Send us your Questions for Jeremiah and Dan
What if safety oversights on construction sites could lead to catastrophic consequences? In this eye-opening episode, we dissect real-life incidents involving small gas engines and construction equipment, including a chilling account of a colleague's severe burns from a generator mishap. Through personal stories and anecdotes, we emphasize the paramount importance of proper safety measures and the indispensable role of accessible fire extinguishers. We don't just stop at recounting incidents; we explore how multiple types of fire extinguishers can offer comprehensive protection against various fire scenarios.
Experience the lighter side of construction safety with cautionary tales that highlight the unpredictable nature of equipment management. We share amusing, yet vital lessons on the hazards of leaving foam to combust and the perils of improper handling of gas compressors. Our discussion is not only about avoiding fires; it's about meticulous planning and the necessity of dedicated storage for flammable materials. Amidst the laughter, we touch on balancing work with family commitments, offering relatable insights for professionals striving to maintain safety while juggling multiple responsibilities.
Safety extends beyond fire prevention, as we tackle the often-overlooked importance of protective gear in spray work. With firsthand accounts of the long-term health impacts of exposure to spray chemicals, we stress the critical need for respirators and the proper maintenance of safety equipment. Communication and teamwork emerge as key themes, with a focus on proactive measures and collaboration to prevent accidents. As we wrap up, we challenge the misconception that slowing down equates to doing less, advocating for smarter work practices that enhance productivity without compromising safety. Join us for an engaging conversation that promises to transform your approach to safety and efficiency on the construction site.
For comments, suggestions, safety shares and questions email us at sprayfoammafia@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Miguel Mora (00:00):
So when I was working for the other company as
a sprayer and also up againmanager, there we had a guy that
, uh, he had third degree burnsfrom the generator shutting off
and then he went up there and heopened the gas tank so all the
gas blew out and, uh, touched,you know, the exhaust, so he lit
(00:23):
up in fire.
Dan (00:24):
Another spray foam mafia podcast topic for safety.
Right, there is, we're going toget small gas engine safety.
Good point, miguel.
Rusty Schrader (00:33):
Thank you for the stroke of genius.
I got a good one on thatsituation right there too, back
when I was roofing.
Dan (00:40):
Rusty's Wreck of the Week.
Rusty Schrader (00:40):
Hold it.
This was a good one.
We were in a really high classneighborhood in Bakersfield, in
the Rosedale area.
Dan (00:49):
Wait, wait wait, high class in Bakersfield in the same
sense.
Okay, all right.
Rusty Schrader (00:54):
Okay, it's not like oil, sorry to everybody
else.
In Bakersfield it was by on thegolf course actually is where
we were at and we had an E20 rig.
Okay, had a gas air compressor,gas coating machine, gas
generator.
Okay, and I don't even want toadmit this, but yeah, this is
(01:19):
how it went.
The coatings machine gas tankwas no good, so we had to unhook
the gas line from the generatorand hook it to the coatings
machine, and the key switchdidn't work in the generator, so
we had to use jumper cablesfrom the generator battery to
(01:39):
the coating machine battery andthen arc the starter Right.
Dan (01:43):
Get the old screwdriver across the starter.
Yeah, don't know anything aboutthat.
Rusty Schrader (01:50):
Never seen it of it, never done.
Okay, fast, yeah.
Now I look over and I'mthinking, why hasn't my helper
got the coating machine started?
And I look over the edge andit's blazing in the trailer and
he's got that one of those strawhats and he's trying to put
that fire out.
Dude, because we're back rightup to this garage that's got a
beautiful corvette sittinginside.
(02:10):
Oh no, yeah, yeah.
And so here I come down theladder.
Dude, almost kill myselfgetting down the ladder.
Dan (02:15):
We get the fire put out, but that's, that's just super
simple piece right, and bysaying get the fire put out
means you had a working andinspected fire extinguisher.
You could just get right a holdof it and put it out correct,
sure.
Miguel Mora (02:30):
Okay, good, as long as we clarify.
Jeremiah (02:32):
That's why we were beating it with straw hats.
As long as we clarify, the fireextinguisher is dead.
Dan (02:36):
Some people panic, but again, yes, a working, yes, yes,
inspected fire extinguisherthat you know is charged and
operable was right.
Rusty Schrader (02:48):
You should have in every rig exactly front door,
that's the point at the backdoor and the truck.
And let's get serious aboutthis too.
You're going to have multipledifferent fire extinguishers.
You're going to have chemicalfire extinguishers.
You're going to have electricalfire extinguishers.
You're going to have one thatjust puts out a wood fire.
You know, they're all different.
Dan (03:04):
Another talk we're at two expansion topics already today.
Rusty's going to have to comeon more often and Miguel.
Rusty Schrader (03:12):
I mean we had a great laugh, you know, after it
was all said and done.
And then we, luckily, then wehooked the gas line from the
generator to the coating machineRight and let the fumes go away
before we arc the starter andwe finish the job.
At least you thought ahead thattime.
Jeremiah (03:29):
The whole part of arcing the starter just destroys
that entire company.
Dan (03:35):
And the heavy equipment guys are like hold my beer yeah.
Miguel Mora (03:40):
Have you guys ever had a rig caught on fire just
because you left the mixed foamin the trailer and then all of a
sudden it combusted close to anopen cell?
Dan (03:51):
Oh, like your test bun was too thick or something.
Jeremiah (03:56):
Yeah, just the garbage bag.
Miguel Mora (03:58):
The garbage bag?
Yeah, I have a dumpster.
Rusty Schrader (04:03):
Not me personally, but one of the other
guys that was spraying at thecompany I worked for before I
started mine.
They threw away a bunch of foamthat was too thick and came to
work the next morning and thedumpster was on fire.
Miguel Mora (04:17):
But yeah, we had my brother or I don't know some
guy went to spray a little shopor I don't know some guy went
straight a little shop.
He came back.
You know, six hours later weget a call from the other crew
that just got back from theirjob and they're like hey, the
trailer's on fire, you know, andit was just from a bun that it
was like four, maybe six inchesby twelve, from that little
(04:42):
little donut.
Jeremiah (04:43):
Yeah, the whole trailer, that's the whole
trailer.
Miguel Mora (04:46):
Yeah, the whole trailer.
Rusty Schrader (04:47):
So what I usually do if I'm spraying into
a bag is I don't really do thatanymore because of the
switchover procedures that I'velearned since I went to work at
UPC but when I would spray intoa bag and I knew that I was way
past where it should be, I'dthrow it out on the ground and I
stomp the foam and I just letit off gas, off gas, immediately
(05:11):
, you know, um, and then I leaveit outside my trailer till the
job's done.
You know, yeah, but I don'tever leave it in a full bun
anymore.
Yeah, you know, is it dangerous?
It's probably a littledangerous, but it will ignite
then outside your trailer, right, and not after you're done.
(05:32):
Let's bring him into anothertopic.
Let's go with this one Numberthree this is never-ending.
We're about 10 episodes long,Rusty week 42 run a uh, a gas
generator with mine, which is aroll air roofing compressor.
Okay, it doesn't run inside myrig ever.
(05:54):
It runs outside my rig untilI'm done.
I shut it off and then I let itcool while we're cleaning up.
Okay, I learned the hard wayabout that.
Okay, not a real hard way, butthe hard way.
Yeah, because it got shoved inthe trailer one time while it
was warm and bags and everytrash you know ended up on the
(06:17):
exhaust.
Luckily, before we closed theback door we seen that it was
fixing.
It was real close to catchingthe rig on fire.
Okay, so that's a big deal.
I don't have a problem with gascompressors as long as they're
not mounted in a rig, if you cantake them out and let them run
(06:40):
and let them cool off before youput them back in.
I have zero issues with that.
And let them cool off beforeyou put them back in.
I have zero issues with that.
If you've got a gas compressorthat's mounted in that rig, I
highly recommend you getsomething else.
Jeremiah (06:52):
On the list of things that will make Jeremiah lose his
shit.
Gas powered.
This is not in the rig, not inthe rig.
Dan (06:58):
So we're at microwaves.
Masks on the hose rack, gaspowered generators in a rig.
Jeremiah (07:05):
Okay, We'll just have to keep going.
Dan (07:06):
Maybe we can get like can we get like a specific webpage?
Jeremiah loses his shitcom.
We can make YouTube videos ordot org or whatever we need to
get here for this week.
Rusty Schrader (07:19):
I understand that the poor boy that's
building the rig I built my rig.
I built in my driveway.
You know, um, the poor boythat's building the rig I built
my rig.
I built in my driveway.
You know, um, I built it with agas compressor and a gas
generator that were able to gooutside the rig.
Right, I mean, it didn't takeme but about two jobs to get rid
of the gas compressor and gobuy me a tow behind a generator,
diesel generator.
(07:39):
But I'm still running the samecompressor that I started my
business with five years ago,you know, and it's expensive for
, for the small guy, you know,they're 24, $2,500 for a cheap
compressor, you know.
But that's just one littlething that that people just
(07:59):
don't, they overlook, you know,at the end of the day you're hot
, you're tired, oh it's fold up,let's get out of here.
Dan (08:06):
Let's fold up, let's go.
Somebody's calling Dinner'sready.
Kid's got Little League,whatever.
Rusty Schrader (08:14):
I got to drive six hours home after I finish
this job.
So the last thing you'rethinking about in your head is
what's going to happen besidesgetting in your truck and
driving home to your family.
You know, um, you're not goingto think well, I'm only going to
make it maybe an hour down theroad because my trailer's
burning up behind you.
Because, you know, um, and thenagain you have your gas cans in
(08:37):
your trailer.
You know, and you're, you're,you're traveling with a bomb
behind you.
Pretty much at that point, youknow.
So it's the little things I've.
I have put a separate cabinetin my trailer that my gas cans
go in and are locked before mytrailer moves.
You know, um, I've made a spotin my trailer where my my
(09:00):
compressor goes.
Every time I'm done, it goesright here.
You know, um, because, um, mytrailer is also a trash truck.
When I'm done with the job,yeah, you know, it's that simple
99% of us have to take yourtrash with us when we leave.
Okay, um, so a guy that's doinga 2,500 square foot house and
(09:22):
it's got five walls that are allwindow, you know, you have so
much and you've had to shave allthe walls.
You know, yeah, you haveliterally a trailer full top to
bottom, back to front, of trashthat's piled on top of your
stuff.
You know it's.
(09:45):
It takes an hour for thatgenerator to cool down or for
that compressor to cool downbefore you pile stuff on top of
it.
Dan (09:52):
That you're safe and when you're talking about that, it's
not just mufflers, no, the dangcompressor heads.
Rusty Schrader (09:57):
The compressor heads are just hot, absolutely
the little copper lines on thecompressors.
They'll brand you that willburn you to the meat of your
skin through the skin make itstick and make it.
When you walk away, you startyour compressor the next day you
smell meat burning because it'son that, yeah yeah, I learned
the hard way.
Miguel Mora (10:16):
One day I was just uh trying to fix uh one of the
copper lines that broke and Inever let it cool off or
anything.
I grafted with my oh, no andyeah, I couldn't move my hand
really.
Well, for, for the three, four,days.
Dan (10:32):
Yeah, proper medical treatment might have been a good
idea there, miguel.
Rusty Schrader (10:38):
That brings us to another thing.
We did a bunch of riginspections and I didn't see a
first aid kit in any of them.
You know, it's really easy.
Oh sure, I cut this fingerright here.
(11:01):
I cut this finger right here,off or not off, but almost off
where it was just hanging withthe skill saw.
Yeah, you know.
Miguel Mora (11:09):
I usually just just put you know um, you know
electrical tape, yeah,electrical tape you know what I
mean.
Rusty Schrader (11:19):
And then I went to the hospital and got 12
stitches in my finger, but um,but then I went right back to
work from the hospital andsprayed with my left hand, you
know, because I had to get thejob done that's and that's what
most of this industry is upagainst.
Dan (11:34):
There, you know, there is the employed guys, but then
there's so many independentpeople out there that, yeah,
that they go to the hospital andthe first thing on their head
is I got to get back to work,because now I've got a doctor
bill to pay on top of this.
Yeah, and you probably shouldgo home.
Rusty Schrader (11:48):
Yeah, you probably should.
You probably should go home.
Yeah, you probably should.
The doctor actually argued withme for an hour wanting me to
take two weeks off.
I said look, I'm not tellingyou how to do your job, I'm not.
So don't tell me how to do mine, because as soon as I'm done
here and you put this bandage on, I'm going back to work.
Yeah, you know so, andobviously I go in, and I was a
roofer then and I just had foamall over my hands Cause I didn't
(12:11):
know PPE when I started here inthis industry.
I just I hate to admit how manytimes I took baths and resin
and ISO and to anybody that usesbreak parts cleaner, including
myself, okay, as soon as youclean your hands with that,
break parts cleaner.
You know where that stuff'sgoing.
(12:31):
Is it soaks in skin?
It's going to your kidneys,it's going to your liver.
Yeah, a pair of rubber glovesis.
You know, a box of rubbergloves is maybe 15 nowadays.
Guess what?
That 15 is well worth your life, yeah, just because it doesn't
kill you right.
Then in 10 or 15 years, allthat stuff that's absorbed into
(12:53):
your skins and went into yourkidneys and livers and all your
organs Is going to cause youproblems in the future.
Miguel Mora (13:00):
Yeah, yeah, learn to change your gloves Every time
they're a guy rip.
Jeremiah (13:06):
How many times have you seen that guys On social
media With the rings of handsI've been working with cleaners
Is this alright?
No, how many times have youseen that guys on social media
with the rings of hands I'vebeen working with cleaners Is?
Rusty Schrader (13:18):
this all right.
No, no, no, it's not man.
It's not okay to go in andspray with exposed skin.
Yeah, you know, I've seen a fewISO sensitization posts here
lately.
You know what I mean, andthat's true, that's real.
Dan (13:31):
That's career ending.
Rusty Schrader (13:33):
That's what that is for most, all of us.
That's a real career ending forany of us.
Yeah, where you can't even walkin, where there's an ISO at
Right, you know much less, gospray again.
Miguel Mora (13:43):
Right, yeah, I see so many people.
They always go into theirunderwear, put a suit, but the
suit is not thick enough so youstill get exposed to all the
chemicals.
So it's important to have youknow T-shirts or jeans the spray
foam bracelets.
Dan (14:01):
I always and I'm terrible about it the stupid spray foam
bracelets, because you go likethat with your suit Suit girls.
Yeah, there's things for that.
Good thing you're hairy like me.
So you just kind of pull it offreal quick Used to be.
Rusty Schrader (14:19):
I'm going to show you guys something.
You can't see it.
Who's listening?
But I'm going to show theseguys sitting here my legs, from
half the calf down, arecompletely hairless.
You know why?
That is Because I sprayed on aroof in shorts for 10 years.
Okay, okay, and that's fromoverspray getting on my skin and
just peeling it off, okay,throughout the days.
Dan (14:41):
And there there is zero hair there, on both my legs and
those of our listeners that aretrying to be stylish.
There's laser treatments thatwill do this much safer than the
way Rusty's discussing.
Rusty Schrader (14:54):
You know, I see it like Miguel saying the cotton
suits that everybody I seeeverybody uses those cotton
suits.
They're not saving you, arethey a little cooler?
Excuse me?
Yeah, they are.
But guess what?
You're getting skin contact,right?
Am I telling you to go run outand buy, you know.
But guess what?
You're getting skin contact,right?
Am I telling you to go run outand buy, you know, those thick
(15:14):
suits?
That's why everybody says whyare you spraying those thick
suits?
Because I'm safe in those thicksuits.
Yeah, you know, I'm safe.
It's long term.
I'm 53 now.
I think about that stuff, yeah,way more than I did when I was
25.
Right, you know.
So.
Miguel Mora (15:31):
Yeah, whenever I started, it was without a mask.
They're like hey, I'm going tobe spraying up here and you can
just go in and shape the wallswithout a mask.
Okay, yeah, I'll do that, youknow, for for a couple of months
.
And then it's like yeah, Icannot breathe at night, like I
cannot laid in my bag andbreathe.
So this is not healthy.
Dan (15:52):
You know I have had a helper that he would walk in.
The first thing you do is pullhis t-shirt up over his nose
like that and I'm like Jacob,there's fricking half masked
full face mask.
There's like three or four inthe ring.
You know right where they are.
Just go put one on If it'sbothering you that much that you
think you need to pull yourt-shirt over your nose, get a
(16:13):
stupid mask on, okay, so nowwe're on to the respirators.
Rusty Schrader (16:16):
No, we're not okay.
So this is that was.
Dan (16:17):
That's another that's number four this is a safety
thing here, and jacob is notreferencing anyone that actually
worked for dan or anyone in thecompany right, it's just a
random name.
Jacob was coming out of yourcheck Jacob.
Rusty Schrader (16:34):
Eight hours.
If you're using a cartridgerespirator, eight hours You're
done, so you're good for aneight-hour day.
That means if you're going 10,you should have a fresh set of
cartridges on that mask aftereight hours.
I mean, that's hard to dobecause they're thirty dollars a
(16:55):
pair.
Yeah, guess what?
Thirty bucks is way cheaperthan not being able.
You're gonna have copd orsomething like that in the
future.
You know where you can'tbreathe, like miguel was just
talking about.
You know where.
You go home and you're socongested and coughing up phlegm
.
Guess what?
You didn't have that phlegm theday before.
Jeremiah (17:13):
So it's not because you caught a cold, right, you
know, and no tech in this earthbelieves anyone.
You know.
See a quarter half inchoverspray on their cartridges.
They just changed it thatmorning.
Dan (17:25):
It was a bad day.
We didn't have the settingsright.
Jeremiah (17:28):
That's all it was now yeah, now we don't believe it
none of us believe it's yellowfrom the phone you get him with
uv for three days.
Yeah, no, no, it's rusty'sright, it's eight hours, like,
and it's it's your, it's yourbreathing, it's your life and by
osha standard you're supposedto write the date and time you
put.
Dan (17:46):
That that's correct.
Rusty Schrader (17:47):
Filter on on that mask, and when that mask
comes off it should go in aplastic bag, not just thrown in
a toolbox hung on a hose rackJeremiah's favorite.
Jeremiah (17:59):
There's on the list of things that will make you move
my shit.
See a mask with cartridgeshanging on the hose rack in your
rig while you're chewing thechangeover.
Dan (18:08):
Yep, I will probably mention something as we're doing
this, there will be commentaryand a note but yeah, I've been
pushing, you know people tostart getting some fresh air
respirators.
Miguel Mora (18:22):
I mean, it's always the best thing overall.
Yeah, you're gonna be dragginganother house, sure, but it does
help your lungs stay a littlecooler.
You know, because you and amaybe a hundred hundred, you
know they, you know weather,whatever, you know the air that
is pulling is going to be coolerthan the attic space that
(18:43):
you're spraying in it depends onwhat kind of respirator you
have fresh air.
Rusty Schrader (18:47):
If you have a leg growing and sitting by a
port-a-party, it's probably notgonna be pulling too much?
Miguel Mora (18:52):
oh, yeah, of course .
Yeah, you don't want to?
Yeah, yeah, I don't know if wetalked about that.
Jeremiah (18:57):
like the, I have a story about the legro ones, like
everyone's like, these aregreat, they're cheap, I can take
it everywhere until, like yousaid, it's next up port-a-potty.
I was on a job site, likealmost a couple weeks after I
first started, where the guy hadput it outside next to the
house in a neighborhood andwe're in the house he's spraying
.
I got my respirator on, so it'snot me.
(19:18):
All of a sudden, I know the guystarts spitting and swearing
and his helper comes in laughinghis ass off because the dog had
pissed.
Miguel Mora (19:25):
Oh, because it was right next to the garage it was
like in the garage.
Jeremiah (19:39):
The dog had walked up and pissed on the compressor for
the fresh air and he just justa mouthful.
Oh yeah, so like, yeah, he was,it was.
I was laughing, he was not.
But it is important to payattention, like where you put it
.
Don't put it in the sun becauseyour air is going to be hot.
Don't put it in your rigbecause your pumps and
everything is actuating in therig.
Dan (19:55):
Don't put it by the door of the house you're working on,
where all the off-gassing isgoing but you have a fan blowing
that air out for yourrespirator to grab it and pull
it in.
Jeremiah (20:06):
You lost count how many times.
You see that they've got thefans blowing out of the house
and they're fresh.
Everything's sitting there andyou can smell as you're walking
up to the house and it's justsitting there.
I don't know what it is I havea, you know, a sore throat at
the end of every day I was like,I'm pretty sure I understand
what's going on.
Dan (20:20):
Very early in my career I was spraying a marijuana grow
house a legal one, not abackdoor shady one.
This is actually a legal oneand the guys took their smoke
breaks outside.
I was a metal building, I hadmy blower out and around the
corner happened to be where theguys want to come out and do
their smoke breaks at themarijuana grow house.
So they sparked it up.
(20:42):
I got a mask full like oh great, now I get to try to work all
day at this.
Perfect, Perfect.
Thank you, gentlemen.
I appreciate your support.
My helper's.
Like man, that was the greatestday ever.
You were so calm all day.
I don't know, dan, but today,like man, usually you're wound
(21:05):
up, but today it was like justrelax.
Jeremiah (21:07):
Well, I think that's a lot of guys.
They just think you know.
They don't realize, like, whereit's pulling from, they don't
think about it.
You know, you get to the jobsite, you get this autumn, you
know, automatic, moment you setit down, you get ready.
They forget momentarily, likewhat's going on, especially if
they don't have you know, thesystems like boulders, stuff
that's in the rig, that pullsfrom the compressors and filters
(21:28):
and everything else.
Dan (21:29):
Right, you're, you're like yeah, you have the little fan
and your hose and you take itout and set it and run your
extension cord.
Rusty Schrader (21:36):
You know, and the thing is this okay, coming
from a small business owneroperator, that I do all the
sales, I do all the spraying.
You know we lose track right ofthis.
So again this we have to learnto accept the fact that
(21:59):
sometimes the helper is tellingyou something that you should
listen to.
You know what I mean, becausewe're there, we're just thinking
this is going to cost me thismuch money.
I have to get it done, exactly.
Dan (22:11):
This is hitting my bank account.
Rusty Schrader (22:14):
I have to get going, I to get going, and I
can't stop for this, you know,and we overlook the stuff, not
because we don't care about it,but because we're just one track
minded Get there Tunnel visionGet it done, get your check Go
home.
You know what I mean.
Make your money.
Yeah, we don't have the luxuryof of being able to take a
(22:40):
couple days.
You know and, and, and, do allthis stuff and all this safety
stuff that should be done.
You know, we do have the luxury, but we pass it up to save the
money in the long run.
Dan (22:58):
And Jeremiah and I talked several times about this through
other episodes of the podcastis one of the things we're
always hoping for is thateverybody on a crew and
everybody on the job site isconfident enough to say
something to whoever up hot,because, yes, I'm the same same
boat as you, it's?
You know, it seems likeeverything falls on my shoulders
(23:21):
and I always bear that weightand the responsibility of I have
more employees, I have morerigs Now, I have more work.
I have to get like I'm, like Ifeel obligated to those people.
So what's the first thing Iwant to do is go fast, go fast,
get it done.
And, yes, and, and.
At the end of the day, I reallyhope you know we make fun of
Jacob or some of those guys thatthey'll come up to me and tap
(23:43):
me on the shoulder and go holdon.
Remember when you were yellingat me about this three weeks ago
?
You're about to do it and let'sstop.
Rusty Schrader (23:52):
And rethink it and, as the owner, operator and
and the boss, you know, um, wehave to and this is super hard
for me as a person that wants tobe in control, because of just
personality, the way I'm wired,you know what I mean um, we have
to accept the fact that we haveto listen to them People.
(24:14):
Yeah, we can't just blow it off.
We have to give them therecognition and the, the thanks
for maybe saving our lifeExactly, you know what I mean.
So, and I'm sure it's you'reyou're the same as me, dan, you
know what I mean.
You got you know multiple rigs.
Now you know multiple rigs.
(24:35):
Now.
You know, and you're growingand and you're still spraying.
You know, and you're stillanswering calls and you're still
doing all this stuff.
Dan (24:49):
We, as, as the small business owner, overload
ourselves to the point of safetycomes second or third or down
the line or is mistakencompletely, and, and you know,
issues happen every day, rightand and uh, it happened to us
today.
Jeremiah (25:05):
I mean and, and I'm still in trouble for it right,
well, I mean dan, honestly, ifyou're running someone over, I
mean it's like there is no tiremarks.
Dan (25:14):
I mean like I don't over, I mean it's like there is no tire
marks.
I mean like I don't know whatthe big deal is.
No cameras, there's no tiremarks.
Jeremiah (25:20):
It was not recorded to be the option that it might
have, I will not.
Dan (25:27):
That is exactly right.
No, and I should not belaughing at it because it's
going to dig the hole a littledeeper.
Jeremiah (25:33):
But I also have the uncomfortable nervousness of
laughing when I shouldn't.
My kids love it Right.
Rusty Schrader (25:40):
I'm horrible about that.
I will actually laugh whenthings are super serious.
Dan (25:47):
Yeah, you know, because that's just Well, and our
approach to all this, and thereason we're trying to talk
about the way we are, is not theold beat up, follow the line,
hit this checklist point.
It's realize that, ok, we areall people, we're all human,
we're going to make mistakes.
Let's hope those mistakes arelimited to non bodily injury or
(26:08):
non mental injury, or your wifebeating you with a stick at the
end of the night, which you knowI'm not going to say that
happens, but it happens.
It might not happen to you.
It might not happen it may ormay not.
Rusty Schrader (26:24):
One thing all of us in this industry need to
realize and that goes foreverybody sitting in this room
and everybody that listens tothis podcast or anybody in any
of the industries, not just ourindustry is it's not just one of
us that's making this happen,it's a team that's making it
happen, and for it to be a team,we all have to listen to each
(26:46):
other as a team.
You know, does that mean, oh,your shoes untied so you got to
take a 20 minute break?
No, you know, um, but thatmeans if, if somebody on the job
site sees something that we'veoverlooked or we've pointed it
out, and then we're going to goahead and bypass it anyways,
because we think we can do itwithout getting hurt.
(27:08):
You know what I mean.
Dan (27:10):
We need to listen to our team members, you know and we
need to communicate with eachother, like I don't want people
with me to just say, okay, Ifound this problem, I told dan
about it, but then there's threeother people on our crew or
other crews that might be around.
You know, there's a piece ofrebar sticking up out of the
(27:31):
ground, or you know nails else.
Do something proactive about itso that we don't escalate it
any further, right, I mean, it'ssimple market, anything.
Rusty Schrader (27:42):
you know, so it doesn't get forgotten about.
You know, and and bring it up.
You know, because, again, whenwe're on a scaffolding and we're
moving, we've done forgot thatthat drain is there or that that
air conditioning duct is there.
You know that you're going toyour.
We've done forgot that thatdrain is there or that that air
conditioning duct is there.
You know that you're going toyour wheels going to fall
through on that scaffolding.
You know, or that there's acause when you're plasticking
the floor, you're not going tocut that spot out that they've
(28:04):
opened up the trench in.
Right, you know what I mean.
You're throwing it over andgoing over it, so you don't get
overspray on this concrete, youknow.
And then the whole thing ispointed out stay on top of it,
you know, and don't let the guythat's completely forgot about
it run into it.
Dan (28:24):
You know, so you know every one of these episodes, guys, we
try to present a call to action.
So, as we've gone througheverything from walking the job
(28:48):
site to respiratory protection,to scaffolding, to where to park
the truck, to proper selfiesand informing everybody and
getting media consent before youtake a selfie of them, it's
personal.
It's personal, that's right.
Okay, so, miguel, we'll startwith you.
Uh, give me a call to actionthat you want to put out there
to the entire world constructionindustry, everything on safety.
What would you say is one bigthing that you're like.
This is where Miguel's taking astand to try to make things
(29:12):
better.
Miguel Mora (29:13):
Honestly, if you see something, say something.
You know that's important.
I've seen a lot of cases whereyou know, even with equipment
like the hose, you know thesleeve is completely off and
they just tell somebody.
But you know they don'tthemselves take action, they
just wish the boss, you know,fixes it for them whenever
(29:36):
they're the ones dealing withthe equipment.
Or or just, you know, um, yeah,same thing with safety.
You know, um, if you seesomething, you just have to tell
somebody.
You know, have to make surethat everybody's aware.
You know of the potentialdanger.
You know, like I've been inaddicts where you know the
framers.
You know, like I've been inattics where you know the
(29:57):
framers.
You know they put, uh, you knowa bearing, um the stud.
But that stud is loose.
They didn't.
You know the nail didn't gothrough.
So you know I'm gonna tell likewhoever's gonna be spraying up
there, hey, watch out for that.
You know the stud, if you grabit, be careful because it's
gonna move and you canpotentially fall, you know.
(30:17):
So, yeah, if you see something,just say something.
Rusty Schrader (30:21):
You know basically rusty same thing to
you, okay, so I'm gonna come atyou, dan, and myself, and and
all, all the other smallbusiness owners, because this is
a big deal to me, um, personal,um.
We have to work as a team, withour team.
We can't be the one that justspearheads everything and then
(30:46):
and pushes everybody off to theside.
We have to listen to our teamalso.
Um so, um, the big deal for mewas I was a huge asshole, you
know, it was my way, my way, myway, my way, and that's not the
way to be safe.
Okay, a safe environment is anenvironment that everybody
(31:11):
communicates, everybody listensto, you know, and everybody goes
home safely at the end of theday.
Jeremiah (31:20):
Jeremiah you got anything to add?
Slow down.
Like I know we're all rushingall the time we're trying to get
the job done, we're trying topay a set by lunch or five sets
on a roof.
Like, slow down.
Like stop and think about whatyou're doing, because every time
we make mistakes or rushinglike I promise you, every time
someone forgets to put on theirsafety glasses, sprays herself
(31:42):
in the face or forgets Nobody atthe table raised hands right
now.
Yeah, I mean, slow down andthink about what you're doing.
Like there's, yes, we've got toget the job done, but when you
get rushed, you skip steps.
When we're tired, when we'refatigued, you forget to do
(32:02):
what's safe.
So, especially when you'retired, especially at the end of
the day, stop, think about it.
Make sure you're taking thesteps you have to.
Don't oh shoot, I got to dothis, I got to get to the
hardware store and get morestuff for tomorrow.
Like, stop and slow down alittle bit, because I promise
you, when you're running fullsteam you're gonna forget
(32:23):
something.
You don't.
Stop and take a second to tryand remember what you're doing
and why we're doing it.
You guys are not bakingfreaking cookies.
We're not making pastries here.
We're spraying chemicalsthrough high pressure systems
and heats and things that mostpeople would walk away from, and
they do, carrying sources ofenergy constantly.
Dan (32:40):
You got electrical in that hose running.
It should break over yourshoulder.
Jeremiah (32:43):
It's low voltage, high pressure, low pressure, heat.
Like, just take a second torealize what you're doing, so
you understand why we're sayingall these things and say there's
one wrong move, like I said, islose an eye, you'll get a
freaking a high pressureinjection.
That is just a brutal situation.
Because you just want it.
You're like oh, I don't need todo this step.
I need to get you know, I needto get out of here five minutes
(33:05):
early.
No, you don't take the fiveminutes, be safe, just take a
breath and make sure you'redoing it right.
Miguel Mora (33:11):
So, like, yeah, and the other thing, to listen to
your body, because, uh, there'sbeen times where I literally I'm
about to pass out and I'm likeI have to finish this.
Well, at the end of the day, Icannot.
I put my hands in a cooler fullof ice and I cannot feel my
arms.
I'm already cramping everywhereI can, can barely jump into the
(33:33):
truck, I cannot even drive,really, you know.
So I mean, it gets dangerousout there.
So always listen to your body,always make sure that take the
proper breaks, because if you'renot drinking water, you're not.
You know taking, you know,sodium, potassium pills.
You know you're going to,you're going to suffer.
Rusty Schrader (33:54):
Water's not going to do it for you.
Water's not the cure all fixall when you're gonna, you're
gonna suffer.
Water's not gonna do it for you.
Water's not the cure-all,fix-all when you're sweating.
Yeah, three gallons of sweat aday, okay, you need the
potassium, you need the sodium,you need the salt.
Yeah, you need all of thatstuff, you know, and uh, that's,
that's a big thing.
Hydrate, and hydrate properly.
Miguel Mora (34:13):
Yeah, for a little while every day I will go home
with headaches and feel like I'mburning up for the whole night
and the next day doing the same.
You know, listen to your body,make sure you're doing the
proper.
You know, thanks to you know,taking breaks and hydrating,
make sure that you are good togo.
(34:34):
I mean this industry, you know.
You basically an athlete.
I mean you are doing even morephysical things than, uh, some
of the football players outthere.
Rusty Schrader (34:46):
You're not getting hit with a, with a, you
know, on the field, but you'redefinitely putting your body
through more rigorous uh uhhydration needs and uh uh
hydration needs, and and and,heat exhaustion and you know all
of that stuff that that normalpeople just would would run the
other way from.
Dan (35:05):
We run to it, you know so and then after that, after
you've done that all day andyou're tired and, like I said,
you have some heat, heatexhaustion, you got some muscle
fatigue.
Let's fire up seven tons andhaul ass down a freeway, right?
Yeah?
Rusty Schrader (35:20):
you know, yeah, for another four or five hours,
exactly.
Dan (35:23):
That's right, yeah yeah, and uh, some of us may even stop
and pick up our kids on the wayhome when we're like that,
right, yeah, uh, all right guys,uh, again, this has been a
great, great topic.
We'll probably end up breakingthis one up into three, three I
would say, but one of the favorsI would ask is we talked about
slowing down.
(35:44):
Let's get this same grouptogether and let's have a full
podcast on productivity.
There's ways to slow down butget more work done.
Yes, yeah, and I think a lot ofpeople miss that.
When they say slow down,they're thinking, okay, I just
got to slow down.
No, there's ways to beefficient and productive, and
efficiency is the key.
This is a group of guys thatcan tell me a hell of a lot
(36:08):
about how to do that, so soagain, we're going to kick the
old spray foam mafia podcastdoors open to you again and drag
you back in for more of that.
Jeremiah (36:17):
Cool, Thank you.
So let me know Thanks forhaving me.
Dan (36:20):
Awesome Again guys, it's been a great episode.
Uh, we appreciate you following.
Listen to us, um, like us onyour favorite uh podcast uh
platforms, whether it be Spotifyor iTunes or whatever.
Spray foam mafiacom, I think,is websites.
Go and spray foam mafia onFacebook and spray foam mafia
(36:42):
gmailcom.
Thank you very much.
So when I was working for the other company as
a sprayer and also up againmanager, there we had a guy that
, uh, he had third degree burnsfrom the generator shutting off
and then he went up there and heopened the gas tank so all the
gas blew out and, uh, touched,you know, the exhaust, so he lit
(00:23):
up in fire.
Dan (00:24):
Another spray foam mafia podcast topic for safety.
Right, there is, we're going toget small gas engine safety.
Good point, miguel.
Rusty Schrader (00:33):
Thank you for the stroke of genius.
I got a good one on thatsituation right there too, back
when I was roofing.
Dan (00:40):
Rusty's Wreck of the Week.
Rusty Schrader (00:40):
Hold it.
This was a good one.
We were in a really high classneighborhood in Bakersfield, in
the Rosedale area.
Dan (00:49):
Wait, wait wait, high class in Bakersfield in the same
sense.
Okay, all right.
Rusty Schrader (00:54):
Okay, it's not like oil, sorry to everybody
else.
In Bakersfield it was by on thegolf course actually is where
we were at and we had an E20 rig.
Okay, had a gas air compressor,gas coating machine, gas
generator.
Okay, and I don't even want toadmit this, but yeah, this is
(01:19):
how it went.
The coatings machine gas tankwas no good, so we had to unhook
the gas line from the generatorand hook it to the coatings
machine, and the key switchdidn't work in the generator, so
we had to use jumper cablesfrom the generator battery to
(01:39):
the coating machine battery andthen arc the starter Right.
Dan (01:43):
Get the old screwdriver across the starter.
Yeah, don't know anything aboutthat.
Rusty Schrader (01:50):
Never seen it of it, never done.
Okay, fast, yeah.
Now I look over and I'mthinking, why hasn't my helper
got the coating machine started?
And I look over the edge andit's blazing in the trailer and
he's got that one of those strawhats and he's trying to put
that fire out.
Dude, because we're back rightup to this garage that's got a
beautiful corvette sittinginside.
(02:10):
Oh no, yeah, yeah.
And so here I come down theladder.
Dude, almost kill myselfgetting down the ladder.
Dan (02:15):
We get the fire put out, but that's, that's just super
simple piece right, and bysaying get the fire put out
means you had a working andinspected fire extinguisher.
You could just get right a holdof it and put it out correct,
sure.
Miguel Mora (02:30):
Okay, good, as long as we clarify.
Jeremiah (02:32):
That's why we were beating it with straw hats.
As long as we clarify, the fireextinguisher is dead.
Dan (02:36):
Some people panic, but again, yes, a working, yes, yes,
inspected fire extinguisherthat you know is charged and
operable was right.
Rusty Schrader (02:48):
You should have in every rig exactly front door,
that's the point at the backdoor and the truck.
And let's get serious aboutthis too.
You're going to have multipledifferent fire extinguishers.
You're going to have chemicalfire extinguishers.
You're going to have electricalfire extinguishers.
You're going to have one thatjust puts out a wood fire.
You know, they're all different.
Dan (03:04):
Another talk we're at two expansion topics already today.
Rusty's going to have to comeon more often and Miguel.
Rusty Schrader (03:12):
I mean we had a great laugh, you know, after it
was all said and done.
And then we, luckily, then wehooked the gas line from the
generator to the coating machineRight and let the fumes go away
before we arc the starter andwe finish the job.
At least you thought ahead thattime.
Jeremiah (03:29):
The whole part of arcing the starter just destroys
that entire company.
Dan (03:35):
And the heavy equipment guys are like hold my beer yeah.
Miguel Mora (03:40):
Have you guys ever had a rig caught on fire just
because you left the mixed foamin the trailer and then all of a
sudden it combusted close to anopen cell?
Dan (03:51):
Oh, like your test bun was too thick or something.
Jeremiah (03:56):
Yeah, just the garbage bag.
Miguel Mora (03:58):
The garbage bag?
Yeah, I have a dumpster.
Rusty Schrader (04:03):
Not me personally, but one of the other
guys that was spraying at thecompany I worked for before I
started mine.
They threw away a bunch of foamthat was too thick and came to
work the next morning and thedumpster was on fire.
Miguel Mora (04:17):
But yeah, we had my brother or I don't know some
guy went to spray a little shopor I don't know some guy went
straight a little shop.
He came back.
You know, six hours later weget a call from the other crew
that just got back from theirjob and they're like hey, the
trailer's on fire, you know, andit was just from a bun that it
was like four, maybe six inchesby twelve, from that little
(04:42):
little donut.
Jeremiah (04:43):
Yeah, the whole trailer, that's the whole
trailer.
Miguel Mora (04:46):
Yeah, the whole trailer.
Rusty Schrader (04:47):
So what I usually do if I'm spraying into
a bag is I don't really do thatanymore because of the
switchover procedures that I'velearned since I went to work at
UPC but when I would spray intoa bag and I knew that I was way
past where it should be, I'dthrow it out on the ground and I
stomp the foam and I just letit off gas, off gas, immediately
(05:11):
, you know, um, and then I leaveit outside my trailer till the
job's done.
You know, yeah, but I don'tever leave it in a full bun
anymore.
Yeah, you know, is it dangerous?
It's probably a littledangerous, but it will ignite
then outside your trailer, right, and not after you're done.
(05:32):
Let's bring him into anothertopic.
Let's go with this one Numberthree this is never-ending.
We're about 10 episodes long,Rusty week 42 run a uh, a gas
generator with mine, which is aroll air roofing compressor.
Okay, it doesn't run inside myrig ever.
(05:54):
It runs outside my rig untilI'm done.
I shut it off and then I let itcool while we're cleaning up.
Okay, I learned the hard wayabout that.
Okay, not a real hard way, butthe hard way.
Yeah, because it got shoved inthe trailer one time while it
was warm and bags and everytrash you know ended up on the
(06:17):
exhaust.
Luckily, before we closed theback door we seen that it was
fixing.
It was real close to catchingthe rig on fire.
Okay, so that's a big deal.
I don't have a problem with gascompressors as long as they're
not mounted in a rig, if you cantake them out and let them run
(06:40):
and let them cool off before youput them back in.
I have zero issues with that.
And let them cool off beforeyou put them back in.
I have zero issues with that.
If you've got a gas compressorthat's mounted in that rig, I
highly recommend you getsomething else.
Jeremiah (06:52):
On the list of things that will make Jeremiah lose his
shit.
Gas powered.
This is not in the rig, not inthe rig.
Dan (06:58):
So we're at microwaves.
Masks on the hose rack, gaspowered generators in a rig.
Jeremiah (07:05):
Okay, We'll just have to keep going.
Dan (07:06):
Maybe we can get like can we get like a specific webpage?
Jeremiah loses his shitcom.
We can make YouTube videos ordot org or whatever we need to
get here for this week.
Rusty Schrader (07:19):
I understand that the poor boy that's
building the rig I built my rig.
I built in my driveway.
You know, um, the poor boythat's building the rig I built
my rig.
I built in my driveway.
You know, um, I built it with agas compressor and a gas
generator that were able to gooutside the rig.
Right, I mean, it didn't takeme but about two jobs to get rid
of the gas compressor and gobuy me a tow behind a generator,
diesel generator.
(07:39):
But I'm still running the samecompressor that I started my
business with five years ago,you know, and it's expensive for
, for the small guy, you know,they're 24, $2,500 for a cheap
compressor, you know.
But that's just one littlething that that people just
(07:59):
don't, they overlook, you know,at the end of the day you're hot
, you're tired, oh it's fold up,let's get out of here.
Dan (08:06):
Let's fold up, let's go.
Somebody's calling Dinner'sready.
Kid's got Little League,whatever.
Rusty Schrader (08:14):
I got to drive six hours home after I finish
this job.
So the last thing you'rethinking about in your head is
what's going to happen besidesgetting in your truck and
driving home to your family.
You know, um, you're not goingto think well, I'm only going to
make it maybe an hour down theroad because my trailer's
burning up behind you.
Because, you know, um, and thenagain you have your gas cans in
(08:37):
your trailer.
You know, and you're, you're,you're traveling with a bomb
behind you.
Pretty much at that point, youknow.
So it's the little things I've.
I have put a separate cabinetin my trailer that my gas cans
go in and are locked before mytrailer moves.
You know, um, I've made a spotin my trailer where my my
(09:00):
compressor goes.
Every time I'm done, it goesright here.
You know, um, because, um, mytrailer is also a trash truck.
When I'm done with the job,yeah, you know, it's that simple
99% of us have to take yourtrash with us when we leave.
Okay, um, so a guy that's doinga 2,500 square foot house and
(09:22):
it's got five walls that are allwindow, you know, you have so
much and you've had to shave allthe walls.
You know, yeah, you haveliterally a trailer full top to
bottom, back to front, of trashthat's piled on top of your
stuff.
You know it's.
(09:45):
It takes an hour for thatgenerator to cool down or for
that compressor to cool downbefore you pile stuff on top of
it.
Dan (09:52):
That you're safe and when you're talking about that, it's
not just mufflers, no, the dangcompressor heads.
Rusty Schrader (09:57):
The compressor heads are just hot, absolutely
the little copper lines on thecompressors.
They'll brand you that willburn you to the meat of your
skin through the skin make itstick and make it.
When you walk away, you startyour compressor the next day you
smell meat burning because it'son that, yeah yeah, I learned
the hard way.
Miguel Mora (10:16):
One day I was just uh trying to fix uh one of the
copper lines that broke and Inever let it cool off or
anything.
I grafted with my oh, no andyeah, I couldn't move my hand
really.
Well, for, for the three, four,days.
Dan (10:32):
Yeah, proper medical treatment might have been a good
idea there, miguel.
Rusty Schrader (10:38):
That brings us to another thing.
We did a bunch of riginspections and I didn't see a
first aid kit in any of them.
You know, it's really easy.
Oh sure, I cut this fingerright here.
(11:01):
I cut this finger right here,off or not off, but almost off
where it was just hanging withthe skill saw.
Yeah, you know.
Miguel Mora (11:09):
I usually just just put you know um, you know
electrical tape, yeah,electrical tape you know what I
mean.
Rusty Schrader (11:19):
And then I went to the hospital and got 12
stitches in my finger, but um,but then I went right back to
work from the hospital andsprayed with my left hand, you
know, because I had to get thejob done that's and that's what
most of this industry is upagainst.
Dan (11:34):
There, you know, there is the employed guys, but then
there's so many independentpeople out there that, yeah,
that they go to the hospital andthe first thing on their head
is I got to get back to work,because now I've got a doctor
bill to pay on top of this.
Yeah, and you probably shouldgo home.
Rusty Schrader (11:48):
Yeah, you probably should.
You probably should go home.
Yeah, you probably should.
The doctor actually argued withme for an hour wanting me to
take two weeks off.
I said look, I'm not tellingyou how to do your job, I'm not.
So don't tell me how to do mine, because as soon as I'm done
here and you put this bandage on, I'm going back to work.
Yeah, you know so, andobviously I go in, and I was a
roofer then and I just had foamall over my hands Cause I didn't
(12:11):
know PPE when I started here inthis industry.
I just I hate to admit how manytimes I took baths and resin
and ISO and to anybody that usesbreak parts cleaner, including
myself, okay, as soon as youclean your hands with that,
break parts cleaner.
You know where that stuff'sgoing.
(12:31):
Is it soaks in skin?
It's going to your kidneys,it's going to your liver.
Yeah, a pair of rubber glovesis.
You know, a box of rubbergloves is maybe 15 nowadays.
Guess what?
That 15 is well worth your life, yeah, just because it doesn't
kill you right.
Then in 10 or 15 years, allthat stuff that's absorbed into
(12:53):
your skins and went into yourkidneys and livers and all your
organs Is going to cause youproblems in the future.
Miguel Mora (13:00):
Yeah, yeah, learn to change your gloves Every time
they're a guy rip.
Jeremiah (13:06):
How many times have you seen that guys On social
media With the rings of handsI've been working with cleaners
Is this alright?
No, how many times have youseen that guys on social media
with the rings of hands I'vebeen working with cleaners Is?
Rusty Schrader (13:18):
this all right.
No, no, no, it's not man.
It's not okay to go in andspray with exposed skin.
Yeah, you know, I've seen a fewISO sensitization posts here
lately.
You know what I mean, andthat's true, that's real.
Dan (13:31):
That's career ending.
Rusty Schrader (13:33):
That's what that is for most, all of us.
That's a real career ending forany of us.
Yeah, where you can't even walkin, where there's an ISO at
Right, you know much less, gospray again.
Miguel Mora (13:43):
Right, yeah, I see so many people.
They always go into theirunderwear, put a suit, but the
suit is not thick enough so youstill get exposed to all the
chemicals.
So it's important to have youknow T-shirts or jeans the spray
foam bracelets.
Dan (14:01):
I always and I'm terrible about it the stupid spray foam
bracelets, because you go likethat with your suit Suit girls.
Yeah, there's things for that.
Good thing you're hairy like me.
So you just kind of pull it offreal quick Used to be.
Rusty Schrader (14:19):
I'm going to show you guys something.
You can't see it.
Who's listening?
But I'm going to show theseguys sitting here my legs, from
half the calf down, arecompletely hairless.
You know why?
That is Because I sprayed on aroof in shorts for 10 years.
Okay, okay, and that's fromoverspray getting on my skin and
just peeling it off, okay,throughout the days.
Dan (14:41):
And there there is zero hair there, on both my legs and
those of our listeners that aretrying to be stylish.
There's laser treatments thatwill do this much safer than the
way Rusty's discussing.
Rusty Schrader (14:54):
You know, I see it like Miguel saying the cotton
suits that everybody I seeeverybody uses those cotton
suits.
They're not saving you, arethey a little cooler?
Excuse me?
Yeah, they are.
But guess what?
You're getting skin contact,right?
Am I telling you to go run outand buy, you know.
But guess what?
You're getting skin contact,right?
Am I telling you to go run outand buy, you know, those thick
(15:14):
suits?
That's why everybody says whyare you spraying those thick
suits?
Because I'm safe in those thicksuits.
Yeah, you know, I'm safe.
It's long term.
I'm 53 now.
I think about that stuff, yeah,way more than I did when I was
25.
Right, you know.
So.
Miguel Mora (15:31):
Yeah, whenever I started, it was without a mask.
They're like hey, I'm going tobe spraying up here and you can
just go in and shape the wallswithout a mask.
Okay, yeah, I'll do that, youknow, for for a couple of months
.
And then it's like yeah, Icannot breathe at night, like I
cannot laid in my bag andbreathe.
So this is not healthy.
Dan (15:52):
You know I have had a helper that he would walk in.
The first thing you do is pullhis t-shirt up over his nose
like that and I'm like Jacob,there's fricking half masked
full face mask.
There's like three or four inthe ring.
You know right where they are.
Just go put one on If it'sbothering you that much that you
think you need to pull yourt-shirt over your nose, get a
(16:13):
stupid mask on, okay, so nowwe're on to the respirators.
Rusty Schrader (16:16):
No, we're not okay.
So this is that was.
Dan (16:17):
That's another that's number four this is a safety
thing here, and jacob is notreferencing anyone that actually
worked for dan or anyone in thecompany right, it's just a
random name.
Jacob was coming out of yourcheck Jacob.
Rusty Schrader (16:34):
Eight hours.
If you're using a cartridgerespirator, eight hours You're
done, so you're good for aneight-hour day.
That means if you're going 10,you should have a fresh set of
cartridges on that mask aftereight hours.
I mean, that's hard to dobecause they're thirty dollars a
(16:55):
pair.
Yeah, guess what?
Thirty bucks is way cheaperthan not being able.
You're gonna have copd orsomething like that in the
future.
You know where you can'tbreathe, like miguel was just
talking about.
You know where.
You go home and you're socongested and coughing up phlegm
.
Guess what?
You didn't have that phlegm theday before.
Jeremiah (17:13):
So it's not because you caught a cold, right, you
know, and no tech in this earthbelieves anyone.
You know.
See a quarter half inchoverspray on their cartridges.
They just changed it thatmorning.
Dan (17:25):
It was a bad day.
We didn't have the settingsright.
Jeremiah (17:28):
That's all it was now yeah, now we don't believe it
none of us believe it's yellowfrom the phone you get him with
uv for three days.
Yeah, no, no, it's rusty'sright, it's eight hours, like,
and it's it's your, it's yourbreathing, it's your life and by
osha standard you're supposedto write the date and time you
put.
Dan (17:46):
That that's correct.
Rusty Schrader (17:47):
Filter on on that mask, and when that mask
comes off it should go in aplastic bag, not just thrown in
a toolbox hung on a hose rackJeremiah's favorite.
Jeremiah (17:59):
There's on the list of things that will make you move
my shit.
See a mask with cartridgeshanging on the hose rack in your
rig while you're chewing thechangeover.
Dan (18:08):
Yep, I will probably mention something as we're doing
this, there will be commentaryand a note but yeah, I've been
pushing, you know people tostart getting some fresh air
respirators.
Miguel Mora (18:22):
I mean, it's always the best thing overall.
Yeah, you're gonna be dragginganother house, sure, but it does
help your lungs stay a littlecooler.
You know, because you and amaybe a hundred hundred, you
know they, you know weather,whatever, you know the air that
is pulling is going to be coolerthan the attic space that
(18:43):
you're spraying in it depends onwhat kind of respirator you
have fresh air.
Rusty Schrader (18:47):
If you have a leg growing and sitting by a
port-a-party, it's probably notgonna be pulling too much?
Miguel Mora (18:52):
oh, yeah, of course .
Yeah, you don't want to?
Yeah, yeah, I don't know if wetalked about that.
Jeremiah (18:57):
like the, I have a story about the legro ones, like
everyone's like, these aregreat, they're cheap, I can take
it everywhere until, like yousaid, it's next up port-a-potty.
I was on a job site, likealmost a couple weeks after I
first started, where the guy hadput it outside next to the
house in a neighborhood andwe're in the house he's spraying
.
I got my respirator on, so it'snot me.
(19:18):
All of a sudden, I know the guystarts spitting and swearing
and his helper comes in laughinghis ass off because the dog had
pissed.
Miguel Mora (19:25):
Oh, because it was right next to the garage it was
like in the garage.
Jeremiah (19:39):
The dog had walked up and pissed on the compressor for
the fresh air and he just justa mouthful.
Oh yeah, so like, yeah, he was,it was.
I was laughing, he was not.
But it is important to payattention, like where you put it
.
Don't put it in the sun becauseyour air is going to be hot.
Don't put it in your rigbecause your pumps and
everything is actuating in therig.
Dan (19:55):
Don't put it by the door of the house you're working on,
where all the off-gassing isgoing but you have a fan blowing
that air out for yourrespirator to grab it and pull
it in.
Jeremiah (20:06):
You lost count how many times.
You see that they've got thefans blowing out of the house
and they're fresh.
Everything's sitting there andyou can smell as you're walking
up to the house and it's justsitting there.
I don't know what it is I havea, you know, a sore throat at
the end of every day I was like,I'm pretty sure I understand
what's going on.
Dan (20:20):
Very early in my career I was spraying a marijuana grow
house a legal one, not abackdoor shady one.
This is actually a legal oneand the guys took their smoke
breaks outside.
I was a metal building, I hadmy blower out and around the
corner happened to be where theguys want to come out and do
their smoke breaks at themarijuana grow house.
So they sparked it up.
(20:42):
I got a mask full like oh great, now I get to try to work all
day at this.
Perfect, Perfect.
Thank you, gentlemen.
I appreciate your support.
My helper's.
Like man, that was the greatestday ever.
You were so calm all day.
I don't know, dan, but today,like man, usually you're wound
(21:05):
up, but today it was like justrelax.
Jeremiah (21:07):
Well, I think that's a lot of guys.
They just think you know.
They don't realize, like, whereit's pulling from, they don't
think about it.
You know, you get to the jobsite, you get this autumn, you
know, automatic, moment you setit down, you get ready.
They forget momentarily, likewhat's going on, especially if
they don't have you know, thesystems like boulders, stuff
that's in the rig, that pullsfrom the compressors and filters
(21:28):
and everything else.
Dan (21:29):
Right, you're, you're like yeah, you have the little fan
and your hose and you take itout and set it and run your
extension cord.
Rusty Schrader (21:36):
You know, and the thing is this okay, coming
from a small business owneroperator, that I do all the
sales, I do all the spraying.
You know we lose track right ofthis.
So again this we have to learnto accept the fact that
(21:59):
sometimes the helper is tellingyou something that you should
listen to.
You know what I mean, becausewe're there, we're just thinking
this is going to cost me thismuch money.
I have to get it done, exactly.
Dan (22:11):
This is hitting my bank account.
Rusty Schrader (22:14):
I have to get going, I to get going, and I
can't stop for this, you know,and we overlook the stuff, not
because we don't care about it,but because we're just one track
minded Get there Tunnel visionGet it done, get your check Go
home.
You know what I mean.
Make your money.
Yeah, we don't have the luxuryof of being able to take a
(22:40):
couple days.
You know and, and, and, do allthis stuff and all this safety
stuff that should be done.
You know, we do have the luxury, but we pass it up to save the
money in the long run.
Dan (22:58):
And Jeremiah and I talked several times about this through
other episodes of the podcastis one of the things we're
always hoping for is thateverybody on a crew and
everybody on the job site isconfident enough to say
something to whoever up hot,because, yes, I'm the same same
boat as you, it's?
You know, it seems likeeverything falls on my shoulders
(23:21):
and I always bear that weightand the responsibility of I have
more employees, I have morerigs Now, I have more work.
I have to get like I'm, like Ifeel obligated to those people.
So what's the first thing Iwant to do is go fast, go fast,
get it done.
And, yes, and, and.
At the end of the day, I reallyhope you know we make fun of
Jacob or some of those guys thatthey'll come up to me and tap
(23:43):
me on the shoulder and go holdon.
Remember when you were yellingat me about this three weeks ago
?
You're about to do it and let'sstop.
Rusty Schrader (23:52):
And rethink it and, as the owner, operator and
and the boss, you know, um, wehave to and this is super hard
for me as a person that wants tobe in control, because of just
personality, the way I'm wired,you know what I mean um, we have
to accept the fact that we haveto listen to them People.
(24:14):
Yeah, we can't just blow it off.
We have to give them therecognition and the, the thanks
for maybe saving our lifeExactly, you know what I mean.
So, and I'm sure it's you'reyou're the same as me, dan, you
know what I mean.
You got you know multiple rigs.
Now you know multiple rigs.
(24:35):
Now.
You know, and you're growingand and you're still spraying.
You know, and you're stillanswering calls and you're still
doing all this stuff.
Dan (24:49):
We, as, as the small business owner, overload
ourselves to the point of safetycomes second or third or down
the line or is mistakencompletely, and, and you know,
issues happen every day, rightand and uh, it happened to us
today.
Jeremiah (25:05):
I mean and, and I'm still in trouble for it right,
well, I mean dan, honestly, ifyou're running someone over, I
mean it's like there is no tiremarks.
Dan (25:14):
I mean like I don't over, I mean it's like there is no tire
marks.
I mean like I don't know whatthe big deal is.
No cameras, there's no tiremarks.
Jeremiah (25:20):
It was not recorded to be the option that it might
have, I will not.
Dan (25:27):
That is exactly right.
No, and I should not belaughing at it because it's
going to dig the hole a littledeeper.
Jeremiah (25:33):
But I also have the uncomfortable nervousness of
laughing when I shouldn't.
My kids love it Right.
Rusty Schrader (25:40):
I'm horrible about that.
I will actually laugh whenthings are super serious.
Dan (25:47):
Yeah, you know, because that's just Well, and our
approach to all this, and thereason we're trying to talk
about the way we are, is not theold beat up, follow the line,
hit this checklist point.
It's realize that, ok, we areall people, we're all human,
we're going to make mistakes.
Let's hope those mistakes arelimited to non bodily injury or
(26:08):
non mental injury, or your wifebeating you with a stick at the
end of the night, which you knowI'm not going to say that
happens, but it happens.
It might not happen to you.
It might not happen it may ormay not.
Rusty Schrader (26:24):
One thing all of us in this industry need to
realize and that goes foreverybody sitting in this room
and everybody that listens tothis podcast or anybody in any
of the industries, not just ourindustry is it's not just one of
us that's making this happen,it's a team that's making it
happen, and for it to be a team,we all have to listen to each
(26:46):
other as a team.
You know, does that mean, oh,your shoes untied so you got to
take a 20 minute break?
No, you know, um, but thatmeans if, if somebody on the job
site sees something that we'veoverlooked or we've pointed it
out, and then we're going to goahead and bypass it anyways,
because we think we can do itwithout getting hurt.
(27:08):
You know what I mean.
Dan (27:10):
We need to listen to our team members, you know and we
need to communicate with eachother, like I don't want people
with me to just say, okay, Ifound this problem, I told dan
about it, but then there's threeother people on our crew or
other crews that might be around.
You know, there's a piece ofrebar sticking up out of the
(27:31):
ground, or you know nails else.
Do something proactive about itso that we don't escalate it
any further, right, I mean, it'ssimple market, anything.
Rusty Schrader (27:42):
you know, so it doesn't get forgotten about.
You know, and and bring it up.
You know, because, again, whenwe're on a scaffolding and we're
moving, we've done forgot thatthat drain is there or that that
air conditioning duct is there.
You know that you're going toyour.
We've done forgot that thatdrain is there or that that air
conditioning duct is there.
You know that you're going toyour wheels going to fall
through on that scaffolding.
You know, or that there's acause when you're plasticking
the floor, you're not going tocut that spot out that they've
(28:04):
opened up the trench in.
Right, you know what I mean.
You're throwing it over andgoing over it, so you don't get
overspray on this concrete, youknow.
And then the whole thing ispointed out stay on top of it,
you know, and don't let the guythat's completely forgot about
it run into it.
Dan (28:24):
You know, so you know every one of these episodes, guys, we
try to present a call to action.
So, as we've gone througheverything from walking the job
(28:48):
site to respiratory protection,to scaffolding, to where to park
the truck, to proper selfiesand informing everybody and
getting media consent before youtake a selfie of them, it's
personal.
It's personal, that's right.
Okay, so, miguel, we'll startwith you.
Uh, give me a call to actionthat you want to put out there
to the entire world constructionindustry, everything on safety.
What would you say is one bigthing that you're like.
This is where Miguel's taking astand to try to make things
(29:12):
better.
Miguel Mora (29:13):
Honestly, if you see something, say something.
You know that's important.
I've seen a lot of cases whereyou know, even with equipment
like the hose, you know thesleeve is completely off and
they just tell somebody.
But you know they don'tthemselves take action, they
just wish the boss, you know,fixes it for them whenever
(29:36):
they're the ones dealing withthe equipment.
Or or just, you know, um, yeah,same thing with safety.
You know, um, if you seesomething, you just have to tell
somebody.
You know, have to make surethat everybody's aware.
You know of the potentialdanger.
You know, like I've been inaddicts where you know the
framers.
You know, like I've been inattics where you know the
(29:57):
framers.
You know they put, uh, you knowa bearing, um the stud.
But that stud is loose.
They didn't.
You know the nail didn't gothrough.
So you know I'm gonna tell likewhoever's gonna be spraying up
there, hey, watch out for that.
You know the stud, if you grabit, be careful because it's
gonna move and you canpotentially fall, you know.
(30:17):
So, yeah, if you see something,just say something.
Rusty Schrader (30:21):
You know basically rusty same thing to
you, okay, so I'm gonna come atyou, dan, and myself, and and
all, all the other smallbusiness owners, because this is
a big deal to me, um, personal,um.
We have to work as a team, withour team.
We can't be the one that justspearheads everything and then
(30:46):
and pushes everybody off to theside.
We have to listen to our teamalso.
Um so, um, the big deal for mewas I was a huge asshole, you
know, it was my way, my way, myway, my way, and that's not the
way to be safe.
Okay, a safe environment is anenvironment that everybody
(31:11):
communicates, everybody listensto, you know, and everybody goes
home safely at the end of theday.
Jeremiah (31:20):
Jeremiah you got anything to add?
Slow down.
Like I know we're all rushingall the time we're trying to get
the job done, we're trying topay a set by lunch or five sets
on a roof.
Like, slow down.
Like stop and think about whatyou're doing, because every time
we make mistakes or rushinglike I promise you, every time
someone forgets to put on theirsafety glasses, sprays herself
(31:42):
in the face or forgets Nobody atthe table raised hands right
now.
Yeah, I mean, slow down andthink about what you're doing.
Like there's, yes, we've got toget the job done, but when you
get rushed, you skip steps.
When we're tired, when we'refatigued, you forget to do
(32:02):
what's safe.
So, especially when you'retired, especially at the end of
the day, stop, think about it.
Make sure you're taking thesteps you have to.
Don't oh shoot, I got to dothis, I got to get to the
hardware store and get morestuff for tomorrow.
Like, stop and slow down alittle bit, because I promise
you, when you're running fullsteam you're gonna forget
(32:23):
something.
You don't.
Stop and take a second to tryand remember what you're doing
and why we're doing it.
You guys are not bakingfreaking cookies.
We're not making pastries here.
We're spraying chemicalsthrough high pressure systems
and heats and things that mostpeople would walk away from, and
they do, carrying sources ofenergy constantly.
Dan (32:40):
You got electrical in that hose running.
It should break over yourshoulder.
Jeremiah (32:43):
It's low voltage, high pressure, low pressure, heat.
Like, just take a second torealize what you're doing, so
you understand why we're sayingall these things and say there's
one wrong move, like I said, islose an eye, you'll get a
freaking a high pressureinjection.
That is just a brutal situation.
Because you just want it.
You're like oh, I don't need todo this step.
I need to get you know, I needto get out of here five minutes
(33:05):
early.
No, you don't take the fiveminutes, be safe, just take a
breath and make sure you'redoing it right.
Miguel Mora (33:11):
So, like, yeah, and the other thing, to listen to
your body, because, uh, there'sbeen times where I literally I'm
about to pass out and I'm likeI have to finish this.
Well, at the end of the day, Icannot.
I put my hands in a cooler fullof ice and I cannot feel my
arms.
I'm already cramping everywhereI can, can barely jump into the
(33:33):
truck, I cannot even drive,really, you know.
So I mean, it gets dangerousout there.
So always listen to your body,always make sure that take the
proper breaks, because if you'renot drinking water, you're not.
You know taking, you know,sodium, potassium pills.
You know you're going to,you're going to suffer.
Rusty Schrader (33:54):
Water's not going to do it for you.
Water's not the cure all fixall when you're gonna, you're
gonna suffer.
Water's not gonna do it for you.
Water's not the cure-all,fix-all when you're sweating.
Yeah, three gallons of sweat aday, okay, you need the
potassium, you need the sodium,you need the salt.
Yeah, you need all of thatstuff, you know, and uh, that's,
that's a big thing.
Hydrate, and hydrate properly.
Miguel Mora (34:13):
Yeah, for a little while every day I will go home
with headaches and feel like I'mburning up for the whole night
and the next day doing the same.
You know, listen to your body,make sure you're doing the
proper.
You know, thanks to you know,taking breaks and hydrating,
make sure that you are good togo.
(34:34):
I mean this industry, you know.
You basically an athlete.
I mean you are doing even morephysical things than, uh, some
of the football players outthere.
Rusty Schrader (34:46):
You're not getting hit with a, with a, you
know, on the field, but you'redefinitely putting your body
through more rigorous uh uhhydration needs and uh uh
hydration needs, and and and,heat exhaustion and you know all
of that stuff that that normalpeople just would would run the
other way from.
Dan (35:05):
We run to it, you know so and then after that, after
you've done that all day andyou're tired and, like I said,
you have some heat, heatexhaustion, you got some muscle
fatigue.
Let's fire up seven tons andhaul ass down a freeway, right?
Yeah?
Rusty Schrader (35:20):
you know, yeah, for another four or five hours,
exactly.
Dan (35:23):
That's right, yeah yeah, and uh, some of us may even stop
and pick up our kids on the wayhome when we're like that,
right, yeah, uh, all right guys,uh, again, this has been a
great, great topic.
We'll probably end up breakingthis one up into three, three I
would say, but one of the favorsI would ask is we talked about
slowing down.
(35:44):
Let's get this same grouptogether and let's have a full
podcast on productivity.
There's ways to slow down butget more work done.
Yes, yeah, and I think a lot ofpeople miss that.
When they say slow down,they're thinking, okay, I just
got to slow down.
No, there's ways to beefficient and productive, and
efficiency is the key.
This is a group of guys thatcan tell me a hell of a lot
(36:08):
about how to do that, so soagain, we're going to kick the
old spray foam mafia podcastdoors open to you again and drag
you back in for more of that.
Jeremiah (36:17):
Cool, Thank you.
So let me know Thanks forhaving me.
Dan (36:20):
Awesome Again guys, it's been a great episode.
Uh, we appreciate you following.
Listen to us, um, like us onyour favorite uh podcast uh
platforms, whether it be Spotifyor iTunes or whatever.
Spray foam mafiacom, I think,is websites.
Go and spray foam mafia onFacebook and spray foam mafia
(36:42):
gmailcom.
Thank you very much.
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