New advanced, online, video course on inspecting crawlspaces.

http://www.nachi.org/advancedcourses.htm

Cool

No. It was not cool. It was anything but.:slight_smile:

One of the crawlspace in the video was less than 24 inches high, dirt floor, wet, muddy, moldy, toilet was leaking, odors, a bucket full of ****, spiders, etc.

But Kenton and I had a lot of fun doing it. Took two days of shooting in crawlspaces to make the 1 hour video.

I would have thought that an “advanced” class in crawlspaces would have advised home inspectors to avoid entering dangerous areas such as what you just described.

As you place your hand in the first moist spot of the dirt floor in the 24 inch high space…not knowing about the live, unterminated wire lying at the bottom of the same puddle in the corner darkened by a shadow caused by your flashlight…you could be immediately electrocuted.

But that’s what makes life fun! LOL
If I had to excuse myself from all of the unsafe areas in which I conducted my inspections, my inspections would probably take only 30 minutes to do.

Sewer odors, water damage, mold, mud, moisture, lions, tigers, bears - OH MY. I couldn’t resist going in.

It would have been a sh*tty video - if Kenton and I had paid paid mind to what our mothers might say.

Had you watched the video, and you haven’t, you would have seen that the first 10 minutes of the video involves Kenton teaching about PPE. That’s personal protection/protective equipment.

What PPE exists to protect me on my belly in a puddle of water that has a live wire in it, Ben? I need to buy their stock.:wink:

Ben…I know you are smarter than this post. You have to be.

Do you know how many people arekilledeach year due to odorless gases in confined spaces? Do you know that, at lethal levels, hydrogen sulfide (sewer gas) cannot be detected by smell?

Your “advanced” video sounds like it was produced by a kindergarten class.

Add to that the threat of electrocution due to mud and water you brag about playing in…in a house that you are inspecting due to its propensity for electrical defects…and your “advanced” advice is not only unworthy of a fee…but should come with a disclaimer.

This is sad.

James,

Why not just list your objections and concerns instead of sniping?

We’ll gain more from a real discussion than the display of acrimony.

Personally I don’t enter unsafe crawl spaces as determined my me.

The state does provide some cover here for components that are not readily accessible.(edited)

There are not a lot of them in my area and I charge extra for them in any case unless they are very accessible as in 4 ft. of head clearance.

I am not sniping.

I asked how a course that teaches something that everyone must know how to do on their first inspection can be considered “advanced”. I learned that it does not contain a “higher level” of information…just “more” information about related subjects such as radon, mold, etc.

Then I came across one of the most reckless and ill-informed posts I have ever read on this message board ---- someone professing to be “training” inspectors by way of video encouraging behavior that could cause injury or death.

I am responding to what I am being provided to read in the order that it is being published.

I’m still wanting to invest in that PPE that will save my life as I lay on my belly in a puddle full of live electricity. Is it a hard hat that will protect my head as I thrash around … or special safety goggles that will keep my eyeballs from rolling around in the mud after they pop out of my head? :smiley:

I took the coruse and didn’t see Kenton laying on his

…like he does at home for fun.

Jim, me thinks Ben is toying with you a bit.

Watch the video Jim. Ben made you a great offer.:slight_smile:

Nick,

As an industry, we should be using OSHA standards and criteria to establish our own ability to refuse to risk our lives - and be getting support from our clients and real estate agents in these decisions - in the process of making $350.

I will not speak for Joe Farsetta, but he and I have had many conversations on this exact subject…and the real harm that is done to our industry when people are led to believe that $350 for a home inspection includes risk of life as a part of the standard fee.

Ben’s statements in this thread do little to help, in that regard.

Training new inspectors to do the exact opposite of what OSHA requires of experienced employees is reckless.

Post Edit Note: While typing this post and discussing the building of an ADA compliant ramp to a day care to a day care center with a contractor, I received a nice voice message from Ben offering me to take the course for free and report on it.

I will.

But please understand that my objection is to your post and inference of “duty” to enter a dangerous area and is unlikely to change…until you change your post.

The post you are complaining about is not part of the course.

No, but it refers to:

If the video does not point to the crawlspace as being an unsafe area and advise the home inspector to avoid it, it is grossly deficient and errant in fact.

You can get hurt in a crawlspace. Do you know what the most common inspector injury is? Head injury from bumping it in crawlspaces and attics.

I just found this incredibly absurd quote on another thread touting this video:

I am flabbergasted.

A producer of an alledged “advanced” training course bragging…not only of performing an unsafe act in the process of training others to do the same…but abandoning the SOP in the process.

This is surreal.

How does anyone compare with a CMI who is too stupid to avoid a dangerous confined space…and who conducts the reckless act without regard to the application of industry accepted standards?

Can you hear the experienced inspectors throughout the industry laughing at this “advanced” NACHI training?

Jim, note this part of the quote you are complaining about

Again, message board posts are not part of our courses and Kenton did nothing to promote a disregard for safety in the course IMHO. Actually, quite the reverse, he talks much about crawlspace safety and what dangers to look for. More inspectors get hurt in crawlspaces than on roofs.

Fair enough.

Until I see the course, I will separate the incredibly reckless and factually deficient comments of the producer from the course itself.

Again…inspecting crawlspaces is a basic part of a brand new inspector’s routine and he can die if he follows Ben’s advice on the message board.

Oh, and assuming he comes out of the 24 inch, muddy and wet crawlspace alive…this is what a major E&O carrier just provided in response to his comments about the SOP: “Once you exceed a standard of practice, your insurer reserves the right to deny a claim.” Short and sweet.

I hope that more preparation and research goes into the production of these videos than the posts that promote them. My God!

(edited to correct my grievous error in spelling the word “insurer”)

Jim writes:

Really?.. tell that major E&O carrier to learn to spell what his company is… an insurer… not an ensurer. :roll:

Don’t worry, I won’t be overly picky on every word they write or say, even if it is the most used word in their own industry… and I won’t judge this major E&O carrier’s ensurance (I mean insurance) products based on a message board post.