words Al Woods
2020 has been the year of home renovation. Whether it’s because we’ve all been spending far more time at home, or because we suddenly have far more free time on our hands to finally check off our home ‘to do’ lists. It seems that more and more of us are tackling DIY projects around our homes.
Whether you’re carrying out a few simple DIY tasks or you’re planning a full renovation of one room, or maybe even your entire house, then there are a few steps you must take to stay safe. When it comes to DIY, often many safety procedures that professional contractors would take before tackling a project are completely brushed aside. It’s not surprising to hear that 200,000 people each year are sent to hospital due to DIY related injuries.
So if you’re looking to take precautions, and carry our renovations in a safe and logical manner, then follow our tips below.
Protective Safety Wear
Wearing the correct safety wear is crucial when you’re carrying out renovations around your home. Depending on the level of DIY you’re undertaking, you might require a range of protective safety wear. This could include safety boots with steel toes, designed to protect your feet from anything heavy dropping on them. Work gloves, designed to protect your hands from cuts, scrapes or abrasive chemicals or liquids. Or safety goggles, which are crucial to avoid any dust, fumes or small particles getting in your eyes and causing potentially long term damage.
Correct Tools and Equipment
Having the right tools to do a job not only instantly makes it a lot safer, but also will create a far better and more professional looking end result. Whether this means buying a new set of power tools or hiring equipment such as an electric sander. Often, using professional tools and equipment will save you time and money in the long run.
Good Working Environment
If you’re working on a large scale product which might create a large amount of dust, or you’re working with paints, white spirit, or any product which emits strong fumes, you need to be incredibly vigilant of your working environment. Make sure you’re working in a room with plenty of ventilation, ensure you open all available windows and possibly even doors. We also recommend working in a well-lit environment, preferably natural daylight. This can prevent any accidents caused by poor lighting, when you can’t fully see what you’re working on.
Stay Organised
To avoid any accidents, such as trips, slips or falls while renovating, it’s important to keep your work space neat and organised. Although when carrying out renovation work things tend to get messy, if you keep on top of the mess and debris as you go, you’ll seriously decrease your risk of falling/slipping.
Keep It Secured
If you’re working on a big renovation or an extension which means that a room might be left without a secure door/window overnight, then it’s essential to do your best to secure your home. Not only will this make you vulnerable to break-ins, but it could also invalidate your home insurance if a break in was to happen. It’s also important to make your insurance company aware of any major renovations being done on your home, find out more here.
Now you’re ready to get renovating! We wish you luck with your home renovation project and hope that it goes safely and smoothly, following our step by step guide to staying safe.
