Animal Bites
The home inspector goes where many do not. It is not unusual to find ourselves in dark, cramped spaces. Many times, these spaces have access from the exterior of the home. As such, and especially in colder months or in inclimate weather
Should read “inclement”
After being bitten by a snake, the victim is losing his/her coordination,
place an ice pack on the person’s head
it may be an indication that the snake was poisonous
give the victim *planty *of water
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=490&course_id=35
What problems do many inspectors run into in attics? Here’s a partial list:
So, in retrospect, how safe are these areas? If you lose your grip, or lose your footing, you may fall through the ceiling below. Maybe you fall and catch the groin area with a joist. Maybe you’re unlucky enough to fall in between two joists. Maybe you break your neck when your chin hits wood. Maybe you were unlucky enough to fall through a section of ceiling above a stairwell opening. Maybe you fall to your death. Maybe you survive and are paralyzed. What of hitting your head into a roofing nail? Or cutting yourself on sharp edges of ductwork? Or touching an open junction box? Or disturbing a bees nest under fiberglass batt insulation?
[size=2]. . . or if you stay in the attic you my faint and die because of the heat, when it’s 110[/size]° outside, a 20-30º difference can and will cause problems if you decided to stay in the attic to long . . .
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=509&course_id=35
bottom picture to small, can it be enlarged?
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=515&course_id=35
again, do you have a better photo?
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=520&course_id=35
Woden and fiberglass ladder will always protect a person from electrical shock
False
True
think it should read - Wooden
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=494&course_id=35
First Aid for Skull Fractures:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=493&course_id=35
seems like a lot of ‘white space’ here, suggest taking out a few non-breaking-spaces ( )
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=497&course_id=35
suggest adding bold text to headings, example:
Stop the bleeding. -> **Stop the bleeding.
**Clean the wound. - > **Clean the wound.
[size=2]. . . that’s enough . . .[/size]
**[size=2]
. . . hope this helps - great information for us, thanks NACHI!
mike[/size]**
**
Thanks all, cleaning it up and adding some stuff. I credited all of you on the final Conclusion page of the course.
Sorry Nick, found a few more:
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?course_id=35&element_id=490
So, in retrospect, how safe are these areas? If you lose your grip, or lose your footing, you may fall through the ceiling below. Maybe you fall and catch the groin area with a joist. Maybe you’re unlucky enough to fall in between two joists. Maybe you break your neck when your chin hits wood. Maybe you were unlucky enough to fall through a section of ceiling above a stairwell opening. Maybe you fall to your death. Maybe you survive and are paralyzed. What of hitting your head into a roofing nail? Or cutting yourself on sharp edges of ductwork? Or touching an open junction box? Or disturbing a bees (bee’s) nest under fiberglass batt insulation?
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?course_id=35&element_id=491
Spiders are particularly scary to many inspectors. Hobo and Brown Recluse spiders don’t usually look for trouble, but those who are unlucky enough to be bit by either, are in for pain and sickness. Hobo spider bites become particularly painful, while the bite from a brown recluse often carries life threratening (threatening) complications from the resultant necrosis at the bite site. Unfortunately for the victim, this necrosis usually cannot be halted, and often results in the amputation of affected areas.
Other species of arachnids are just as bad. So, the best advice is to carefully evaluate the areas you are considering entering. Look for webs, and ther (there) signs of insect habitaton (habitation) or intrusion. Contact your state’s DEC and ask which species of insect one may encounter in our line of busness (business), and in your particular geographic area of operation. Inquire as to entomology; including dangers, attractions, and preventative measures.
The Boa, a name for live-bearing constrictor snakes, is found mostly in the Americas. Boas capture their prey by striking with their teeth and simultaneously throwing their bodies in a coil around the victim. They then squeeze the animal so that, unable to expand its rib cage, it suffocates. Over 30 boa species are found from Mexico to South America, though two species are also found in the United States(remove space .) Boas may be terrestrial, arboreal, or burrowing. Best known is the boa constrictor, which lives in a variety of terrestrial habitats from S Mexico to central Argentina. It averages 6 to 9 ft (remove space) in length, occasionally reaching 14 ft, and has dark brown diamond markings on a lighter background. The rubber boa is found in moist regions of the far Western United States and extreme Southwest Canada. It is a burrower, about 18 in. long, with a narrow, blunt head, broad, blunt tail, and silver-green skin. It feeds chiefly on lizards and rodents. The rosy boa is found in the Southwest United States and Northern Mexico; it grows about 3 ft long. It has large, dark brown spots on a lighter background.
The Copperhead is a poisonous snake of the Eastern United States. Like its close relative, the water moccasin, the copperhead is a member of the pit viper family and detects its warm-blooded prey by means of a heat-sensitive organ behind the nostril. The body, which may reach a length of 4 ft(remove space) , is hazel brown with chestnut-colored cross-bands above and pinkish white with dark spots below. The head is a pale copper color. Copperheads inhabit rocky areas with thick underbrush, even in heavily populated regions. They are most active in late afternoon and early evening. The young are born alive. Copperheads are not aggressive and usually attempt escape when threatened, but they strike swiftly if startled or attacked. The bite causes severe pain and illness in humans but is seldom fatal.
The Coral Snake is a very poisonous species of snake. About 30 species inhabit Mexico, Central America, and South America Two species of this deadly snake are found in the US. The Eastern coral snake is found in the Southeast United States and Northern Mexico. It is a burrowing snake with a small, blunt head and a cylindrical body, averaging 2 1/2 ft(remove space) in length. The body is ringed with bands of black, red, and yellow; the tail has yellow and black rings only. The Western Coral Snake (Sonoran) is a rather rare species found in the Southwest United States and Northwest Mexico. It is about 18 in. long and has much broader bands of yellow than those of the Eastern species. Coral snakes can be distinguished from a number of similarly colored harmless snakes by the fact that they are the only ones with red bands touching yellow ones. The venom of coral snakes, like that of cobras, acts on the nervous system and causes paralysis, with mortality rate among humans who are bitten being quite high.
The King Snake is a non-venomous, egg-laying, constricting snake of North America which varies in color and markings. The common king snake(remove comma,) or chain snake of the Eastern United States is usually about 3 to 5 ft long and black or brown with yellow and white rings or bands that form a chainlike pattern. The scarlet king snake has a pattern of black, red, and yellow bands similar to that of the unrelated coral snake. Other less brightly marked varieties of the same species are called milk snakes.
The Rattlesnake is a poisonous snake of the pit viper family, distinguished by a rattle at the end of the tail. The head is triangular, being widened at the base. The rattle is a series of dried, hollow segments of skin, which, when shaken, make a whirring sound. When the snake is alarmed, it shakes its tail, and the noise serves as a warning to the attacker. Like other pit vipers, they have heat-sensitive organs in pits on the sides of the head, which help them locate and strike at their prey. The venom is highly toxic to humans and occasionally proves fatal.(remove extra period.) Rattlesnakes bear live young. The timber rattlesnake is found from Southern Maine to Northeast Florida and West to Iowa and Texas. It is from 3 1/2 to 5 ft long and is yellow or tan with wide, dark cross-bands. The largest and deadliest species is the eastern diamondback rattlesnake of the South and Southeast United States, which reaches a length of 5 to 8 ft(remove space) . The western diamondback is shorter and thicker. The western, or prairie rattlesnake, sometimes lives in prairie-dog burrows. The sidewinder is a North American desert species.
If you would like to see the result of a rattleshake (rattlesnake) bite to a boy’s hand, follow this link, but heed this warning: THESE PHOTOS ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. THEY ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC(remove space )! They show the damage from the bite to the hand’s palm, and the extensive surgery needed to save this boy’s life and limb (literally): http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/rattlesnakepics.htm
The Water Moccasin or Cottonmouth is considered a highly venomous snake of the swamps and bayous of the Southern United States. Like the closely related copperhead, it is a pit viper and has a heat-sensitive organ for detecting warm-blooded prey. The young are born live. The young snake is a pale reddish brown with transverse dark brown bands edged with white; as it ages the colors dull to a blotched olive or brown and then to an unmarked olive or blackish in old specimens. The maximum length is 6 ft(remove space ), with the average from 3 to 4 ft. If startled it erects its head and shows the white interior of its mouth—hence the name cottonmouth. It eats both warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. It is aggressive in the wild state.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?course_id=35&element_id=511
A WORD ABOUT TELESCOPING LADDERS:
. . .
Inspection of these ladders requires an understanding of all interlocking mechanisms, telecsopic (telescopic) effects, ratings, and safe ascending/descending practices.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=512&course_id=35
* Keep all ladders and other tools in the SAFE ZONE, at least 10 feet from any power lines.
* No metallic ladders around power lines!
* Never count on a power line to be insulated, no matter what it looks like. Believe it or not, some utility power lines may not be completely insulated.
*
Don't count on a wooden or fiberglass ladder to always protect you. Wet (remove comma), and dirty ladders can conduct electricity.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=515&course_id=35
Ladder Inspections - REMEMBER!
OSHA says a ladder must be inspected regularly for visible defects by a competent person and after any incident that could affect its safe use. Again, since many inspectors are one-man operations, take this at face value. If your life depends on safe operation (and it does), one should be inspecting the ladder before each use. In cases where a multi-inspection firm is the user, it is advisable to have routing ladder evaluations performed by one who is knowledgeable and competent in the subject matter. (remove extra period). Regardless, the Inspector should check the ladder for damage before each use. If a ladder is damaged, label it. Do not use it until it has been repaired or replaced.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=520&course_id=35
If a person is going to climb onto a roof, the ladder should extend
2 feet higher than the roof.
4 feet higher than the roof.
3 feet higher than the roof.
Doesn’t really matter (remove space).
1 foot higher than the roof.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?course_id=35&element_id=501
Animal Bites
The home inspector goes where many do not. It is not unusual to find ourselves in dark, cramped spaces. Many times, these spaces have access from the exterior of the home. As such, and especially in colder months or in inclement weather, animals will venture into these spaces. Sometimes, nests are built there. As such, and especially in crawlspaces, unused attics, or rarely used garages or storage sheds, the inspector may startle an animal. When an animal is frightened and cornered, anythng (anything) can happen, including bites. let’s not forget the homeowner’s cat or dog, who may be sleeping in a room the inspector enters!
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?course_id=35&element_id=496
Tips:
Conventional wisdom says to scrape bee stingers away from the skin because pinching the venom sack could push extra venom into the victim. In fact, how fast you get the stinger out is much more important than how.
Honey bees leave a stinger behind when they sting a victim. Wasps and hornets do not leave a stinger, and can sting a victim MULTIPLE TIMES!(remove space) . These relatives of the honey bee can also cause an anaphylactic reaction.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?course_id=35&element_id=498
Electrcal (Electrical) Burns (Need to correct spelling on side drop-down menu)
An electrical burn may appear minor or not show on the skin at all, but the damage can extend deep into the tissues beneath your skin. If a strong electrical current passes through your body, internal damage, such as a heart rhythm disturbance or cardiac arrest, can occur. Sometimes the jolt associated with the electrical burn can cause you to be thrown or to fall, resulting in fractures or other associated injuries.
Dial 911 or call for emergency medical assistance if the person who has been burned is in pain, is confused, or is experiencing changes in his or her breathing, heartbeat or consciousness. While helping someone with an electrical burn and waiting for medical help, follow these steps:
* Look first. Don't touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
* Turn off the source of electricity if possible. If not, move the source away from both you and the injured person using a nonconducting (non conducting) object made of cardboard, plastic or wood.
On the following page:
http://education.nachi.org/show.php?element_id=521&course_id=35
Puncture wounds can be a cause of concern because they are
difficuly (difficult) to spot.
prone to infection.
painful.
oozy.
Perhaps I’m a little anal, but I’ve spent time and money on other publications only to go to press and find typo’s and misplaced photos, etc., . . . Joe you’ve done a great job, thanks for letting us help . . . great information!
Thanks for all the help, and compliments.
I am tired of hearing of inspectors gettng hurt doing things that OSHA says we shouldnt do, under the conditions we do them. Although OSHA doesnt govern one-man ops, we should know the proper process for set-up and evaluation.
I wrote this course for ALL OF US. Does it cover EVERYTHING? It couldnt possibly. BUT, it has opened some eyes, and I am flattered to see the detail and attention all of you have given to actually reading the information presented.
Like I said, this course was long overdue, IMO.
W. Michael Chris… repairs made.
Joe Farsetta… Wow! This is a really good course. If you find anything on heat exhaustion, email to me so I can include.