Letters: 04/14/2008

Raising Awareness on Carbon Monoxide Safety

Editor’s note: The following letters are in response to John R. Hall’s editorial on March 3.

Booklet on CO Would Be a Public Service

I just read John R. Hall’s column on CO. Right on! Here’s a suggestion: think marketing. Many contractors would be very interested in helping spread the word if there was something in it for them. Not the most noble motivation, but probably very true.

I bet there are many knowledgeable and professional organizations that would not only help contribute information, but probably share in printing costs to compile a helpful booklet on this subject.

How will it get distributed to the general public? If it is possible to arrange the printing of the contractor’s name on the back of the booklet, I bet that they would be happy to see that each of their customers get one. In fact, if the printer constructed the last page to accept mailing labels, I think this type of information would be distributed far and wide as a great public service.

Certainly, all of us feel saddened over this unnecessary loss of life as a result of preventable causes. Many of us would be very willing to help reduce this unfortunate problem by helping to inform others - with or without the marketing bump.

Craig R. Wiedder
Operations Manager
Climatemp Service Group LLC
Hillside, Ill.

Trying to Get the Word Out on CO Safety

I just read John R. Hall’s well-put message on CO and the media in the March 3 NEWS. It has also been my experience to have CO safety training programs where you have limited attendance and limited media coverage.

While working for Bacharach Inc. for over 13 years, we were able to get in front of some pretty good-sized audiences with our CO safety message, but it was always underlined with the fact that we worked for an instrument manufacturer, even though our message promoted technique, awareness raising, and was approved by Department of Labor, professional associations, and others requiring educational programs for CEUs [continuing education units.]

The news reports on CO accidents also remain somewhat frustrating to me, and it would seem to Hall. We put up stories everyday on our COSA (Carbon Monoxide Safety Association) Website, www.cosafety.org, in the hopes to cluster these stories and emphasize how prevalent these occurrences are.

Thank you, Hall, for your efforts in addressing CO safety and action to raise awareness and prevention of injuries and death.

Bob Dwyer
Director of Training
COSA
Eastlake, Colo.

Send correspondence via e-mail to letters@achrnews.com.

Publication date: 04/14/2008