it, he thought his guys were sloughing off right. He's like oh my gosh, he realized. He realized he had to give him more time or, like I said, adjust his schedule to make sure that during these times, these guys can get their jobs done and be safe.
Speaker 1:It was just a story I tell a lot of guys because like, don't assume your crew leader or your ops manager, your owner knows yeah what you're doing. This guy, you know, didn't have time to go to the job site. How could he know that's where we come in? And once you told him he said oh my gosh, I gotta you know.
Speaker 1:He started having water, started giving you an extra hour in the day to account for those breaks and things like that right so once again, it's it's important to get that information out so these guys understand why you're doing what you're doing, and you know, you're just trying to be safe.
Speaker 2:It's not always yeah, is there?
Speaker 1:is there some guys that? Yes, there is some guys that milk the clock.
Speaker 2:That's you know.
Speaker 1:Right, Unfortunately that's something you find, but in these cases, like especially in the summertime, it's you know there's a different story behind it, Right, and I always tell guys that it's like. You know, pay attention and do your due diligence to understand why things are going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Once again, it was just these guys trying yeah, he didn't have the information or the data to make this decision.
Speaker 2:He's like oh, help me out here, I gotta figure out why I'm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know have this extra hour a day, every day, when it's, you know, june hits right yeah, exactly yeah.
Speaker 2:They don't want to die they don't want to die. They don't want to die, so
