Any kind of home improvement project can come with potential safety issues and challenges that need to be overcome.
The NHS deals with thousands of DIY-related injuries every year, so to make sure that you or anyone else working at your home don’t add to those statistics, it is important to understand how you can be safe with your home improvement.
Whether you are taking on the tasks yourself or working with a team of professionals, accidents happen and to a certain extent, this cannot be 100% avoided.
But you can put precautions in place to minimise risk. Here we take a look at some of the things that you need to be doing to ensure that your home improvement projects are as safe as possible.
Never take on projects you don’t feel comfortable with
We have all got tasks that we are familiar with and would feel comfortable carrying out – but it is when you try to go beyond your comfort zone that things can get dangerous.
Simply not having the expertise and experience in carrying out a task can lead you to put yourself in positions that could result in being dangerous.
For example, if you are having to carry out work at height on gutters or the roof and you have never had the proper experience doing it, you should leave it to professionals who will be able to handle the work safely.
Protecting other people
Remember that it might be necessary to put safety restrictions in place to protect other people.
For example, if you know that you are going to have heavy machinery at your property, you might need to have public protection measures in place such as concrete barriers and safety fencing, such as you might see on a construction site.
If you are having this work carried out by professionals you should speak to them about managing health and safety for the duration of the work.
However, if you are carrying out the work yourself, you will be solely responsible for this, so it is sensible to take advice from local authorities about what you need to do to keep the site safe.
Always read the manual
If you are using machinery or tools for the first time, or you are getting them out of the garage as one of your trusted items – the message remains the same: always read the manual before you use it.
So many pieces of DIY and home improvement equipment can be extremely dangerous if they are used incorrectly.
Even if you think that you really understand how it works and how to use it, you will find it beneficial just to re-read the manual. There are subtle differences between tools especially with different manufacturers, and it can be easy to forget those differences when you come to carry out the work.
Wear the right attire
There’s a reason people on construction sites don’t wear flip-flops – and if you’re going to be doing any kind of home improvement work, you shouldn’t either.
Wearing the right clothes and having the correct PPE makes a big difference to your safety when you are carrying out any kind of work around the house.
It’s important to dress in sensible clothes with nothing that is baggy or that could get snagged by machinery, and closed-toe shoes are also essential.
Keep an eye on children and pets
Children and pets can present a real hazard when carrying out home improvement work – not just to themselves, but to you as well.
Make sure that you keep both children and pets away from any work that is going on. You will also need to take precautions such as always turning off tools when they are not in use – they can look an awful lot like toys to a child’s eye.
Final thoughts
Health and safety is never anyone’s favourite topic, but it really can help prevent injuries and other issues when you are carrying out home improvement.
Whether you’re climbing a ladder to do some painting or drilling into walls, there are dangers with virtually any kind of work around the house – so make sure you are doing everything you can to stay safe.
