It’s always tempting to tackle projects around your home by yourself. After all, why spend the money to pay someone to fix something when you can do it yourself? It can be useful to learn the life skills to fix certain problems in your own home, and learning those skills can be enabling and empowering. Just make sure to wear the proper Safety Gear.
However, you are at risk of injury when you work without safety gear, even if it’s within your own home. Therefore, you should wear safety gear when doing any construction, repair, or remodel around your house.
Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are perhaps one of the most important safety measures you should take while you are working on your home. Our eyes are sensitive, and safety glasses will protect your eyes against glares, scratches, dust, sparks, drywall, or anything that might fly up. Those who need contacts or glasses should look into glasses that provide a comfortable fit over regular glasses. Many glasses also have anti-scratch or anti-fog coating; elastic fabric material for the band; and a soft or flexible seal to adhere to your face to provide a snug fit.
Hearing Protection
Whether you go with earplugs or earmuffs, it’s essential that you protect your ears while working with power tools. Noise pollution in your home will most likely happen while you are working on your home improvement — drilling, sawing, hammering, etc. all make loud noises that can hurt your ears. Loud noises have the potential to cause long-term damage to your hearing. It is important to use earplugs or some form of hearing protection, even if it seems unnecessary.
Gloves
Depending on your project, the type of work gloves you’ll need will differ. For your general, home-based DIY projects, a pair of lightweight canvas or cloth gloves that fit properly will work well. You want protection that still offers a lot of flexibility for your DIY safety gear set.
Masks or Respirator
There are many different types of masks or respirators that will protect your nose and lungs from debris. Dust masks are great for preventing sawdust, debris, or dust that may be in the air while you are working on your project. There are masks with built-in respirators that have breathing valves and adjustable head harnesses. They can be made with silicone and durable materials that will enable you to reuse them for years to come.
Work Boots
Your average pair of modern work boots should be comfortable, and provide you with a no-slip, sturdy platform. You might want to include ankle support, depending on the level of mobility you will need. Steel-toed boots are a good choice for heavy work, such as drywall installation and demolition. Be sure your boots fit correctly and comfortably. Find the pair that works best for your project — you might need multiple pairs for your various projects.
Conclusion – Safety Gear
Always remember to wear appropriate safety gear, such as gloves and work boots, when undertaking any kind of home renovation or DIY project.
Image via Flickr by Jenn Durfey
