Three members of a cleaning crew working after hours at a local business are recovering and very lucky after becoming ill from carbon monoxide poisoning. The workers were using a kerosene powered pressure washer at the facility on Hovis Road Wednesday night. They finished their job and went home for the night. Soon after, three of the men became physically ill and had to be taken to a local hospital. They were diagnosed as being exposed to carbon monoxide. The crew usually worked with electrical cleaning equipment but this time, they were using a machine that burned fossil fuel and thus produced high levels of carbon monoxide in an area that had little or no ventilation.

Fortunately, the workers are going to be alright and this story had a happy ending. Also, the company involved has been counseled by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) on proper use of the equipment. There are, however, many recent incidents where people lost their lives to prolonged exposure to CO. Carbon Monoxide is the number 1 cause of poisoning deaths in the United States. It has no smell or taste and can accumulate rapidly and overcome a victim without warning.

What can you do to protect you and your family from potential exposure to Carbon Monoxide? Click here for important safety tips.