Put safety first when renovating your home

Amateur DIYers can undertake many home renovations, reducing the need to call in the experts. While it's great to be able to sink your teeth into these projects, it's important to put your safety ahead of everything else when it comes to performing the various tasks required to transform your home. Take a look at this rundown of the most important safety tips to prevent injury or illness when renovating.

Potential paint hazards

Preparing surfaces for painting is often a straightforward task, however there are a few things to look out for to ensure the process is as harmless and danger-free as possible. If you're using a paint stripper, take extra care with materials that contain methylene chloride. This can cause damage to skin and eyes and is highly toxic, leading to headaches, nausea and even organ damage.

Thankfully, there are paint stripping products on the market that don't contain methylene chloride. Try Resene Strip-Off for an effective and easy-to-use stripper that penetrates well without using the harmful toxin.

Dust is also another factor to consider in your paint process. Wood dust can provoke asthma and injure eyes when sanding surfaces, while concrete and brick dust from angle grinding can have more serious effects like lung damage. Lead based paint dust can cause lead poisoning, which is extremely dangerous.

The best way to avoid these problems is by wearing the appropriate safety gear when preparing a surface for paint. Gloves, goggles and a mask over your mouth and nose can help to prevent dust from entering your system and causing harm. As always, if in doubt, call in the experts.

Working at heights

Working at heights can be dangerous, and NZ Department of Labour figures show approximately 70 per cent of construction falls are from ladders and roofs. One way to prevent falls is by securing edge protection when working at height. If that's not possible, consider working from an elevated work platform such as a scissor lift. Work from the ground where possible, and assemble structures at ground level before putting them in place atop roofs. 

If you're doing maintenance on a unit at a height, such as an air conditioner, remove the whole fixture to do the repairs at ground level. The less time spent working up high, the safer you will be. Identify and assess hazards before you get underway, whether it's a chimney that will get in the way of your paint job or a roof that seems unstable. 

Ladders should be thoroughly checked before erected to ensure there is no rust or broken parts. Make sure they are placed on a flat surface.

Electrical work

Be extremely careful when working around electrical areas and power outlets. Never try to wire any part of your home, install new lights or power points or carry out electrical maintenance without the help of a qualified electrician.

If you're painting around light fittings in the home, leave light plates where they are so as not to expose any live wires. Instead, mask around the plate. If you're tiling around electrical areas, ask a licensed professional to remove the fittings and deactivate exposed wires before you begin work. Similarly, check for any wires before you drill into floors, walls and ceilings. This is particularly important when working around power points and light switches.

Be careful when working with power tools to ensure you don't have too many appliances plugged into an outlet or extension cord.

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