How to Make Home Renovations as Safe as Possible
Home renovations are an excellent way to improve the value and livability of your home, while also saving money on paying a professional to do the work for you.
However, while undertaking a renovation yourself might seem like a good idea, it does come with risks. Just ask the 3300+ people who were hospitalised in Australia last year as a result of doing DIY home improvements.
So, how, then, can you ensure you get the work you want completed on your property without becoming one of these statistics?
Here are eight ways to make your home renovations as safe as possible.
- Wear the proper safety gear
It is called safety gear for a reason, so the first thing you need to do to make your home renovations as safe as possible is to wear the proper equipment at all times.
This should include eyewear, work gloves, earmuffs, dust masks or respirators, a hard hat, and steel-toe work boots.
When it comes to protection, you get what you pay for. So, it is worth spending a bit more for good-quality versions of all these items that will offer a higher level of safeguarding.
- Securely store flammable liquids
There are usually plenty of flammable liquids on any given home renovation project. These include paint thinner, fuel oil, gasoline, linseed oil, and kerosene, all of which have significant incendiary potential.
For this reason, it is critical to put them in storage containers with temperature control functionality designed to keep you safe from these volatile and sensitive substances.
- Leave certain jobs to the professionals
When doing home renovations, there are certain jobs you should leave to the professionals because they require specialised knowledge and certifications to complete.
These tasks include electrical work, plumbing, mould or asbestos removal, and roof or air conditioning system installation.
If you don’t hire professionals to do this work, it could result in costly errors, project delays and situations that have the potential to cause very dangerous, potentially even fatal, situations.
While it will save you money, it is just not worth taking the risk.
- Be careful with ladders and heights
Every year, around 30 Australians die from falling off a ladder, most of which are men of or approaching retirement age. So, if your home renovation project involves heights, you have to be extra careful.
As a general rule of thumb, for every four feet, the ladder goes up a wall, you need to position it one foot away from the wall to ensure it is safe and stable.
Additionally, to prevent accidents, it is worth utilising a sturdy ladder-locking device, which reduces the amount of lateral movement and prevents kickouts.
- Keep your construction site clean
Construction sites can be very messy, especially if you are knocking down walls, ripping up floorboards or renovating kitchens.
If this rubble is not tidied up, it can be quite hazardous because there is the risk of injury or illness, not just to yourself but also to anyone who comes into contact with the site.
As a result, if you are doing this type of work, it is important to keep all parts of the construction zone clean; otherwise, untidiness could cause problems.
- Put up highly visible signage
If you are planning to carry out renovation work while living in your home, it is important to put up highly visible signage that will advise people about what is going on.
Proper signage can outline warnings for certain materials and clearly indicate safety instructions, which will go a long way towards keeping everyone in the home safe during the course of the refurbishment.
- Always double-check equipment
Before you start any work, it is important to thoroughly inspect all your construction equipment, machinery, and tools to ensure they are safe enough to use on-site.
Faulty or poorly maintained equipment can result in dangerous situations like electrocution, burns, eye or brain injuries, or even fire that can lead to serious harm.
If you are in any doubt, get them checked out by the manufacturer or a specialist repairer. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Moreover, if you haven’t used them for a while, it is worth taking the time to familiarise yourself with how to use the equipment, particularly if it is something like a circular saw.
- Take regular breaks
While it is understandable that you want to complete your home renovation project as quickly as possible, it is important not to overstretch yourself. Doing this can result in a lack of concentration, tiredness, and mistakes, all of which could lead to unsafe situations.
As a result, you should take regular breaks from your construction schedule to ensure your mental and physical performance remains at optimal levels.
It is worth taking a short break every couple of hours and leaving a good amount of time from when you finish one day before you start the next.
- Have good First Aid Supplies handy
Unfortunately, accidents can happen at any time during a home renovation. For this reason, it is imperative that you have good first aid supplies on hand for when something unfortunate or unexpected happens.
Your first aid kit should be easy to locate in the case of an accident and include a range of medical supplies, such as bandages and plasters, sterile gauze pads and rolls to cover large wounds, antiseptic wipes, burns cream and eyewash solution.
Ideally, you should also have someone onsite who is qualified to administer first aid.
- Have a clear emergency plan in place
As you are working with potentially dangerous materials, it is imperative to have a clear emergency plan in place in case the worst happens.
This plan should include a list of who to call in the event of any given urgent situation, such as asbestos being found or poisonous gasses escaping.
It should also involve knowing where the nearest fire hydrants and emergency exits are in case you need to put out a blaze or flee from one.
