If you’re considering renovating your home, the last thing you want to worry about is safety. But it’s a topic worth considering: accidents in the home can be very costly, not to mention traumatic.
Whether you’re planning on painting a bedroom or planting a garden, here are some useful safety tips for making sure your renovation goes as smoothly as possible.
1) Skincare
This may feel like an odd place to start. Yet, caring for your skin is important. It may come into contact with abrasive, corrosive, or other irritants, which can cause long-term chronic problems, especially in cases where your skin regularly comes into contact with irritants. Products such as a good hand cream or even a vitamin C face wash can soothe sensitive skin.
2) Person Protective Equipment (PPE)
This includes safety goggles and a dust mask. If you’re planning to work with hazardous materials, such as paint thinners, for example, or caustic chemicals, such as acid or bleach, and your employer does not provide you with these items, you may need to purchase one or even two masks.
3) Work Gloves
The last thing you want to do is hurt your hands. This is why working gloves are essential. Whether you’re laying down tiles or placing wood flooring, you may come into contact with sharp objects or liquids which may injure your hands.
4) Hearing Protection
Ringing in your ears could be a sign of hearing damage. If you plan on using loud machinery, such as a power tool, it’s important to wear hearing protection at all times. You’ll also want to wear these if you’re exposed to other loud noises for long periods, such as construction workers or musicians, for example.
5) Hard-Working Shoes
Hard-working shoes are essential if you plan on doing any heavy lifting. They’ll protect your feet and ankles from repeated trauma, which can lead to serious injury or even amputation. Hard-working shoes can also prevent you from tripping or slipping over uneven or dangerous surfaces, which can cause serious injuries as well.
6) Ladders
This is perhaps the most important safety tip. Never, ever attempt to climb a ladder if you aren’t certain it’s stable or if you’re worried about your ability to balance on it. The last thing you want is to fall off a ladder and break your back. If the ladder has rungs that wobble or move when you touch them, this can be a sign that the ladder is unsafe and unstable or at risk of collapsing altogether. You should also lift heavy objects such as boxes or furniture with both hands and avoid reaching with one hand while climbing up and down the ladder, as this can also lead to accidents as well.
If you are working in a remote area, don’t use a ladder at all. If you fall and hurt yourself, getting help may be beyond your abilities, meaning you will be hurt and stranded for potentially many hours.
7) Take care of electric cables
Avoid laying cables where they could be damaged or tripping hazards; reel them in where possible. Consider taping down extension cables that are needed as you work – run them along skirting boards or tuck them under radiators (just make sure they can’t snag) rather than having loose cables all over the place.
8) Electrical Safety
If you are working on your home’s Wiring, you should check it for faults. Have a safety check carried out by an electrician to ensure that nothing is faulty and that the appliance you are installing can be safely operated.
9) Use a dust mask
When renovating, there is always something you must do which will result in breathing in dust particles, so wear dust masks when working in dusty areas, especially at the top of ladders and on footbridge beams, because you don’t want a coughing fit at height.
10) Use equipment safely
Make sure any power tools have been serviced before using them and that they are not faulty. Be aware of how much space you have around yourself when using equipment and keep away from areas where the cables are too close to walls etc.
With safety and the above tips in mind, you can safely renovate without any accidents. If you do feel you have an accident, make sure to keep a record of the incident. Doing so will ensure you are able to claim compensation when needed.
