As cold weather returns to much of the U.S., Americans are heading indoors, a trend that raises the risk of unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, according to the National Safety Council. To help prevent these accidents, industry groups observe CO Safety Month each November with publicity campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the threat and offering preventative measures.
One of those groups is the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), which recently launched a webpage dedicated to CO safety and indoor air quality. According to PERC, one of the chief sources of CO is the gasoline- or diesel-powered small engines often found at job sites, including light construction and material handling operations. To reduce the harmful emissions from those engines, users can convert their operations over to propane, which is a cleaner-burning fuel, the group says.
Located at Propane.com, PERC’s CO safety webpage aims to educate visitors on propane’s emissions benefits across several industries and provides a variety of resources. It includes an educational video, an infographic depicting the symptoms of CO exposure, and emissions comparisons of propane equipment versus diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles.
“According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one of the most common sources of CO exposure in the workplace is the internal combustion engine,” Matt McDonald, PERC’s director of off-road business development, said in a release. “That said, we’re excited to use this webpage to reach pros working around internal combustion engine-powered equipment—including propane equipment—to educate them on the dangers of CO, the signs of CO poisoning, and how different fuels used on-site can affect their risk.”
