Renovating your own home is an exciting process that can lead to a house more suited to your tastes and needs. However, whether you are only doing some minor touch-ups or are completely redoing entire sections of your house, the most important thing to keep in mind is your safety and the safety of those around you. A home renovation site is rife with safety hazards, especially if you have kids or animals in the house. Following these simple safety precautions will help keep you and your family safe during the remodeling process.
1. Wear a Hard Hat
While wearing a hard hat may seem like an obvious precaution, some people neglect this step, thinking it is not a big deal. Hard hats are important because they will protect you from hitting your head against stationary objects and equipment, falling objects, and the impact if you were to trip and fall. Without a hard hat, you are submitting yourself to the risk of serious head injury.
2. Properly Lift Heavy Items
Remodeling a home usually entails a lot of heavy lifting. From new fixtures to equipment, there are a lot of hefty items that need to be carried. This means, if you lift the incorrect way, that you are going to be more susceptible to back injury. Instead of leaning over to pick up an object, you should bend your knees to squat down and grab it. Straighten your legs to stand up, keeping the load close to your body.
This tip might seem trivial, especially if you consider yourself to be in good shape, but studies have shown that bending over to pick up a 10 pound weight puts a huge amount of strain on your lower back. Keep your back in good shape by following this simple technique.
3. Beware of Dangerous Fumes
Painting your house requires time, effort and money, but it should never cost you your health. When painting, leave as many windows and doors open as you can, in order to help ventilation. Never leave open paint cans unattended, especially if you have children or pets running around. Wearing the appropriate safety equipment, such solvent-resistant gloves for painting, will help protect against skin irritation and damage. Also, consider buying a dust mask to protect your lungs if you need to do any sanding before you start painting. Proper paint safety will protect you from harmful fumes and particles.
4. Ladder Safety
If you are going to be painting or doing any work that is above eye level, you will probably want a ladder to help you reach. Even if it is just a step ladder, improper use of this equipment can cause serious injury. Following these simple guidelines will help to ensure your safety while using a ladder.
- Check the condition of the ladder before you use it, making sure its structural integrity is intact. You should check to make sure the ladder has a working locking system so the equipment will not buckle when weight is put on it.
- During this check, also keep an eye out for any slippery substances on the steps that might cause you to fall.
- Clear the floor around the ladder erection site from clutter and wires of any sort.
- Wearing unsuitable shoes could very well be your downfall, so make sure you are not barefoot or wearing heels or sandals.
- Do not try to reach areas that are not easily accessible. Instead, take the time to move the ladder to reduce the risk of you falling over the side.
- Make sure you follow the weight restrictions of the ladder to prevent it from breaking during use.
5. Look Out for Lead Paint
Since lead paint was banned in 1978, any houses built after that time should be lead-free. However, if you have a house built in that year or earlier, it is very possible the original paint has lead. The inhalation of lead is an extreme health hazard, and can lead to major health complications.
To test if your house’s walls contain lead, you can take off a sample and send it to a lab, or call in a certified inspector to check it out. Either way, if you discover lead in the paint, you should remove it before continuing with the process of sanding and painting your walls. Calling in a professional to take care of the lead paint while you spend a few nights elsewhere will ensure the safety of you and your family.
6. Keep Tools Out of Reach
If you have any children, then you know just how curious they can be. While this is natural, during a home renovation, a kid’s curiosity can become a disaster.
Ideally, there should not be any kids or pets around the construction area at all, but sometimes this is unavoidable, especially if you are just doing minor touch ups around the house while you are still living in it. If this is the case, be sure to keep all tools, especially power ones, away and out of reach of children. If necessary, you should take the batteries out of power tools when you are done using them, or unplug them. These precautions will help protect your children.
This tip is useful to protect any member of your family, even the non-human ones. Even if you just have pets, still keep this in mind. While your dog or cat might not have opposable thumbs, you would be surprised what kind of trouble they can create.
7. Beware of Asbestos
Asbestos is a real concern, especially in houses built before the 1970s. Asbestos is usually white, gray or blue, and can be found everywhere in your house, including in the insulation, floor tiles, roofing and siding. If you have any doubts whatsoever about the presence of asbestos, you need to test the materials in question. However, even collecting a sample for analysis can be dangerous.
If you find a substance you believe might contain asbestos, wet the sample with a light spritz of water. This should help reduce the amount of toxic fibers released into the air. Place the sample in a tightly sealed container, label it, and send it off to a lab. If you do discover asbestos in any of the materials you suspected and tested, leave removal to the professionals. It is a far too dangerous job to try and take on by yourself.
8. Keep the Work Area Clean
At the end of each day, as the renovations grind to a halt for the night, you should clean up any construction areas, especially if you are staying in the house while it is being renovated. Children and even adults can end up stepping on nails or getting splinters from a poorly maintained area. Protect yourself and the members of your family by making sure the floors are clean and clear of all debris.
Even though home renovation is exciting, do not get ahead of yourself. The last thing you want is for a mishap to hurt a member of your family. Make sure you follow these safety precautions to ensure the health and happiness of you and your family. Before you know it, you will be relaxing in your dream home, free of all injury and illness.
The post 8 Safety Considerations During a Home Renovation appeared first on Living Direct.