# Take care of your buddies



## strongback (Aug 27, 2008)

I think it fair to assume that most of t he posters here are accustomed to doing manual labor in often inhospitable weather and taking the necessary health and safety precautions. However, we may -as I did recently- find ourselves working in the company of the uninitiated/out of shape due to helping a neighbor or just gathering firewood with a less experienced friend. When this situation occurs it's important to make sure that the less experienced participant is taking the same safety precautions as are you.

Case in point: After having a load wood dropped at my house by a tree service, and grossly underestimating how many stacked cords it would be once processed, I invited my co-worker/neighbor to come over and partake of the bounty. 

It wasn't his first time cutting firewood but it had been a long time since he had. The temps were around the 90* mark. I was sucking down water and he wasn't. I'm 34 and he's 55+. I am accustomed to physically demanding outdoor work in all temperatures and he, is not. After delivering the second truckload of wood to his house (probably <3 hours of work) I was ready to go back for the next load, he, was not. He was very near heat exhaustion after unloading the truck.

In hindsight, I should have insisted that if he were going to work with me that he take the same health/safety precautions as I do. With his being 20plus years older than I am, I wasn't comfortable with taking a more stern approach. Luckily, he only paid for my reluctance with a bit of a dizzy spell and the embarrassment of breaking down in front of his wife, but we all know it could have been worse. I'm just thankful that he didn't get injured or injure me because his faint spell could just as easily come at a time when I was vulnerable. 

I know it's not as dramatic as many threads here but I'm grateful to have my conscience spared the pain of having done harm to someone through neglect and hoping to pass along a lesson learned to others.


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## KMB (Aug 27, 2008)

Good on ya' for being considerate about your buddies health.  

Kevin


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## Groundman One (Aug 27, 2008)

strongback said:


> I know it's not as dramatic as many threads here but I'm grateful to have my conscience spared the pain of having done harm to someone through neglect and hoping to pass along a lesson learned to others.



It's a good boss/buddy who takes care of those beside him. Problem is, a lot of guys will take offence when you try and help them out with advice. Even if it's very good advice. Still, best to speak up and do your bit whether they appreciate it or not.


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## Lawnmowerboy48 (Aug 27, 2008)

In heat like that I make my guys take a five minute break and drink plenty of fluids. In temps like that with the work being done you need close to a quart an hour to stay hydrated.


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## strongback (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks for the responses. I just wanted to post this because I know that it's not the type of injury foremost in our minds when were running chainsaws and splitters, operating heavy equipment, swinging axes, or moving big pieces of wood around. I was much more fixated on the posibility of my friend sustaining an injury from his chainsaw or maybe a back injury and wanted to make sure that others weren't suffering from this same tunnel vision.


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## KMB (Aug 28, 2008)

Groundman One said:


> It's a good boss/buddy who takes care of those beside him. Problem is, a lot of guys will take offence when you try and help them out with advice. Even if it's very good advice. Still, best to speak up and do your bit whether they appreciate it or not.



Good point.

Kevin


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## Farmer Ferd (Sep 4, 2008)

I have done work with a friend of mine on several occasions. Hes a heck of a nice guy and the chief mechanic and for-man of a local business with lots of heavy duty trucks and equipment. the problem is he never uses any ppe. I refuse to help him unless he is wearing glasses and chaps, I don't let him underneath me without a hardhat. he still refuses to wear muffs. We get along great and its almost funny. he grudgingly respects my demands and we joke about it. This guy uses his chainsaw without wearing even glasses whenever I am not around. Two years ago he lost his thumb in his log splitter but it didn't slow him down or smart-in him up. you do the best you can while you can.


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## southsoundtree (Sep 16, 2008)

A friend got severely dehydrated, which was able to be addressed at the hospital relatively quickly. The long term part was that his balance was affected for about 6 months. I'd never heard that there are longer term effects until this happened.


Good to look out for all people around the worksite.



Whether its just trying to carry one's own share of the work, or trying to be tough, some people will over do it when coming off the couch. Encouraging them to drink, eat, stretch, warm up, cool down, and stay within their own personal limits is just being a good person looking out for their best interest.

I like to say: there are things that you can pick up that you shouldn't, things that you can pick up that you shouldn't pick up all day, things that you can pick up all day, just be careful and use good form/ lifting techniques.

I used to supervise conservation crews with international volunteers in Nevada. Some would come from rainy ol' England. Not used to drinking loads of water. Dehydration was a major factor. Unforetunately, it got the point of the origination of the statement (instead of urinating clear and copious), brown and stinky, take a drinky. Water does wonders for every aspect (except when you're working where you can't easily sneak a leak) from energy, to joint health to mental attitude.

We had a saying, don't be a DIChead 

Disoriented-- what was I going to do? where did I put my gloves? whoa, that was a close one.

Irritable-- easily frustrated, etc

Combative-- G. D. it! I'm not dehydrated. Why do have to always think that you ... I've spent my whole life pissing bright yellow, and now you think you can educate me, huh.


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