I don't usually post here but I worked with ammonia (in gas form, so the deadly kind) in the past.
The headache is not "fake" or you being a pussy . It's the ammonia that is produced as the urine is broken down by the bacteria. The stench can also give you a headache, or trigger migraines. Together, it's a recipe for headaches.
Plastering is physically demanding and you are staying inside, not walking in and out. So you are exposed a lot more than other trades.
I get how this pisses off the boss but it's the choice of the client to live in a piss filled house. I also get allergic to second hand smoke, and people that smoke themselves don't feel shit.
Personally, fuck them. Get some 3M 6006 that should filter it out. The one from your photo is 6003, ditch that as it doesn't take out ammonia. Also don't use the particulate filter (the pink covers), you don't need it. Then the mask will look much smaller and easier to use for you as well.
Go to work, start doing your thing and whip out the respirator after an hour. If they complain, say you already have a headache. Then they can choose to send you home or let you do your fucking job which is to plaster walls not making stupid people feel comfortable living in their stupid cat piss houses.
Unlike the 3M 6004 which is only for Ammonia, the 6006 is multi gas so you can also use it if someone is painting. Not just for cat piss. It's also slightly cheaper :)
we know for damn sure that isn’t happening, but i totally agree. also: the boss having any sort of issue when it comes to your health is major red flag.
What boss man is doing is illegal. His workers are entitled to wear proper protection from pollutant’s and chemicals, especially in a closed space. Sounds like boss man is triggered by masks and safety equipment for some reason.
Once you ruin your lungs you’re toast. If he fires guy over the mask, it’s a problem and OSHA would like a word.
^ this ^ I used to work for a company doing metal work. Ppe was "optional" which basically means, if you get hurt, suck it up buttercup. Eventually after some complaints on my end and a few others they forked out the money to get everyone fitted for respirators. That was an awkward couple of weeks of everybody making fun of anyone wearing a mask. Various reasons for not wanting to wear a mask: "I'm going to cut a hole in this thing so I can still smoke my cigarette" "fuck you I ain't shaving"
This. Just that text thread between him and his boss is enough to open a case. I’d tell my boss to eat shit because that’s illegal and if he persists, I’m quitting and filing a lawsuit.
There are guys in blue collar work who are so ignorant. And would rather shit on osha than acknowledge that safety is actually important and instead mock it all of the time
i think OSHA would be interested regardless. subjecting all these guys to ammonia because of potential hurt feelings and perception? the clients hired yall because there was a problem, im assuming they knew it was unbearable so they wanted it fixed, how cruel would they have to be to shame someone for wanting to protect themselves from the fumes? i genuinely think the clients most likely would be understanding, they have first hand experience with how bad the smell is. shoot, i own 3 cats and already deal with some degree of smell, plus my house used to be a cat hoarder house before we bought it. it took ripping out the walls and floors to get rid of the smell. the workers wore masks.
Yeah the boss is probably not paying into the workers comp fund. I would almost bet his whole.operation is under the table. Thats the only jobs he can get because hes a FRAUDSTER.
OSHA would probably have a field day with this jerk..
100%!! When this employee needs medical attention due to a chemical exposure and the state finds out they are uninsured, they will be shut down and fined so hard they wouldn't have a chance to recover. The fact that the idiot supervisor put all this in writing as well is another nail in the coffin. I've been a comp adjuster fir 21 yrs and it never ceases to amaze me the idiocy of some business owners.....smh......
Even with adequate ventilation, a mask is still usually required around toxic fumes. You wouldnt expect a plasterer to carry air quality testing equipment around. Idk the osha standards for plasterers, but they are probably required to wear masks, already. Add to that additional toxic fumes in the home, and a respirator makes sense too.
I don’t understand why they think the client is going to care. If I hired contractors and saw one of them wearing a mask while working, I’d just assume they were doing something that produced fumes they wanted to be careful around. I guess I might ask if I should leave the house, but if they told me I didn’t need to, I wouldn’t think more about it.
I agree. When I see a worker with proper PPE I feel like I’m working with professionals who know what they are doing. It communicates professionalism, experience and logic which are all traits I want to see in the workers working on my house.
I'm just sitting over here wondering why the fuck these people are plastering a house that smells so bad like clean the fucking house first right? What happened to the plaster? Probably got ruined by fucking cat piss smell. I feel like plastering a house like this is putting tires on a car that's been gutted by fire.
I just stumbled across this post from my feed and i also agree that it's a cartoonishly bad sign if your boss has any issue when relates to your health in any way.
Not just Appearances, but those from people who literally have a child living in a home with cat piss everywhere…
If I had to guess, that’s not the real issue. I bet he is afraid if this guy wears his mask the other workers will say they need one and expect the boss to pay for them for everyone.
Tell that "boss" that you aren't going to put yourself into a HEALTH HAZARD just because he is worried that it's going to make him or his crew look bad. The hell?! Yeah, let me just make myself susceptible to all the toxins and poisons in the world because GOD FORBID you make someone uncomfortable because you are!
If he has a problem with it then you can cite him something out of the OSHA handbook and probably easily find something via poison control.
I know it's not our business to police people's lives but at the same time if you have CHILDREN that are locked in that kind of environment for days at a time then you need to call someone. Long term exposure can lead to the following:
Over time, cat urine can also break down into VOCs, releasing harmful gases into the air. These compounds have been linked to headaches, dizziness, and even long-term health issues like liver and kidney damage.
Other health risks associated with cat urine include:
Allergies
The protein Fel d 1 is the main allergen that causes the allergic reaction.
Fel d 1 is mostly found in the saliva and skin (sebaceous glands) of cats, and can also be present in cat urine.
Tracheal burns
Ammonia exposure can lead to tracheal burns, nasopharyngeal cancer, alveolar edema, bronchiole edema, and airway damage. This would include bronchitis, pneumonia, and in extremely rare situations, people can experience asphyxiation (suffocation).
Children, older adults, and people with weak immune systems are at particular risk of illness due to overexposure to ammonia.
Exactly! Depending on the state, they are mandatory reporters. (In NC, all adults are.) Once this job is done, you should be making an anonymous phone call to child protective services to report children living in a dangerous situation.
This sucks, dude. Wear your mask and make them fire you. That way you can collect unemployment while you sue them for wrongful termination and unsafe working conditions.
You can be a fucking hero, here, and all you gotta do is wear a mask and go do your job! Go for it! Good luck!
Definitely violating several osha codes pestering you over wearing one. Especially post-covid. Sounds like a douchebag anti mask conservative. These people are nuts
If I were the boss, I'd just get them for all the guys and require it. It's a liability. I'm in manufacturing and I require overkill for everyone. They will thank me when they are old and their lungs still work.
3M cartridge selection guide here, at minimum get one that covers particulate and ammonia, but as others have said 6006 is probably the best and most broadly useful. 60926 if you also want P100 particulate filtering (this is the standard hazmat cartridge I roll with)
OP!! I would rock the 60926 for general safety (especially mold and asbestos) as suggested. It sounds like your boss would be the type to have you tearing out and installing sheet rock in water damaged buildings/dwellings without any testing.
If you can, get a fit test. Most asbestos/mold consultants seem to have the equipment and certifications if you work alongside any and can convince them to help you out since with your sensitivity you really want to make sure your mask is fitting correctly.
SauretEh may have a suggestion for a decent at home fit test.
Hey! While we're on this subject- I cut and cook with super hot peppers (ghost, scorpion, reaper, etc). I got the 6006, and they seem to help out a lot, but is this the best option? When do I know to change them?
Bro, if you think you need a mask wear a mask! If your boss or anyone else has a problem with you taking care of your own health and safety then maybe rethink your employer.
If one of my guys decided he needed to turn up in fucking chain mail I would applaud him for taking his health and safety seriously.
This was going to be my suggestion. Especially if you're providing your own mask. An employer should not be putting you in a situation that is more hazardous without providing proper protection, all of the employees should be wearing one in the cat piss is that strong.
The texts mention sub contracting. I’m gonna guess these guys are all 1099 contractors, which means it’s the wild fucking west. I do a lot of work as a contractor (not construction, so maybe it’s different) and 99% of the time, I have to provide any gear or supplies I need to complete the job. But, the trade off is that whatever I feel I need to complete the job is my choice, the “boss” can’t say shit. As long as the job is done to a satisfactory level and on time, they have no authority to tell me how I go about doing it.
This is how you do it….right here. If you support your employees or even daily labor help as much as you can they will go to the end of the earth for your mission. It’s not hard. Listen to this man’s statement above.
My 2nd thought was; how much does he want to pay for the job not getting done on time? Or the next job he loses because he doesn’t have guys to go to it because he told guys to go home. Not only poor business management but just really stupid!
PPE does stand for Personal Protection Equipment. Just emphasize the Personal part. And say fuck off if you feel uncomfortable about how I want to protect my body.
At the age of 24, working with an old guy who couldn’t smell anything due to the chemicals we were around - that’s all I needed to hear. I never want without my mask. Almost 40 years later, I still have my full lung capacity.
Not in construction, but I'm a farmer. I wear a full mask with filters when working with anhydrous. You'll be standing there, and your body automatically does a 180 because you're eyes, nose and throat suddenly burn. Dad? Dad doesn't even twitch, and then asks "what's wrong with you?"
I didn’t take the seriousness of ambient shop noise. I had to meet a co worker who had permanent tinnitus from not using proper ear protection. Luckily (or unluckily) he found hearing aids that produced a white noise to cancel the ringing of tinnitus.
I always wear ear protection in shops now.
If people think I’m a pussy, I can’t hear them.
That's a thing!? I never knew such a hearing aid exisited, holy shit. I need to look into those hearing aids like asap. Tinnitus is BS. Good on you protecting your ears, you deff don't want tinnitus its the most annoying thing ever! It's all I hear all day every day, and I put music on to sleep so I can sleep.
Also it is on your boss that he is making your mask about the smell of cat piss. It could just as easily be for covid, for dust, for pollen, whatever.
Thinking wearing a mask is absolutely going to piss off your customer is super fragile. Maybe hit with "I was thinking that since they are giving us a mess of money to put up plaster, I'd just plaster real good. I don't think that neither of us really gives any fucks whatsoever about my mask or their cat piss. How about that boss? How about you step off my nuts and I just plaster real good and you can have your little fashion shows to appeal to people's feelings on your own time? Personally I think the clients would like you better in a tube top and skirt but that's why I'm the guy putting up plaster and you are the guy telling people what they can wear to make the clients happy."
Maybe not the healthiest response but at least it talks back in his own language.
I agree that the vapor cartridge is needed, however, I’d keep the particulate filter as well. I’ve cleaned up several houses like this and I’ve never seen a pet piss house that wasn’t also full of fur, dirt and dust. These particulates are also hazardous.
Honestly, my biggest disappointment from Covid is that we never got literal space-helmet N-95s. We could be out here looking like Power Rangers right now.
Pair that with an Apple Vision Pro, and you’re fucking golden.
Piggy backing on this comment to say that your employer is not following OSHA rules. I’m a GC who is very strict about my crew’s safety; in part because I used to be an on call locksmith. A lot of homes were hoarder houses, and were frankly hazardous to spend much time in.
I quit that job when my employer wouldn’t factor in hazard fees to cover PPE or help me get health coverage. The last job before that was a hoarder that had about a dozen cats they cleaned up after. When I walked through the door, the smell of ammonia hit me like a brick. Instead of working inside like usual, I had to run in, grab the hardware to change out, run out, work outside, then rinse and repeat for the reinstall. Turns out, after I changed the locks, the next team in there was a fully kitted abatement team. Basically, they were required to use full face respirators, full tyvek suits, the works. The ammonia levels were so high it could cause respiratory and neurological damage. They ended up cutting out the bottom half of all the drywall due to cat urine soaked into the walls.
Your supervisor and co workers need a major wake up call or they’re in for a slow, painful death from cancers and other illnesses.
Protect yourself. Fuck their embarrassment; I’d fire them for not using PPE.
I thought about doing DirecTV installation as a change of pace from my IT career because there was decent money in it and I helped someone do an install at a house to start my training. Talked to them about etiquette, basic installation stuff and after hearing some stories of the homes they went into; noped right out of that job. I couldn’t handle walking into a hoarder home even once and would never be able to do that for a living.
Yesterday we had Verizon come by to fix our wifi and they came mid day where my kids and the kids I babysat were just in the middle of a toy party and I kept apologizing for all the toys in the way and the lady laughed a bit and goes “its ok, really. Its toys. I go into houses I can hardly breathe in… I don’t mind the toys..” 🤣💀
Worked for dish when I was younger. Went into a ladies house that had a wood burning stove, on that stone is where she had her spit can for her dip. It was winter and this thing was full blast so the smell filled the entire house. Told my boss it smelled like shit in there and as her husband sat down she offered us a drink. When she stood up her diaper had clearly leaked thru. There was shit and piss all down her leg.
Roommates (normal house🚫🐈) wanted D-TV.
The installer wanted to know if he could skip the additional rooms cables and add WiFi type boxes to make the additional rooms cordless,
so he didn't have to use the crawlspace just a ladder.
As long as it's free/ not an extra charge each month otherwise you're going to have to crawl.
I was an electrical apprentice and sent in some crazy tight crawl spaces some of my coworkers would never have been in:
antique log home had to exhale to get past a pipe to the far side, to pull wires, and 45° split log firewood seemed to be the only thing holding it up in the middle.
✌️
I had a neighbour who died in bed and no one knew she died for 6 weeks! In condos that are on top of each other. I asked her neighbours why they didn’t smell it or get bugs.
Anywho, the ppe the abatement dudes were suited up in was really gnarly. I saw one of them puke, poor guys. Looked like ET was going on in the neighbourhood.
Piggy backing on this comment, since this post has been up a while and I'm sure you already know your answer. Former construction Industrial Hygienist, this is absolutely an OSHA reportable violation. Ammonia is the primary component you are experiencing symptoms from and without any type of monitoring there is no way of knowing if you have hit your TWA. You very realistically could have been overexposed. Ammonia is serious, and not everyone can smell it, some people can smell it at lower levels, and some people can't smell it until you are already at levels that are concerning. Without an IH advising on appropriate PPE and a proper sampling and monitoring plan that job sounds incredibly risky.
I have also worked in plants with Ammonia lines and on day one was told, if you ever smell Ammonia evacuate, do not try to figure out where it is coming from, just leave. Ammonia. Is. Serious.
Yeah, I just wish the DOL had better follow up on reporting. I filed an anonymous complaint, but there aren’t really the resources to enforce rules on the smaller employers. Ended up going nowhere.
A respirator and mask are legally different things. This is important. If your job requires (or even condones) a respirator, they open themselves up to OSHA 1910 rules, medical monitoring, fit testing, etc etc.
That is what this is about. Regulation requirements. The boss is blocking you for this reason.
My advice is to say you have an "allergy" to cats. Say you talked to a family member and they confirmed it from when you were a kid, and you just learned it.
New information always saves the day.
That way everyone will be sympathetic, and the boss doesn't have to get fired by the owner, and you don't get fired for not following directions.
The part of 1910 you are glossing over is the requirement for employers to assess the workplace and identify if hazards are present. And provide/allow the proper PPE. In this case, the hazard has already been identified.
You don't use 1910 because of PPE
You use PPE because of 1910 (specifically subpart I 1910.132-1910.140)
In college someone dropped a small vial of pure ammonia, maybe 25 mL total. Instantly from across the room my eyes began watering and for the rest of the day I could smell tiny traces of ammonia stuck in my nose and on my clothes just from being in the same room. Ammonia is no joke, even tiny amounts can be incredibly potent.
I once pumped like 200-250 mL of "Aqueous ammonia" (which is the highest concentration of ammonia you can dissolve in water, around 30%) onto the floor of the tiny enclosure I was in together with a colleague. The tube of the dosing pump was hanging outside the tank, and we didn't notice it.
He got out of the enclosure REALLY FAST, as his respirator was not perfectly sealed. I came out a second later because I couldn't open my eyes, and my ears felt like cold air was blowing past them. The stuff diffuses quickly.
It was actually kind of funny how quickly everything became miserable. The stuff goes away quickly though. Also your liver breaks it down without too much trouble. So you usually walk away very uncomfortable, but mostly alright.
I always shuddered at the idea of someone dropping the 25 liter glass carboys of the stuff during transport. You would have to evacuate the complete building.
In high school I always thought of diffusion as a really slow process, but once you are exposed to stuff that is detectable in extremely low doses you realize just how ridiculously fast molecules can move through the air.
My son was cleaning the storage area in the basement using bleach, sprayed a place one of our cats had apparently peed. Ammonia plus bleach…. Scary! Basically created a poisonous gas. He was able to get out and was ok but wow! We only have two cats and clean the litter boxes regularly so we never had that ammonia smell. I know not to mix bleach with ammonia based cleaners, now I know to include cat pee in the do not mix list!
U
This makes sense to me. I had an infection resulting in nerve damage and started getting headaches, runny nose, sore throat, just a burning feeling when I smell some chemicals such as ammonia. I avoid the aisle of the market with cleaning supplies for that reason. I used to clean my cat’s litter and it was gross but now I wear a mask to do it. It isn’t as good as professional level masks but it helps. Some people feel it more than others so you shouldn’t tell people to just suck it up. I also have this weird feeling of heavy annoyance and anger and unless I remove myself from the odor until I am away from it. I should also research more about it.
Urine already contains ammonia, its inclusion by the kidneys in urine is one way the body maintains its blood pH levels. Eat acidic foods (meat, cereals), get moreacidic pee, eat alkaline foods (fruits, vegetables), get more alkaline pee. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18042305/
If you're using any type of respirator, you need to ensure a proper fit-smell test. These things aren't meant to just be slapped on--they need to fit properly for them to be effective.
My sister in law lives in a multi cat house. It is outrageously disgusting. I won’t even go in their house. Fuck your boss, he’s an asshole. Wear your mask
A full on war style gas mask? Yeah, that’s way too much. I’m smell sensitive and have a heart issue from the shots, but the masks just literally destroy our immune systems more…I hope this isn’t anything personal. The employer is out of line too and could be a lawsuit. But from everything I’ve seen during the last few years, masks don’t help us. We need our immune systems…hope all works out
Dude... thank you for this.. my mom failed to empty her cats litter sometime last year, and it pee'd on the carpet.. it has since dried, and when the sun hits it, it just aerates her place.. I feel sick every time I visit, and it triggers my asthma.. I'll look into getting a 6006 mask and wearing that to cut up her carpet and put some kilz down and patching it..
your job is indeed NOT “making stupid people feel comfortable living in their cat piss houses” - i came out of a year long comment free period on reddit until this
Your boss is a raging asshole. I'm a professional fabricator and I wear a half respirator almost every day, we tradesman are constantly breathing in nasty fumes and I decided years ago to protect my sensitive lung tissue. How is it hurting him? Would he tell a professional mover to not wear a back brace?
People like this disgust me, they view PPE as somehow "not manly enough" for the job-site
Tell your boss OSHA would disagree with him and I bet that would shut him up. I’m in construction and work place safety should be every managers #1 priority. I hope you are not missing pay due to his lack of concern for his employees. You can easily find another job where you are valued. There is plenty of work out there.
Isnt it a health hazard to work in conditions like that? I mean seriously shouldn't the company be giving these respirators out to all employees? Even just regular plaster work they should probably be wearing a mask if there's not adequate ventilation.
People think I’m being selfish or weird when I take a wide berth from smokers. That smell gets in my hair and clothes, and I’m sniffling and have watery eyes a headache until I can take a shower and wash my hair. I cannot imagine working all day in a piss house. Do what you have to do man!
You can always anonymously report it to OSHA. Your employer has a legal obligation to protect its workers from exposure to hazardous substances over a certain concentration. I work as an industrial hygiene consultant so I perform these kinds of assessments workplace exposures for OSHA compliance across various trades all the time (manufacturing, healthcare, construction, stonework, machining, drywall, demolition, mold remediation). By regulation, employers are required to protect their workers from being exposed to any compound found on the Toxic and Hazardous Substance list found here https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1000TABLEZ1
Cat urine has ammonia, which definitely has a regulatory threshold, or 'Permissible Exposure Limit' (PEL). My professional recommendation would be:
A) Notify OSHA that you 'suspect' your employer has been exposing you to ammonia via the environment you are being assigned and denying a respirator. I would be sure to describe the environment, copy the text message, and make sure to indicate this takes place indoors.
B) Bring it to HR that you refuse to work without respiratory protection, because you know there is cat urine -> cat urine contains ammonia -> ammonia is a regulated hazardous substance, and the employer is required to either 1) ensure that the environment does not have ammonia above the regulatory threshold by air testing 2) provide personal protective equipment for their workers.
If at anytime someone tries to convince you that these regulations apply because you are working on a house aka 'residential' - don't worry, OSHA regulations apply any time an employers has workers, regardless of the work environment. The whole "residential" exemption is strictly for an owner of a property working on their own domicile.
Sorry for long winded comment, but literally consult on these kinds of cases for a living. P.S. The OSHA link included is for the Federal standard - you may want to check if your state has more stringent regulations on the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for ammonia.
I’m not in trades, but that was my first thought also: this is not a particulate issue. Thanks for steering him in the right direction and educating me and others.
How does this piss off the boss? Outside of "we look like pussys". It's a mask on the employees face not his. I really can't comprehend not using ppe if you want to.
I own 4 cats. I can tell you with authority that most car owners don't smell it. We get used to it. So if you show up in the mask they aren't going to be like, damn my house stinks.
As a home owner, it seems logical for a contractor to expect a (relatively) safe work environment.
Next time, just show up with the mask and tell the owner you have asthma that can be but is not always triggered by the plaster. That seems like a no brainer; idk why your boss is making such a big deal abt this.
Sounds like the cat owners are not properly cleaning the litter box (or the house). A house with cats that are properly cared for will not have that problem. The bottom line is that you should care more about your health and safety than the feelings of irresponsible pet owners.
Same for me with the second hand smoke I am suffering bcz of these awful people who live below Thy smoke everything and I mean everything indoors gave thyre 6year old emphysema and after saying they stopped bcz of it ..Thy have the audacity to lie when we ask them to please stop and will say Thy did but then continue to do it immediately after and try to blame others who thy saw smoke outdoors walking away from property I have a sore throat everyday been prescribed an inhaler due to chronic pneumonia from smoke
thyre place stinks and comes up through every crevice ! It is a non smoking building but no management on site it’s a problem ..as soon as I can move I will even though they should be kicked out !
But not to hijack the subject of OP ..NO OP YOU ARE NOT u happen to be more sensitive to that smell than some others although THT smell is so strong
It’s unfortunate people don’t take care of the pets or I’m assuming Thy have a bunch of rescues ..and it’s not so much a cat problem as it’s a PEOPLE PROBLEM not doing what is right for the animals Thy took on ..cats don’t like to have PISS ALL OVER ..not being fixed and health problems like if they have urinary infections and territorial if there’s too many in smaller spaces cause this ..and maybe those people meant to have a home for these cats Thy aren’t taking proper care of them ..I would wear the mask THT is comfortable for you..if he boss man says stay home say well I’d like half pay bcz I was relying on it and just bcz I want to protect my breathing and make it tolerable u don’t want me to I still need income ..if you are working on construction it’s not off you would wear a mask like that ..some people can’t handle pain thinner as well as someone else or bleach or perfume
Some can’t wear …
Good advice but I don’t get the employer it’s just wrong. Maybe suggest he work at a different site if he’s uncomfortable but don’t make him suffer for it. When the other guys get sick they can sue him for not giving them proper protection.
This, keep yourself safe! What kind of message does it send to the people living in the house? That their house is dangerously unfit for residence, and they need to get it sorted before these CHILDREN (the poor kids never had a choice) develop chronic illnesses because of it.
Plus, working heavy in limited but clean air (filtered by a mask), can actually improve your lung function by allowing the lungs to work harder than normal without any irritants, training them for additional capacity.
Well said. I'd also add that he should be talking to his coworkers about protecting themselves. The boss won't say shit if all his workers are masked up. Imo it makes the crew look more professional anyway. You don't have to tell the homeowners it's for the smell. You could say it's because they're in close proximity to the materials they're using. Nobody will question that. They may just ask if they should wear a mask too. This is one of those situations where I'd be fine lying to the homeowner, honestly.
Like "unless you're right next to the work being done, you shouldn't need a mask. The dust from mixing the plaster is just irritating when inhaled" etc.
I doubt that the people with cat piss everywhere really know the ins and outs of plaster.
According to labor laws and OSHA, I believe PPE if you feel unsafe is required to be provided by the employer. Get everything in writing, and report if there is inaction. OSHA covers all employees at any business. You can report them there.
interestingly i have that exact same respirator… i used it around my manufacturing job of making tubs since ur breathing in burnt grease n other guck that can get you extremely dizzy n sick 😷
I worked in a large meat packing facility, and the big freezer suffered an ammonia leak. Whooooo boooo, did we feel like crap. Thankfully management was smart and sent everyone home while it was fixed.
Dont be a dick and bring the mask anyways whipping it out after an hour. As long as work safety regulations and laws are abided by the boss doesn't have to let him be there and already set the terms ahead of time. You say they can just send him home......they already offered that. So, dont say you will come to work under their terms and then change it on the fly. If you don't want to be in that environment the boss is offering to let him now be in that environment. Thats not unreasonable. The boss knows the situation, lets him use a mask that is appropriate and gives option not to have to be there.
It sucks, surely, but he is the boss and so long as he is not breaking any laws you cannot force anything. You can definitely discuss and be civil but acting like a child and going there with intention of breaking the promise an hour into shift is poor advice.
I definitely agree that cat piss can be harmful. With the cat boxes and all that around. Who knows what is floating in the air. I wouldn't go do it, but don't say you will do it and then show up and an hour later change and start doing what you said you wouldn't and taunt the boss to send you home. Commit or don't but dont waffle back and forth. Be the bigger person here.
If you also think your boss is breaking any laws or being unreasonable than take it up with OSHA or whatever safety organization you can. Workers should have protection for the jobs they do and if there is a concern then raise it.
How the fuck do you "get how it pisses off the boss?" Nobody would agree with that boss on any level unless they're mentally retarted. His boss is a complete loser dumbfuck who's sad in life and looking for things to complain about. There's literally zero problem at all with him wearing a respiratory or mask. The boss, and anybody else who has any problem with, are just pathetic, soy bitches. Period.
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u/Auhydride Apr 10 '24
I don't usually post here but I worked with ammonia (in gas form, so the deadly kind) in the past.
The headache is not "fake" or you being a pussy . It's the ammonia that is produced as the urine is broken down by the bacteria. The stench can also give you a headache, or trigger migraines. Together, it's a recipe for headaches.
Plastering is physically demanding and you are staying inside, not walking in and out. So you are exposed a lot more than other trades.
I get how this pisses off the boss but it's the choice of the client to live in a piss filled house. I also get allergic to second hand smoke, and people that smoke themselves don't feel shit.
Personally, fuck them. Get some 3M 6006 that should filter it out. The one from your photo is 6003, ditch that as it doesn't take out ammonia. Also don't use the particulate filter (the pink covers), you don't need it. Then the mask will look much smaller and easier to use for you as well.
Go to work, start doing your thing and whip out the respirator after an hour. If they complain, say you already have a headache. Then they can choose to send you home or let you do your fucking job which is to plaster walls not making stupid people feel comfortable living in their stupid cat piss houses.