DIY Safety

Feb 24, 2023 | Blog

Spring is coming!

Whether you plan to tackle major spring cleaning or launch into a home or garden renovation project, here are some safety basics that can protect you from unnecessary and potentially life-altering harm.

The Sky is Falling

(Nope. Just you are.)

The number one cause of injury and death around construction sites (or at homes using similar equipment like ladders) is falls. From gutter cleaning or repairs to updating interior ceiling light fixtures, the use of ladders creates risk.

The basics:

Choose the correct ladder size and type for the job
Do not use the top of a step ladder to stand upon
Check for damage to ladder frame or rungs before use
Ensure ground below ladder feet is even and stable
Consider having another person present in case of a fall

I Can See Clearly Now

Always protect your eyes with appropriate safety glasses, goggles, or face shields. Sunglasses do not offer the same impact resistance as safety glasses and may cause major damage if they shatter. If you’re working with chemicals that may have harmful effects if fluid or vapors reach the eyes, use goggles (yeah, like the ones from your old chemistry class). For other work requiring skin protection for the face as well as the eyes, use a shatter resistant face shield.

Have a bottle or two of sterile eye rinse on hand as part of your first aid kit in case you need to flush debris or chemicals from your eyes. Sterile eye rinse matches the body’s natural pH and doesn’t cause the same discomfort that water can.

If you experience an eye injury, seek medical attention immediately. Corneal abrasions or chemical burns can quickly worsen if not properly treated, resulting in infection or injury up to permanent loss of vision.

Listen Up

Hearing loss is insidious. Unless you suffer a traumatic event that instantly and irrevocably alters your hearing, you most likely won’t be aware of hearing loss until it is too late. While most of us don’t have a decibel meter lying around to test actual noise levels, you can use the 2-to-3 foot rule to determine if hearing protection is needed. If two people standing 2-3 feet apart must raise their voices to be heard, then noise levels are loud enough to cause hearing damage.

Have some form of hearing protection on hand to mitigate hearing damage:

Foam earplugs
Plastic ear caps
Noise-dampening earmuffs

If you’re working on a project with power tools with multiple people helping, be sure that your chosen hearing protection allows you to hear important warnings from others or that you have known hand signals to convey critical information. Look to each other for visual confirmation before powering tools or taking action.

Skin

Sunburn, abrasions, and toxin exposure can permanently damage skin. Choose appropriate protection for your task and cover up.

Sunscreen
SPF-rated clothing and hats
Thicker clothing materials
Protective aprons
Gloves
Long sleeves and pants
Coveralls

If clothing gets soiled with chemicals, discard them appropriately. Do not wash or dry items that have been exposed to flammable or other toxic materials as they may pose a fire risk or contaminate other clothing.

Caught-Between Injuries

Hands and feet are especially prone to cuts, punctures, and what are known as caught-between injuries. Depending on the task, the use of gloves may create a greater risk for having hands pulled into moving equipment like saw blades.

Safety basics:

Never reach into energized equipment with moving parts
Do not remove or otherwise disengage equipment guards
Have long hair tied back and secured
Remove jewelry
Do not use gloves that may get caught on moving parts
Wear heavy duty boots to protect feet from damage

Breathe Easy

Just like hearing loss, damage to the respiratory system often goes undetected until many years later. While tradespersons who perform daily work with known damaging substances are well-versed on respiratory protection, laymen who engage in DIY renovations often don’t consider the potential exposure they have.

Before you leave that big box store with your cart of supplies, do some online research, read product warning labels, and throw the appropriate respiratory protection devices in with your purchase.

Some projects that may require specific types of respiratory protection:

Interior staining or painting with poor ventilation (especially oil-based)
Removal of asbestos-containing products (“popcorn” ceilings, certain tiles)
Sanding or scraping of lead-based paint
Entering crawl spaces with mold or other toxins
Use of paint thinners or strippers
Application of certain surface-leveling products
Mixing cement or mortar

Shocking, Right?!

Ah, electricity… Most of us can’t live without it.

The problem is, you might not live with it if you’re not careful. For ANY work near electrical components, shut down the circuit. Then use a line tester to ensure any exposed parts aren’t live. Something as simple as driving a nail or screw into a wall could potentially contact interior wires. Some “stud finder” tools have current-detecting functions. Use them, especially if there is a switch or outlet located anywhere nearby. If in doubt, hire a licensed electrician to perform electrical work.

Extension cords. It felt good to just put a period there, as if somehow we could simply shut the door on what may be the riskiest violation 99.9% of us make. Let’s keep this brief because there is a good chance that every person reading this has violated extension cord rules more than once.

Do not remove the grounding prong to make a 3-prong cord fit a 2-prong outlet
Do not use an extension cord if the manufacturer says not to (read: space heaters)
Use the correctly-rated cord for the task (heavy duty, double insulated, etc…)
Do not overload circuits by adding power strips and maxing them out

More cord safety notes:

Do not lift tools by their cords
Grasp a cord by the plug to unplug it, do not pull using the cord
Inspect cords before use
Do not use frayed or damaged cords
If a cord overheats, unplug and discontinue use

Finally: If something trips a GFCI, do not simply reset it and continue on your merry way. Figure out what the overload was that caused it to trip and make an adjustment to the load on the circuit.

Dude, That Home Improvement Project is FIRE

(Which means it’s totally cool…unless it’s actually fire.)

While this should be a no-brainer, not everyone has a fire extinguisher on hand at home. Pick up a decent-sized ABC-rated one and keep it handy when you’re getting your DIY on.

And, while you’re at it…make sure those smoke detectors are working properly as well.