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MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER

Message Prepared For Members of the American Institute of Inspectors®

March 8, 1999

GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.™

It's a great day at Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections! Not only is it a great day, but it is my little Adam's 5th Birthday. He is quite the incredible little young man. As fearless as they come and a true enthusiast for any activity that looks the least bit dangerous. He loves to dawn his Spiderman PJ's and climb up my office door frame (see photo). You have heard me rave on and on about his ability to pick up on snow skiing this year. Taking my two oldest kids onto the slopes brings tears to my eyes because I always dreamed of the day when I would fly down the slopes with my kids.

A little known talent of mine has been creating the family birthday cakes. I'm not talented like my younger sister who uses air brushing and professional equipment. Instead, I am famous in the true homemade method of cake baking. I create it in my head and then try to bring the vision to form. Adam's cake is a 3-layer 3D version of Scooby-Doo. It was a joy to see the smile on Adam's face as the cake and frosting took shape.

As to Adam's desire to suck the marrow out of life and experience every bit of excitement that can be found, our career's as Home Inspectors is much the same way. We try to downplay the risks and hazards that we encounter, but what other profession accesses live power, fuel and water every day. I have the utmost respect for electrical current, yet I give little thought to the removal of electrical panel covers and the evaluation therein. Today's Monday Morning Messenger is a reminder to us all that we must maintain our health.

TETANUS SHOTS

What is the answer to this all too common question..... When is the last time that you had a Tetanus shot??? If you don't know the answer, then by all means go out and get one.... Don't delay!!! Our profession is a difficult one. If we are sick or hurt, then we cannot perform our duties. Paychecks stop coming in, bills go unpaid, and bankruptcy can ensue. This may seem a little extreme, but our health is our livelihood.

This past Wednesday I found myself inspecting two homes with crawl spaces. Both were old homes needing a lot of tender loving care. The crawl spaces were filled with junk, debris and trash. I don't know about your crawl space attire, but when I enter into the depths of the earth, I go fully prepared. I start with custom knee pads that completely cover my knees and shins. Soccer padded shin guards are next, to cover my elbow and forearms. The jumpsuit covers the padding and clothing. I then put on the respirator, goggles and hardhat. I have fitted my hardhat with an Arab sheik type draping that covers my neck to keep debris out. Breathing like Darth Vader, I then put on the gloves, grab the light and probe and enter to do battle.

I have found that even with all of this protective gear, injury is likely. As I exited the final crawl space on Wednesday I noticed a small cut on my palm/wrist joint. The amount of bleeding was small, but was still a little painful. I must have put my hand down on something sharp. I did not have my extra heavy duty leather clad gloves on. Instead, I had the ones that I usually use in the attic with the thinner surface so that I can quickly secure myself in the trusses and rafters. They have lousy palm protection, but good fingertip feeling.

Later that evening, I noticed that the small sore was not healing. In fact, the area around it was getting redder. Being a masochist, I started to squeeze the area and a clear liquid came out. I figured that it might be getting infected so I applied some alcohol to it. I figured that time would heal this wound.

The next morning found my little sore swelling and about 3/8" in diameter. This was a sure sign of infection. I looked very closely at the small puncture wound and did not see any slivers of wood. I cleaned it again and thought all would be well. By that evening the sore still had not sealed over. I pulled out the probing needle, tweezers and clippers. I was determined to find out what was inside, so I clipped the skin to open up the wound completely. As I did so I could feel something deep inside. More probing revealed a small 1/16" pointed glass chip deep in the skin.

It is amazing what one itsy bitsy piece of glass can do. It is more amazing how easy it is to get a piece of small glass into your skin as you crawl through the cluttered crawl spaces. Now let's play the"Worst Case Scenario" game. What if the wounds that we pick up while performing our work get badly infected? What is that Tetanus shot that I have steadily received throughout my life actually do? What if I haven't had a Tetanus shot in a while? How long can you go between Tetanus shots?? To tell you the truth, I cannot remember any of those answers, except that I know from my upbringing that if you step on a rusty nail you need a Tetanus shot.

In search of answers to these questions I went to the internet. I found the following Tetanus information at: http://mano.icsd.hawaii.gov/health/cdd/cddtetan.htm

What is tetanus?
Tetanus is a serious disease of the nervous system caused by an exotoxin (bacterial poison) produced by Clostridium tetani bacteria. Although tetanus is preventable through safe and effective vaccination, cases continue to occur.

How do you get it?
You get tetanus by having a cut or wound that becomes infected with C. tetani. While C. tetani are widespread in the environment, they are most commonly found in soils contaminated with animal and human feces (solid wastes). Because the tetanus bacteria produce spores that are resistant to drying, they can survive in soil, street dust, dried fecal material, and in injectable street drugs. Tetanus is not spread person-to-person.

What are the symptoms of tetanus?
Tetanus causes painful muscle spasms. These spasms typically effect the jaw and neck but can also involve the muscles required for breathing. Other common signs of tetanus are irritability, restlessness, drooling, neck stiffness, difficulty in opening the jaw (lockjaw), sweating, and fever. Severe infection with tetanus can be life threatening.

When do symptoms start?
The symptoms usually start 10 days after the wound is contaminated by the bacteria, but the onset can range from 3 to 21 days.

What is the treatment for tetanus?
All wounds, even minor punctures, should be promptly and carefully cleansed. If the patient has not completed the full series of tetanus vaccinations, or if the wound is dirty, treatment with tetanus immune globulin plus vaccine is recommended. If the patient has received a full series of tetanus vaccinations, but has not had a tetanus booster shot in 10 years, a booster shot should be given on the day of the injury. For dirty or contaminated wounds, a booster shot may be given even if the patient had their last shot just 5 years ago. Additional medications can be prescribed by a doctor to prevent infection of the wound.

Is there a vaccine for tetanus?
Yes. The tetanus vaccine is usually given as a combination shot called DTP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine. The DTP series of shots are given at 2, 4, 6, and at 12 to 15 months of age. A booster shot is given before entry into school or between 4 to 6 years of age, whichever occurs first. After that, a booster shot called Td (tetanus and diphtheria toxoids) is recommended every 10 years, for life.

How do you keep from getting tetanus?

Be up-to-date on your tetanus shots.
Promptly cleanse minor wounds, with plenty of soap and water. If the injury is serious, consult a doctor or hospital immediately.
Seek prompt medical attention for any puncture injury, especially if it is also contaminated with dirt or fecal matter. A doctor can prescribe medications to prevent infection of the wound.

ATTIC AND CRAWL SPACE INJURIES

They call it work because it is just that. Two areas of our inspection that I have been injured on a pretty regular basis in the crawl space and attic spaces.

CRAWL SPACE INJURIES - Bonking my head is the most common issue in the crawl space for me. Many times I have to remove my hardhat mid crawl to make it under or around a pipe or duct. After clearing the obstacle I then reposition the hard hat. I know that our Standards of Practice say that I don't have to enter these areas, but my quest for information to keep me out of hot water later pushes me onward into all possible places. This is my own judgment call, and I have rarely regretted the extra effort required.

ATTIC INJURIES - My injuries in the attic can all be related to the same conditions: Low pitched roofs and roofing material fasteners. I don't know why it is, but my 6'7" torso always seems to find the nails/staples used to secure the roofing material as I enter and exit low pitched attics. It usually happens as I enter in and raise up pushing my back and tush onto the sheathing. It is painful and feels just like getting a shot, except that I usually get more than one nail injection at a time. I am always impressed with the penetration ability of a roofing nail through a jumpsuit, pants, shirt and undergarment. The mild throbbing tenderness stays with me for a couple of days afterwards.

What injuries have you received while in an attic or crawl space???

WALKTHROUGH FEEDBACK

It is amazing that more feedback wasn't received on the topic of Client Walkthroughs. Jon Gudnason was the sole respondent and he shared..........

A talkative client is the one single thing that can affect the length of an inspection more than anything else. Well, maybe the occasional "dozer bait" home is in competition for time consumption, but a talkative customer can make any inspection a marathon. I have learned to tell my clients that I can inspect the home in 2-2.5 hours for most homes, and that any time we spend talking will be added directly to that time. That quiets most of them down.

Jon Gudnason - Placerville, CA

Thanks Jon..... Does this mean that you tell the client that the inspection fee will be more if they want a longer walkthrough??? Are your client's on site during the entire inspection??? I had a 2 hour and 15 minute walkthrough on a late afternoon inspection this past week. I knew that I was in trouble the moment the buyer opened his mouth and started to share his eventual dreams and goals of the older home. The walkthrough should have been about 45 minutes, but it went on and on. Instead of getting mad, or cutting this type of client off, I just went with the flow. I didn't feel so bad because this buyer purchased the 4-WAY inspection which includes the Lead, Termite and Radon fees on top of the standard Home Inspection fee. This higher fee helped to ease the pain, but I still should have not allowed it to take that long.

What are your nightmare walkthrough war stories???