Creosote posts beware !

Chips · Apr 21, 2018

Just what was in the old post preservative that was so bad that it was banned and we now have to use creosote ? My mother came up to nick some posts while I was away to fence off her bungalow and took my son for some help . He picked some posts up without gloves and later rubbed his face with his hands . Later that night he was treated in A&E for burns !
Today I was repairing some fairly new fencesthat had fallen over thanks to the ban on the old preservative and as always I was wearing gloves , but when I banged a staple in it fired liquid creosote straight in my face . My face is now smeared in after sun and feels like it's on fire , far worse than any sunburn I can remember . Surely to God the old stuff can't of been that bad that it was worse than this .This isn't DIY creosoting either , bought ready done , only good thing about it I guess if it burns like this it must be doing a good job

vantage · Apr 21, 2018

No, creosote is not pleasant.Fencing with new posts is a challenge,wear gloves and eye shields.Try not to fence on a hot day as the creosote oozes out of the posts.Best done on a wet day,there have been plenty this winter/spring!

Chips · Apr 21, 2018

Yes cooler day would be better , but given I near enough fence the entire farm with the old crappy posts before we realised how rubbish they were , you never know which fence is going to fall next thus we are always doing fire brigade repairs once cattle are out even though I spent a fair amount of the winter going around doing repairs , so much so that you get little time to do new fences now for always repairing the semi new stuff !

tepapa · Apr 21, 2018

Glad to hear you and your family were wearing the correct ppe to deal with creosote and using it in the correct location around a domestic property.
On a serious note its a good preservative and currently the best we've got. Farmer gun ho mentality that we can do as we wish and it'll be fine does have a limit and Creo will bite you on the arse if your not careful.
I'm sure the use of correct ppe is mentioned in your risk assessment.
I'm not having a go but if people don't use it responsibly the powers that be will ban it and then we are fecked, left with tanalised timber, there is only so much chestnut grown.

RWG Contracts · Apr 21, 2018

tepapa said:
Glad to hear you and your family were wearing the correct ppe to deal with creosote and using it in the correct location around a domestic property.
On a serious note its a good preservative and currently the best we've got. Farmer gun ho mentality that we can do as we wish and it'll be fine does have a limit and Creo will bite you on the arse if your not careful.
I'm sure the use of correct ppe is mentioned in your risk assessment.
I'm not having a go but if people don't use it responsibly the powers that be will ban it and then we are fecked, left with tanalised timber, there is only so much chestnut grown.

Don’t think the op asked for a lecture

tepapa · Apr 21, 2018

RWG Contracts said:
Don’t think the op asked for a lecture

No, but irresponsible use by some will see it banned for all.

ARW · Apr 21, 2018

We don’t fence with creosoted materials on really hot days, when we do we wear gloves, long sleeve shirts, eye protection, smear Vaseline all over your face and have wet wipes at the ready. We have all been burnt in the past and 1 lad in hospital with creosote sawdust in his eye.
The best day for it is a wet day

Bury the Trash · Apr 21, 2018

if i work with telgraph poles on hot days i come out all blotchy and allergic ...never used to ... but mustve got sensitised to it over the years ....

Chips · Apr 21, 2018

RWG Contracts said:
Don’t think the op asked for a lecture

Quite !
I had no idea my mother was taking my posts so all the risk assements in the world would not have prevented that .
My point is what was so bad about the old stuff that they think this is better . Bar working in a full mask you are at risk

RWG Contracts · Apr 21, 2018

Chips said:
Quite !
I had no idea my mother was taking my posts so all the risk assements in the world would not have prevented that .
My point is what was so bad about the old stuff that they think this is better . Bar working in a full mask you are at risk

You should have wrote a risk assessment about the risk of your mum coming and stealing your posts

Unless you employ more than 5 people you don’t have to write a risk assessment anyway

tepapa · Apr 21, 2018

Chips said:
Quite !
I had no idea my mother was taking my posts so all the risk assements in the world would not have prevented that .
My point is what was so bad about the old stuff that they think this is better . Bar working in a full mask you are at risk

They banned the Arsenic in the treatment.

milkloss · Apr 21, 2018

I think creosote not only burns skiing itself but also makes you sensitive to the sun so burn that way as well. Hot day all pores are open too which makes it worse.

ollie989898 · Apr 21, 2018

Had a tiny flick of creosote in my eye once. Hurt like hades. Not recommended.

SilliamWhale · Apr 21, 2018

tepapa said:
They banned the Arsenic in the treatment.

How bad was that really?

Cab-over Pete · Apr 21, 2018

ollie989898 said:
Had a tiny flick of creosote in my eye once. Hurt like hades. Not recommended.

Hurt like what?!

tepapa · Apr 21, 2018

SilliamWhale said:
How bad was that really?

Don't think it did humans any harm when locked into a post. I believe the concern came about, the sort of scenario where kids might lick the timber and potentially consume a small amount arsenic. So EU decided to ban it.

Lazy Eric · Apr 21, 2018

Creosote is carcinogenic, be careful folks

ploughman1963 · Apr 21, 2018

We stock creosoted materials now so that we are using stuff thats dried out rather than freshly delivered. Like others have said, I wear suncream on my face (especially my forehead) and arms. I find the creosote gets on my forearms and then, despite trying not to, it get s onto your forehead when you wipe your brow.

ARW · Apr 21, 2018

Don’t pick your nose or go for a widdle with a creosoted hand!

Grouse · Apr 21, 2018

And don’t widdle on an electric fence

Creosote posts beware !

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