One of the best parts about finally owning your own home, is being able to do exactly what you like with it! Being able to put your own stamp on a house is an exciting prospect, whether you’re hoping to re-decorate your entire home or just try a cool DIY Instagram hack you’ve been inspired by. But whether you’re new to DIY, or have already completed a few projects in your time, there are risks that come with doing any DIY at home.
These risks can come in all shapes and sizes, depending on exactly what you’ll be doing to your home. Even hanging a mirror has its risks, especially if you don’t follow the correct safety steps to keep yourself safe. So whether you’re using a ladder, building your own furniture, or even tearing down a wall, what can you do to keep yourself safe?
The easiest step you can take to protect yourself when carrying out DIY projects is to wear appropriate PPE. Before getting stuck in, we’d advise having a quick think about what exactly you’ll be doing and what could potentially go wrong. This is the easiest way to decide which PPE would be worth investing in.
Let’s take a look at some of the most useful PPE items you can invest in for DIY:
Safety Glasses/Goggles
Eye incidents are one of the most common DIY related accidents that happen in the home, and seeing how important our eyes are to us, it’s really a risk we shouldn’t take so lightly! It’s so easy for small particles to flick or fly into our eyes when drilling, sanding or filing. By simply wearing a pair of safety glasses or goggles, you can easily protect your eyes from any potential hazards and more importantly, protect your vision.
Hard Hat
When you’re working on bigger projects, such as changing the structure of your home including pulling down walls or converting your loft, it’s a good idea to invest in a hard hat. Head injuries can be incredibly serious, so it’s wise to do anything you can to avoid them. Safety helmets, more commonly known as hard hats, are incredibly affordable, so there’s really no reason not to invest in one for your next home project.
Ear Defenders
You might not think your home project is loud enough to warrant ear protection, but you’d be surprised! Power tools can be incredibly loud, and if you’re using them for extended periods of time, for example to sand your entire flooring, then using either ear defenders or ear plugs is advisable. Again, these are super cheap to pick up and make a great addition to your home DIY equipment.
Cut Proof Gloves
If you’re using sharp saws, knives or any other tool, then you may be concerned about the risk of cutting your hands and fingers. Fortunately, you can easily protect your hands from any potential injuries by picking up a pair of cut resistant gloves. Designed to resist cuts, you’ll be able to continue your project confident in the knowledge that your hands are safe.
Steel Toe Boots
You might not think of protecting your feet, especially when working in your own home, but if you’re using heavy equipment or fitting heavy items such as stone work surfaces or floor tiles, then you might want to consider steel toe boots. Designed with a protective steel or composite toe cap, most work boots also feature a protective midsole – which is designed to resist any sharp objects piercing through into the sole of your foot. Their supportive design also helps improve your posture when lifting heavy objects. If you’re worried you won’t get much use out of them, then you’ll be pleased to hear that they even double up as hiking boots!
As you can see, wearing PPE for DIY is a good idea if you want to stay safe in your home and avoid any trips to A&E! Accidents can happen whether you’re a confident DIY-er or doing your first home project, so it’s a good idea to always be prepared.
