{"id":149827,"date":"2017-04-27T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T06:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/149827\/leaf-blowing-neighbours-leave-resident-sleepless\/"},"modified":"2017-04-27T08:32:29","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T06:32:29","slug":"leaf-blowing-neighbours-leave-resident-sleepless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/opinion-edition\/2017\/04\/27\/leaf-blowing-neighbours-leave-resident-sleepless\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaf blowing neighbours leave resident sleepless"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleepless in Germiston writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a shift worker who is terrified of going to sleep in my own home.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

No, it\u2019s not because I am afraid of the scourge of crime, it is because I am so on edge about being woken up unexpectedly, that I cannot get to sleep.<\/p>\n

I have now resorted to grabbing precious hours of sleep in my car in the parking lot at work.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

And the reason for this? Leaf blowers!<\/p>\n

We used to have just one in the neighbourhood, but now they are proliferating.<\/p>\n

At any time of the day, one or more of them can start up, shaking me out of sleep.<\/p>\n

They are definitely way louder than any other home appliance that I have ever experienced; and I have been a shift worker and sleeping during the day for decades.<\/p>\n

The noise is loud and high-pitched and can go on for hours and hours.<\/p>\n

You may ask why I have not appealed to my neighbours to assist me in this.<\/p>\n

Well, I have.<\/p>\n

I tried the first owners of this device in my neighbourhood and was met with anger and vitriol.<\/p>\n

I can only come to the conclusion that people who cannot see the harm these devices cause cannot be reasoned with.<\/p>\n

So I have simply been too afraid of confronting other neighbours for fear of receiving more anger and spite.<\/p>\n

The gardener across the road has been extremely threatening.<\/p>\n

On one occasion I came outside my own home to take a photo of my own rain gauge because of the heavy rain we had been experiencing.<\/p>\n

The gardener launched himself towards me, waving the leaf blower threatening, saying he was going to \u201ccome over there\u201d and \u201cget me\u201d.<\/p>\n

But, he too, wears no protection for his ears from the loud noise.<\/p>\n

Nor does he, or any of the others wielding the device, wear face masks to protect them from the dust blown up.<\/p>\n

This must surely be a violation of labour codes.<\/p>\n

The noise is way over what would be legal exposure in another work environment.<\/p>\n

The dust that is blown up \u2013 particularly from the road surfaces \u2013 is toxic because of car exhausts.<\/p>\n

And why are roads blown anyway?<\/p>\n

And not to mention our smaller earthly neighbours — insects and bees — who are blown away into the air by this unnatural hurricane.<\/p>\n

What do other residents feel about this, the new terror of suburbia?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>, Leigh Hodgson (journalist)\u00a0leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or Puleng Sekabate\u00a0pulengs@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n

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Or add the GCN on\u00a0<\/strong>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n

Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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