How To Stay Safe With DIY Projects

If you love doing DIY projects at home, you know it's important to make sure that you are staying safe while enjoying the activities you're working on. Before you begin, it's important that you carry out an assessment and learn how to keep yourself and your family members safe while you are working in and around the house. Below you will find a few tips to stay safe and help you avoid injuries or accidents.

How To Stay Safe With DIY Projects

Look Out For Toxic Materials

If you are going to be working on projects in an older house and you're concerned about toxic materials like lead paint or asbestos, it's best that you get a professional opinion before you begin the work.  Toxic materials like asbestos can't be removed by the general layperson, and needs to be abated by a company licensed to do so.  Speak with a structural engineer before planning any major structural changes on an older homes, or else you might be looking at a very pricey remediation.

Take Proper Precautions

Whenever you are working with chemicals, power tools or creating dust and debris, you should wear protective gear. Use protective eyewear, earplugs, work gloves, work boots and even a comfortable boilersuit with plenty of pockets for tools and other bits. If you are working in a potentially dangerous situation, such as climbing a ladder, make sure someone is with you to spot you.  And if you need to work on higher elevations like roofs, you might be better off hiring a scaffolding company than risking it with a ladder.

MCR Safety Yukon Clear Protective Eyewear, Pack of 6, walmart.com

Clc 125m Handyman High Dexterity Work Gloves, walmart.com

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Cover Your Property

You don’t want to damage your furniture when working in the house. Likewise, if you are using chemicals, they can soak into soft furnishings or carpet and release toxic fumes for years to come. Reduce the amount of pollution when completing DIY projects: Use drop cloths for floors; plastic covers and tarps for furniture and if the project warrants, consider making walls out of plastic sheeting (as well as covering doorways) to keep dust and debris contained to just the area in which you are working.

HDX 9 ft. x 12 ft. 0.7 mil Drop Cloth (6-Pack), thehomedepot.com

HUSKY 10 ft. x 100 ft. Clear 2 mil. Plastic Sheeting, thehomedepot.com

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Watch Out For The Kiddos

There is nothing more dangerous than kids running around when there are scads of extension cords and power tools about.  Make sure that your work area is a kid-free zone by arranging childcare before you start. You might want to carry out bigger projects or more hazardous work during school hours, while they're away on vacation or at summer camp, or perhaps even arrange a weekend at grandma's.

​Test Your Tools

If you haven’t used that jigsaw or floor sander for a while, you might want to put it to the test before you commit to using it. Rented equipment is usually maintained and checked regularly, but if you intend on using older power tools, or plan on borrowing equipment from friends or family, you'll need to be cautious. Even a paint stripper or wallpaper steamer can be dangerous when not working properly.

Be Prepared To Call The Pros

Unless you're a licensed professional, there are some DIY projects jobs you just shouldn’t tackle yourself. Keep away from any complex electrical or HVAC work, for example.  While you might be able to install a faucet using manufacturer's directions, call a licensed plumbing service for relocating plumbing pipes, or for emergency plumbing repairs. It is cheaper to pay a professional to do the job than deal with accidents and consequences!

Carry Out A Risk Assessment

If you are embarking a complex DIY project, you will have to learn how to manage each step and eliminate hazards. You will find plenty of project management handbooks online that will help you carry out a risk assessment for each job you are planning to carry out. There are also downloadable risk assessment checklists you can use to stay safe while renovating. Walk through the house and identify the areas where you need to take extra caution. 

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Wondering just how safe DIY really is?  Check out this infographic from ​saxtonblades.co.uk that breaks it down for us:

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