Safety Tips for the Do-It-Yourself Enthusiast

Does this sound like you? When your working on a project, do you become so involved in the task at hand that the rest of the world is totally tuned out? You become so completely focused on making progress that some common safety measures are put aside. This is a recipe for disaster, sooner or later it will catch up with you.

With the goal of helping you remain intact and healthy, the following list of safety reminders will help you to stay safe in your home DIY environment.

Have A Clean Organized Work Area:
Rather then taking the time to clean off the work bench, you just want to drill that one hole in a small piece of metal. You hold the piece down on the corner of the bench with your thumb and go for it. Now its off to the hospital for some stitches. Injury could have been avoided by placing the small piece in a vise or holding it with a clamp. Take the time to clean up after yourself so when the next project comes along you’ll have a proper place to work on it.

Use The Proper Tool For The Job:
You can’t find a screwdriver so you grab a wood chisel instead. It’s not a very big screw, this will work. Wrong again, off for more stitches. Using the wrong tool will ensure you either damage the project, the tool, or yourself. Don’t settle for less then the correct tool.

Water And Electricity Don’t Mix:
Using your skill saw outside, the circuit breaker pops. With water on the floor in the basement you head for the electrical panel to reset the breaker. Next your headed to the morgue. Never approach an electrical panel when there is water, or moisture of any kind around it. Odds are the breaker popped because the grass outside was damp and the ground fault interrupter tripped. Never use power tools in wet surroundings either.

Store Your Tools Properly:
All your tools are in a couple of 5 gallon buckets in the corner of the garage. You need the utility knife and you know its probably on the bottom, but you dig in any way to find it. You know this will lead to some blood letting. Whether you use peg board on the wall, or a rolling tool chest, put your tools in a proper storage place. Both for the sake of your tools and for the sake of your hands.

Don’t Remove The Safety Guards:
Misplaced the safety guard for the table saw after removingit to cut some 4×8 sheets. Now when you need it to cut one small piece, you go ahead without taking the time to find it. Thought you could get away without the guard this one time didn’t you. I bet the surgeons had a fun time fixing those tendons and bones too. Never use tools without their safety guards in place.

Use Ear Protection:
Unless you want to spend your golden years asking for everything to be repeated, I strongly recommend using ear protection in all noisy situations. It’s been proven that even one exposure to extreme noise is enough to cause permanent damage.

Always Wear Eye Protection:
The only thing worse then not being able to hear what’s going on around you is not being able to see what’s going on around you. Getting small pieces of debris in your eyes can be very painful. A flying chunk of something can take out your sight permanently.

As a weekend warrior in the world of building and fixing you may not be aware of proper procedures in the use of some tools or situations. Always read the manual and do your best to think ahead. The best way to prevent injury is to think about all the possible results of your actions before you jump in and make a painful mistake.