# bedbugs



## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

van2977 said:


> My boss has a huge contract at a apt. Complex that is known to be infected with bedbugs. Some units have been treated and some have had landlords spraying all kinds of internet chemical solutions. End result i have no protective suits or a clean up area. What to do?
> Has anyone run into this as either employees or employers?


I guess...scratch, you could just...scratch, try to...scratch. Oh hell I'd quit!


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## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

Call Roscoe!


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## van2977 (Jan 13, 2010)

Thats kinda where I've been leaning, but the wife is pregnant and being responsible sucks


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Bed bugs.. Yuk

A sprinkle of DDT works well. 
Just don't feed it to the birds.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Get some OFF Deep Woods spray with DEET and spray your feet and calves with the stuff..

Keep a clean set of clothes in your truck and change before going home.. 

Do your own wash to keep your wife away from the chemicals that have been sprayed already..


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## MollyHatchet29 (Jan 24, 2012)

Holy crap no! My exterminator buddy was telling me about them one day. He said he'd rather deal with 1 million roaches over 2 bed bugs. Ugh... God forbid you bring them home with you.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Definetly hazard pay.


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## Cat5Installer (Jul 19, 2009)

Tyvek suit?


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## Amish Electrician (Jan 2, 2010)

Go to the sporting goods section of WalMart and look for Sawyer Permethrin spray. Spray it on your clothes - not on you. It will keep the critters away for a week at a time.


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## zerogroundfaults (May 7, 2012)

I had encounter bed bugs before, it's a real annoying pest and terribly hard to get rid of. My advice is if you must goto this job, make sure to spray your shoes down before you get in your truck/car. Also wear a coverall/jumpsuit. Remember to bag your jumpsuit and make sure to throw all your clothes in hot water wash asap at home seperate from regular clothes.

And depending where your at, known bedbugs can be considered a hazmat or hazardous working condition and your boss maybe required to provide you ppe of some type, check with your local OSHA office.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

Heh, I always thought bedbugs were a made up thing... "sweet dreams, dont let the bed bugs bite" kind of thing.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

Oh, on the Eastern Front they would bury lice infested clothing in the ground for a day with just a tuft sticking out then light that tuft on fire to kill them all.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

That jobsite is your workplace. If the workplace has bed bugs, the employer is in violation of OSHA rules. 29 CFR 1910.141(a)(5)


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## zerogroundfaults (May 7, 2012)

MDShunk said:


> That jobsite is your workplace. If the workplace has bed bugs, the employer is in violation of OSHA rules. 29 CFR 1910.141(a)(5)


Thanks for the code ref! Wish I knew sooner.... I could have worked on my unemployment claim a while back!


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## greenman (Apr 20, 2012)

This is what you need! a air supplyed suit.


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## van2977 (Jan 13, 2010)

Osha said as long as i get a tyvex suit he is doing what he can. There are no rules to dictate bedbug safety.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

van2977 said:


> Osha said as long as i get a tyvex suit he is doing what he can. There are no rules to dictate bedbug safety.


Actually, there are, and I referenced it for you. File a complaint specific to that code section.


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## s.kelly (Mar 20, 2009)

That section appilies to permanent places of employment, since this is a contract it is a temporary place of employment IMO and the standard is probably not enforceable. 

That being said, I would probably have to drag up given conditions like that.


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## black (Oct 12, 2011)

This thread is almost two weeks old, but I would strongly urge you not to go to the job. A friend of mine in NYC brought them home after staying in a hotel on vacation. They took an unbelievable amount of time and money to get rid of, and the stress on his family was huge. Evidently any item that has been exposed to them has to go through a decontamination protocol. This is not something you should step into blindly. This site has good information:

http://bed-bugs.co.uk/


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## van2977 (Jan 13, 2010)

I am looking as fast as I can for a new position, but my wife is pregnant so I cant just quit. Also OSHA has been called ...don't know who called but.... and as long as my boss provides me back woods off and a tyvex suit he is not subject to investigation by OSHA, as well as now that he is giving me "mosquito" spray he can send us into active infested units with no fear from OSHA. That organization is a f*%#ing joke.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

find a hotel nearby the job and just stay there the whole time. besides, the time away from the wife will be good for you, and you can play with hookers and stuff. JMO


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

wildleg said:


> find a hotel nearby the job and just stay there the whole time. besides, the time away from the wife will be good for you, and you can play with hookers and stuff. JMO


_ "So, how'd you get bedbugs!?" 
"I already told you! I caught them from a hooker!"_


-John


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## black (Oct 12, 2011)

The chemicals in sprays like Off do not kill or even deter bedbugs. You are in a really tough situation here. At the very least, I would inspect your clothing and all items you bring onto the jobsite prior to getting in your car at the end of the day. That site I linked to above tells you what to look for in the Education section. Throwing items in the dryer on high will kill bedbugs.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

freezing kills them, so. if you go by the local meat lockers or fish houses on the way home maybe you can get them to let you sit in there for 30 min or so to kill them on the way home ?


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Go find an old can of DDT. It didn't kill us years ago.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

Wirenuting said:


> Go find an old can of DDT. It didn't kill us years ago.


This is still sealed and I found it in the back of a cupboard at a flat I was renting.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

chewy said:


> This is still sealed and I found it in the back of a cupboard at a flat I was renting.


You have no fear of bedbugs now.


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## Cujo (Feb 4, 2012)

> freezing kills them, so.


Only if you can get it down to something like -40 for a sustained period of time.



> I am looking as fast as I can for a new position, but my wife is pregnant so I cant just quit. Also OSHA has been called ...don't know who called but.... and as long as my boss provides me back woods off and a tyvex suit he is not subject to investigation by OSHA, as well as now that he is giving me "mosquito" spray he can send us into active infested units with no fear from OSHA. That organization is a f*%#ing joke.


If you must work there, here is what I would do. (An apartment i lived in had them a while ago).

I feel that it would be very unlikely for you to contract bedbugs simply by working in area. Again very unlikely. 

As a precaution, if you have a tyvek suit use it obviously. If you completely change clothes and isolate them from everything else and then just put them in the dryer for 30 mins when you get home. Inspect your clothes as well and make sure you haven't seen any bugs. They are visible if you are inspecting closely.

The most important things to do happen when you are actually in the area. I would open all the windows where you are working. Bugs don't like the cold. They are also attracted to your warmth, and carbon dioxide. More air circulation will help with that. They are also nocturnal, so if it is light where you are working, it is unlikely that they will be active.


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