New Equipment for the New Year! Featuring Extech.

So, no surprise, starting and operating a business is a tad expensive. But Spore Consulting needs to have equipment in order to actually do work and provide services. Go figure.

I really wanted to purchase fancy equipment, but I also wanted to be able to eat and pay my bills. The whole idea of depreciation on equipment is cool for tax purposes, but less cool when you remember that you still have to pay for it up front (usually).

So I went shopping on Amazon. Spouse and I buy pretty much everything but food on Amazon, thanks to living in a rural-ish area. FYI, no promotional consideration from Extech or Amazon was received for these reviews - I just wanted to let the industry know that there are lower-cost alternatives available for new consultants starting out in indoor air quality and industrial hygiene. 

What I've purchased so far:

• Extech MO260 Combination Pin/Pinless Moisture Meter
• Extech EA80 EasyView Indoor Air Quality Meter/Datalogger
• Extech 44550 Pocket Humidity/Temperature Pen
  
  

Thoughts on the Extech MO260 Moisture Meter

This is modified from my Amazon review. The pin and pinless availability is nice - I don't always like to poke holes in walls and other water-damaged materials to evaluate the moisture content. Property owners tend to get flinchy if I put holes in their walls. Bonus: the meter comes with extra pins (look in the battery area). 

The meter's indicator sound for the yellow and red ranges is somewhat annoying - I'll eventually read the manual to figure out if this sound can be turned down or off. Last time I used this, the tenant representatives were freaking out every time it made a sound, asking, "Is is bad? Should we be worried?" Gaah. I'd like it to be quieter so I can attempt to be discreet. More on that later.

This meter is larger than the other moisture meters I have used (i.e. Protimeter Surveymaster). It is handheld-ish but doesn't fit great in my back pocket. Remember that this meter requires "D" batteries, so keep extras on hand. The black fabric case is decent quality and roomy, so you can fit a pen-size temperature and humidity meter in the case as well. 

Thoughts on the Extech EA80 IAQ Meter

This is also modified from my Amazon review. I imagined this would be a similar size to the TSI IAQ meters and Graywolf sensing meters that I used to rent for IAQ surveys, but it is not. It's smaller (think hand-held) and the wand is also tiny (a little bit bigger than a standard highlighter). It has a built-in stand so that you can lean it on a surface while collecting measurements. All in all, I am pleasantly surprised.

The meter itself is green but has a bright orange form-fitted case for if you accidentally drop it (not that I ever would!). The meter requires 6 AAA batteries (comes with 6) and software for graphing data points for use in reports. This comes in a fairly large black plastic case - I use it to hold the IAQ meter and a moisture meter. I haven't used it in the field yet, but have used it in my house and outside. It looks like it will fit my needs for limited IAQ surveys.

Calibration appears to be simple.

Thoughts on the Extech Temperature and Humidity Pen

Ditto on the Amazon review. I needed a temperature/humidity meter that I could use with my moisture meter for initial site assessments after water damage - at the time, I had super-limited flexible income and couldn't afford the EA80 IAQ Meter. I bought this one because it was cheap and readily available. 

My two issues with it: 

1. It turns on (and stays on) while in the case because the buttons are really sensitive, so sometimes it is out of batteries when I have hardly used it.
2. The clip in the back snaps off pretty much the first time you try and clip it to anything (fail).
   

It does what it needs to and works as anticipated. I just have to keep extra batteries in the case.

View of my lovely new equipment:

The Industrious Hygienist's starter IAQ arsenal. Highlighter to show the relative size.

What I plan to purchase in the future:

• Extech 407730 40-to-130-Decibel Digital Sound Level Meter
• FLIR E5 Thermal Imager with MSX Technology 120 X 90 Resolution, 10,800 Pixel
• Extech 480836 3.5GHz RF EMF Strength Meter

Other equipment on my wish list:

• Original Thomas MegaLite High Volume Pump
• TSI 4146 Primary Calibrator
• Pocket Hygro-Thermo-Anemometer with Light Meter
• Zefon Bio-Pump� Plus

I plan to post my *unbiased* reviews after I purchase the remaining equipment. 

The Industrious Hygienist's Favorite Holiday Safety Tips: FEMA and USFA

So far we've covered general holiday safety from CDC/NIOSH and holiday stress management from CDC and Mayo Clinic. Now let's get down to the exciting stuff - fire safety.

FEMA and the NFPA have partnered this year to create the following infographic for their "Put a Freeze on Winter Holiday Fires" campaign:

NFPA and FEMA infographic for the "Put a Freeze on Winter Holiday Fires" campaign.

The Industrious Hygienist would also like to share the following HolidayFire Safety video from FEMA (although I'm still learning how to embed videos, so click the hyperlink if you want to watch it). 

The Industrious Hygienist decided to take the NFPA "Put a Freeze on Winter Fires Quiz" and test her knowledge of winter fire safety.

Result?

Fail. Eeek!

So I feel I should defend myself on some of the wrongly answered questions. See below.

Lit candles should be extinguished when you leave the room.

The place where the Industrious Hygienist currently lives (we don't feel it is right to call it a house) has a "great room" that consists of the entry, family/living room, dining area, and kitchen all encompassed, with a hallway leading down to the bedroom. So if we light a candle, it is usually in the "great room" and therefore extinguished before we walk out the door and leave the home. Semantics. But probably useful information if you have a larger space to live in and lots of candles.

The leading cause of home fires is failure to clean heating equipment and chimneys before use.

I've lived in Phoenix, AZ or Orange County, CA for most of her life and only recently moved to Prescott in beautiful Northern Arizona. So my exposure to cold weather has been limited - I've never lived anywhere with a chimney and never used a space heater before. Now I know that if I happen to move somewhere with a chimney, I should have preventative maintenance done on it. We never used our heater in Phoenix. I did have the furnace checked here in Prescott before it was turned on. Yay for me!

Carbon monoxide alarms should be installed on every level of the home and outside each sleeping space.

Again, with the size of the place we live, we just have one CO monitor in a central location, equidistant from the gas-fired kitchen appliances, laundry room, and bedroom. This whole idea of a multi-level home is intriguing - I should try it sometime. :) Makes sense to have to CO monitor outside the bedrooms, since you'd want to know what the CO concentration is before it is in your sleeping space and you are susceptible to it. 

Just this week, a family in Breckenridge was exposed to high levels of CO and some of the family members were hospitalized. See news story here. 

Before placing a real cut tree ion the stand, cut 2" from the base of the trunk.

I've never had a real Christmas tree before, we always had an artificial one. Since we got our Alaskan Malamute (Shadow), we haven't bothered to put up a tree the last three years. He likes to try and eat the ornaments. So I'll keep this in mind if I decide to ever use a real cut tree (not likely) for the holidays.

Keep your eyes peeled (that's a weird/gross phrase I should never use again) for the Industrious Hygienist Holiday Card and end of year blog post!

The Industrious Hygienist's Favorite Holiday Safety Tips: Mayo Clinic and CDC

The Industrious Hygienist's post yesterday shared holiday safety tips from CDC/NIOSH.

Today, let's discuss stress. 

Taking part in last-minute holiday shopping blitzes is sort of par for the course for many Americans. The Industrious Hygienist and spouse will be braving a few key merchandisers today to wrap up the holiday shopping. Planning the gift-buying extravaganza can be very stressful. Traveling to and from various family engagements, work functions, and parties with friends can lead to even more heightened stress levels. Finding out how to manage your schedule, pets, family, and work commitments within a ridiculously short time frame is, well, bonkers.

Luckily, with the advent of Spore Consulting, the Industrious Hygienist is able to manage her own schedule and take time off as needed, but few people have that luxury. We gave ourselves memberships to Massage Envy and Lumosity for Christmas and our anniversary in June.

The CDC discussed managing stress in the "12 Ways to Health Holiday Song" and provided the following general recommendations for managing stress. 

• "Avoid drugs and alcohol. They may seem to be a temporary fix to feel better, but in the long run they can create more problems and add to your stress�instead of take it away.
• Find support. Seek help from a partner, family member, friend, counselor, doctor, or clergyperson. Having a sympathetic, listening ear and sharing about your problems and stress really can lighten the burden.
• Connect socially. After a stressful event, it is easy isolate yourself. Make sure that you are spending time with loved ones. Consider planning fun activities with your partner, children, or friends.
• Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, get plenty of sleep, give yourself a break, and maintain a normal routine.
• Stay active. You can take your mind off your problems by giving�helping a neighbor, volunteering in the community, even taking the dog on a long walk. These can be positive ways to channel your feelings."

Ways this goes horribly wrong in holiday events? See below.

• Avoid alcohol? Although many workplaces have "no alcohol" policies at holiday parties, there's plenty of ways to imbibe at after-parties, impromptu gatherings, industry events, etc. Things get said that shouldn't be discussed in polite company, behavior is sometimes less than professional, and you end up spending more money than you have on expensive drinks. Try to rein yourself in and remember that somebody always has a camera.
• Find support? Everyone's going through the same thing as you. If you reach out to someone, they're likely to talk your ear off about the problems they are having rather than listening. Sometimes this is helpful because you realize your problems are paltry compared to those around you. Be the listener, be the friend and support person. It will make you feel better than just venting to everyone around you.
• Connect socially? No, they're not talking about sharing your entire life on social media. They're talking about in-person socialization. Put down your phone, stop texting and tweeting, and really listen and connect with someone. Watch their face and learn their personality quirks. Try to remember all the conversations you've had with them. Spouse and I use the drive between family/social events to decompress and vent and listen to music (never Christmas music though).
• Take care of yourself? Ha. If your family is anything like mine, eating healthy during the holidays is super tricky. My father makes handmade chocolate truffles and fudge, and my grandma sends me a box full of handmade cookies and treats every year. There is no normal routine during the holidays.
• Stay active? Thanks to the Industrious Hygienist's parents, this is pretty easy. Rather than a gift, they want an act of service (photos and documentation required) for their Christmas gift. Could be a donation to a charity, could be a volunteer event, could be anything that requires us to go out and serve our fellow humans.

This year's act of service was with our local ASSE Arizona Chapter, preparing a community garden at a local elementary school through the USGBC Green Apple Day of Service.

Proof:

Spouse and the Industrious Hygienist weeding the playground with ASSE Arizona Chapter during the Green Apple Day of Service on 9-28-2013.

We even brought Shadow (nope, that's not our kid), who was tantalized by the little girl's water bottle and watched us work.

The Mayo Clinic also has holiday-specific tips for stress management. The Industrious Hygienist has a few favorites:

• "Be realistic. The holidays don't have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can't come to your house, find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing pictures, emails or videos.
• Set aside differences. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don't live up to all of your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or distressed when something goes awry. Chances are they're feeling the effects of holiday stress and depression, too.
• Learn to say no. Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can't participate in every project or activity. If it's not possible to say no when your boss asks you to work overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time."

Wish us luck in our last-minute shopping. Gaah. I'll be singing Broadway musicals in my head to drown out the holiday music. 

Telepests and National Safety Council Infographics

I learned a new term today: telepest.

Since launching my new website for Spore Consulting, I have been receiving all sorts of fun calls to the number I listed on my WHOIS domain registration, which is to be expected. Each time I receive one of these calls, I look the phone number up on the internet to make sure it is not a potential client.

The number I received a call from today had a bunch of listings and complaints as a "telepest." Apparently a telepest is informally known as an annoying phone number that calls you frequently (i.e. robot telemarketers and unsolicited/spam calls).

Who knew? There's a word for everything. :)

Have also been catching up on my reading and wanted to share the following National Safety Council (NSC) infographic on the "Top 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Violations." Download your own copy off the NSC Blog. There was supposed to be a way to embed the infographic on my blog, but I am not enough of a Blogger ninja to figure that out.

NSC Infographic about the Top 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Violations.

In order of least to most citations (per NSC):

10 - Machine Guarding
9 - Electrical: General Requirements
8 - Lockout Tagout
7 - Ladders
6 - Powered Industrial Trucks
5 - Electrical: Wiring Methods
4 - Respiratory Protection
3 - Scaffolding
2 - Hazard Communication
1 - Fall Protection

In other news, my research into coal mining in Lancashire in the 1890's has been super-enjoyable. The character development and storyline mapping for my alternative history/steampunk series fiction that incorporates the history of industrial hygiene and workplace safety is underway.

While preparing for my first OSHA 30-hour for General Industry course, I also discovered the CDC Small Business Resource Guide. This CDC website has documents from Federal OSHA, state OSH programs, and international resources (Ireland and UK) to help small businesses develop an effective safety and health program.

Feeding my indie beast...big changes ahead!

Exciting news: the Industrious Hygienist has decided to take the plunge and venture out on her own in the perilous world of consulting. Meet Spore Consulting, LLC.

Why Spore?

Spore Consulting, LLC ("Spore" for short) embodies the idea of a microbial spore. Bacteria form spores to help them get through tough times and fungi have spores as part of their reproductive cycle. In fungi, spores are small biological particles that contain everything the fungi needs to reproduce when conditions are right. 

So, we figured Spore stands for: small, resilient, everything you need for success. 

In addition to occupational and environmental health & safety consulting, the Industrious Hygienist will be working more on creative (i.e. nerdy) things:

• Sock Puppet Safety 
• Safety educational videos featuring sock puppets, to be posted on YouTube
• Steampunk fiction featuring the Industrious Hygienist 
• Safety checklists and safety posters that are visually appealing
• Industrious Hygienist mangas

So stay posted and watch for more fun stories and cartoons. 

Mushrooms = fungi. Photoshop is a dangerously fun thing.