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[choochootwo]

OMG. Please, someone help me. I feel so awful. I had to come in yesterday to work and run a crew of guys while we put down some pinestraw at a business park. I am now convinced without a shadow of a doubt that I am allergic to pine needles, or at least the pollen that's released. When pine strawing or slingin' straw as we call it, I always wear a

Comments

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[another_tom]

I once bought a leaf blower, and about an hour after using it, stick orange liquid began to pour out of my nose. Like a half a cup!!! Really gross, but also very scary. It happened the next day too after I leaned forward, then stood up. I usually have no problems with weeds, or anything else.
I would suggest a good 3M double filter mask, and the careful removal of outer cover-alls to be washed upon going home.
I used to work around toxic chemicals, and took great care to not let those closes touch other things in the house.
Best of luck.

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[choochootwo]

Thanks. I do have a 3M mask, but I did not use it yesterday because I only put down a little bit of straw. Guess I should know better, huh?

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[another_tom]

I would make a point of getting a real mask, and not just a stiff doctor style mask. Also make sure you wash hair before going to bed as to not load your pillow up with all of the things that cause problems.
TR

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[choochootwo]

I did not think about washing my hair. That makes sense. *Smacks head* Sometimes I lack greatly in the common sense department.

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[another_tom]

When working with the really nasty stuff I have, you don't tend to forget, but even after working with dangerous resins, and fibers, I still went home and used the stupid leaf blower! I have since sold the noisy thing. Probably should go wash the pillow now!

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[choochootwo]

Hopefully I will be able to get a doctor's note stating that I should not work with pine-straw. I too, need to go wash my pillow.

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[another_tom]

weigh carefully the desision to make yourself less of an asset at work.
If there are lots of other things to do, it might be an okay request, but if you work for "Pine Straw layers-R-US", it might damage your job position. If you can isolate your immune system from the offending items, it might not be needed to remove the straw laying from the job skills available.
Good luck though!

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[choochootwo]

I am a landscape foreman in the Commercial Maintenance Department. We typically lay pine straw 2 times a year. All my accounts are done over the period of a week. But, on the other hand, I have been asked to direct other crews as well. I have thought about offering to do the flower bed maintenance on all the accounts of other foreman who are laying straw. Typically, during the "straw season" the flowers and details get neglected, because we have to spend so much time strawing. This may work to my advantage. But, on ther hand, I don't want to make myself less of an asset. I am trying to climb up the ladder, not down it. It may work to the company's advantage to actually have a person whose sole job is to do flower bed maintenance on all the accounts during straw seaon.

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[another_tom]

It is probably all in how it is presented to the boss folks too. It is one thing to let the bosses know that working with radioactive ingots causes uncomfortable blisters, and quite another to turn in a note to the boss from the doctor saying that you cannot bend at the waist, and are not going to lift anything over 5 pounds, requiring the boss to hire two additional workers to see that you can still do your job.
If the boss is cool, and likes your work, all is well. If you seldom make it to work on time, and complain about having to get up too early every day, then it might be different!
Sounds like you have a plan though. Best of luck!