Carbon Monoxide nearly kills parking garage cleaner

[One Tough Pressure 580]

WiscNews.com : Portage Daily Register Online

[John T 744]

Yea right they only wanted him to clean the garage floor with a garden hose. Maybe they should have had the Carbon sensor equipment working where it kicks in to vent out carbon monoxide build up. Thats the real problem there and there trying to blame it on the guy who's in the hospital who was just doing his job. Thank God he didn't die because then he would have been blamed for sure since he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

That garage needs to put blame where it belongs which is the guy who checks these carbon detector equipment to work when there are an over abundant of cars running there engines in there to find a parking space.

[Scott Stone 604]

That manager should be fired for lying and for not taking care of the buildings equipment. Why did they even have a pressure washer, if they were not ogin to use to clean the garage floors, too. Good grief, cars are going to create at least as much CO as a small pressure washer. The first thing that should have been done was to check the repair logs to see when the last inspection of the ventilation system was. I would put my bets on it having been longer than a month.

What a poor way to try and deflect blame and criticism.

[bigchaz 157]

Unbelievable. What is someone driving through passed out from CM poisoning? Would the lady try and blame the driver for leaving the engine on too long? Ought to arrest her for negligence and failing to have a safe building

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Is a no brainer that an enclosed space needs serious ventilation safeguards in place with gasoline powered engines. Even forklifts or floor burnishers running on propane can put out more monoxide than an air system can handle when the machines are out of adjustment or have poor emission standards. I went away from using the old briggs engines and into Onans after almost doing myself in back over a decade ago. Was up the mountain stripping a floor one time when a storm cloud came through bogging the location down with total humidity. Floor would simply not dry by any means other then dry burnishing it which took about 3 times the normal time. When I came out into the mountain air the headache came. It came on like there was gonna be no tomorrow. By the time I flew down the mountain it was 3 fold worse and I was dying about ready to pass out with nausie. Within like 5 minute on straight oxygen I was ok. The oxygen attaches to the monoxide and takes it out..otherwise ya die... I suspect I lost many brain cells that night and messed up my memory forever. Used to do rubicks cube in a half minute and now I just stare at it dumbfounded. ..please forgive if sometimes I mention or ask about things more than once.. :)

[bigchaz 157]

I emailed the reporter and he mentioned he is going to do a follow up on the lady and her employer, simply because the story is so fishy. He said there has been several outcry against her shifting the blame around.

He was looking for someone to possibly go on record, but since I dont do parking garages or even flatwork, I said i would try and hook him up with someone with more experiance. Basically if someone here has done garages before and would be willing to comment on the fact that you have used gas pressure washers without problem. I can forward his email to you if your interested in talking with him. Heck if you'r local it might equal some news coverage with you acting as a pressure cleaning professional commenting on the story. Good advertising

[One Tough Pressure 580]

Within the last year, there were two cousins cleaning carpet in a condo here in town. The power was shut off so they put a generator in the bed of their truck to power the portable carpet extractor and backed it in the condo garage.

The next morning one of their cousins came looking for them as they did not come home, and found them both dead in the unit. The garage door was open, but it did not help them any as the door from the condo to the garage was open as well.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

That's an odd story Alan.. woulda thought they would notice theirselves being overcome or getting sleepy while they workin. I mean how could it get so dense that it just knock them out right away? Gotta assume they just laid down when they felt sleepy?..Weird scary stuff

[Douglas Hicks 128]

I got my Red Card while still Ass't Chief/Training Officer for a small rural FD. One of the instructors told of a wildland crew pumping out of a small creek. The crew got sleepy, laid down in the sun and took a nap. An old pogue showed up to check on the crew, found them asllep. He immediatly started yelling, kicking them and throwing rocks. He roused them and got them up the bank into fresh air. The CO had collected in the depression and displaced hte O2. When I took my EMT classes, we were taught that a cherry red face was a sign of CO poisoning. After taking individuals to ER for CO poinsoning, we asked a Doc if he had ever seen the cherry red face, he said not even once. The symptons are lethargy, slow mental responses. the cure is fresh air and O2 if available.

[bigchaz 157]

Anyone have experiance cleaning parking garages? Reporter on this story wants to talk with a professional. Anyone local to Wisconsin would be great as well

Let me know or you can email DWeis@capitalnewspapers.com