Three years ago I bought my first home and whilst it wasn’t much to look at, it was all that I could afford at the time. I knew that I had plenty of work to do on the property and in order save some money, I decided that I would undertake much of the work myself. Now, I have learned a great deal about construction and DIY in the last few years, knowledge which will stay with me for a very long time. One of the most important things that I have learned, painfully learned I might add, are the dangers which exist when you begin to undertake work like this. If you like to do a spot of DIY, here are just a few of the things which you need to watch out for.
Ladders
I had a strong and sturdy aluminum ladder which I was using to fix my roof last year and it wasn’t until I began this project that I realized just how many dangers that a set of ladders can present. Many people don’t like to walk under ladders for fear of bad luck but I can tell you that this is the least of your worries. First of all you must always be aware of where ladders are so that you don’t walk in to them, you also should ensure that ladders are extend properly and locked before using them. You must always make sure that someone is holding the ladders and finally you should make sure that they are correctly stored away when you have finished with them, and not placed on the ground where people can trip on them.
Tacks and Nails
Try to do a regular sweep around your work space to watch out for tacks and nails which may be facing up on the floor. Two years ago I stood on a carpet tack which went right through my boots and managed to sever an artery in my foot. After this experience I can tell you that I make sure that sweeping the work place is one of the most important jobs which I do.
Safety Protection
It can be easy to think that you don’t need to wear goggles, gloves or masks when you are doing a job but I must tell you that it is vital that you put your bravado to one side, and follow instruction. When you are doing DIY, you are dealing with some high powered tools and some dangerous equipment and it only takes one mistake or one error of judgement and you could cause yourself great injury, or worse. When undertaking a project or using tools, make sure that you take all of the safety precautions that you are supposed as they could well end up saving your life.
Don’t play fast and loose when doing DIY, follow the rules and you’ll be just fine.
Daryl Green