Important Safety Precautions for DIY Home Repairs and Improvement Projects

It’s all fun, until it isn’t. You may call it the DIY culture or DIY ethic. Still, there is no arguing that it is pervasive. For home repairs and improvement tasks, it transcends cost savings to being satisfying and fulfilling. 

However, DIY-ers may sometimes unintentionally ignore, overlook, or undermine safety concerns. This is dangerous with the potential of eroding whatever cost savings, satisfaction, or fulfilment one would have gained. 

Safety is holistic. It may be benign, say wearing latex gloves when working with adhesives; or the stakes may be much higher, say when ensuring you don’t perform an electrical repair while a circuit is live. 

Regardless, if you do not want your DIY project to go south culminating in a visit to the ER, it is important that the safety precautions discussed in this guide be part of your home repair or improvement plans.

All the Right Tools 

Discussion on home repair and improvement safety often tilts a bit more to the side of the conversation that talks about proper use of tools and safe steps to take when carrying out a project. That is undoubtedly important. But tool safety is just as important and even more fundamental.

You shouldn’t just buy any tool. You should buy a high quality tool that is sturdy and durable.

Of course, you should use tools mainly for the task they were designed to do.

You should learn how to use a tool properly. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, watch descriptive videos, and scour for more information if you do not fully understand any part of its operation.

Very importantly, you should care for and maintain your tools diligently. Quality tools don’t come cheap. And a poorly maintained tool is a safety hazard.

Before working on a project, it is necessary to do a power tool check.

Leave the safety guards installed on power equipment intact.

That said, you should dress for the part. You aren’t being filmed for a show; therefore keep it real with your attire. That means no watches, bracelets or clothing with loose, long sleeve that could be caught by moving parts of a power tool or some other equipment. 

Furthermore, use safety accessories or protection equipment when applicable. Whether that is a safety glass or protective eyewear (when woodworking), earplugs (when operating a loud power tool), gloves, masks, et cetera.

Keep the workspace clean and have a first aid kit within reach.

Commonest Home Safety Hazards 

The causes and severity of home repair-related injuries vary widely. However, the four hazards enumerated below are responsible for majority of these injuries; and you’d do well to take extra care.

Ladders

Home-use ladders are indispensable, and quality models are sturdy and reliable. In fact, most good ladders have useful labels that inform you of rated strength (maximum amount of weight it can safely support).
 
That notwithstanding, ladders can be dicey tools to use evident by the fact that 175,790 Americans were injured on ladders in 2013 according to the National Safety Council. Of course, you have to use the right ladder size and rating. But you also have to set it up correctly, climb and support it right, use it properly, and adhere to recommended safety tips, such as the 4-to-1 rule.

You can get more info from these resources—1, 2.

Sharp tools; the risks are obvious, and so you should take adequate precautions not to have any part of your body in harm’s way.

Electricity; it may be a survivable shock or a fatal jolt, but you don’t want either.

Chemicals; they typically have varying adverse effects. Some are dangerous to inhale, may cause skin burn or other skin-related injuries, or lead to eye injuries on contact. 

ALWAYS endeavor to follow safety instructions and do not ignore manufacturer’s warning.

You can learn more about how to use tools properly, choose the right clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE), work with lead and other dangerous chemicals, and more here. 

Top Safety Tips for the Most Popular Types of Home Repairs 

Electrical Safety Basics

The very first step to take for any electrical repair is ensure that the electrical circuit you’re about to work on is not live (attached to an electrical source). If it is, break the circuit (TURN OFF electricity to the circuit).

Jewelry is great for aesthetics but not necessary when carrying out an electrical repair. They’re often made of metals, which are excellent conductors of electricity. The risk isn’t worth it, so do remove any necklace, watch, or bracelets you may have on.

Electrical-related injuries aren’t always caused by direct contact with electricity (electrocution). Sometimes, not using the correct replacement part can spell danger.

Check all loose wire carefully for damage or stress. If you do find evidence of damage or stress, reconnect using wire nuts, electrical tape, or other enclosing fasteners.

Electricity and water are buddies, do not get tangled up in their bromance. You’d regret it. Clean up any stray liquid before you proceed with repairs.

Plumbing Safety Basics

Go through all relevant local building and plumbing codes to confirm that the project you’re about to work on can be done as a DIY and that it isn’t compulsory to have it done by professional.

Protect your eyes (with safety glasses), hands (with appropriate work gloves), and respiratory tract (with a facemask).

Also practice tool safety and read labels (and instructions).

Furthermore, do not ignore code requirements. Do not ignore the smell of gas. Do not misuse tools or equipment and do not cut blindly.

With that out of the way, if the project will involve a water supply, shut it (water) off. The last thing you want is to have to search for the household shutoff in a panic because you inadvertently removed a knob or cap holding back pressurised water.

Ensure that you completely cover any waste line where you intend to remove a water trap temporarily. This is because water traps by design hold water, which in turn prevent sewer gases from pervading the home.

Exercise utmost care with caustic drain cleaners. As they can cause bodily harm if they do not unclog the drain and you make the mistake of using a plunger or similar tool while the cleaner is still in the water.

Heating and Cooling Safety Basics

Turning off the power before working on an air conditioning or heating unit is a no-brainer. But: You should also know they’ve got a little something called a capacitor that stores electric charge and takes a while to discharge completely.

The stored electrical charge is fatal, and so it is in your best interest to let the capacitor lose its charge completely.

If your unit runs on gas, then exercise extra care so you do not damage the gas lines. If you do pick up smell of gas, beat the urge to look for the source of the leak or perform any action. 

Instead, ask everyone (including pets) out of the house immediately, leave the door open, and call your gas company or fire department to report a leak. Do not attempt to reenter your home until help has arrived and the issue has been trashed out.

Additional Repair Safety Tips

Plan the repair or improvement project comprehensively and take your time while working on it. Rushing through it can often make you forget important steps, doubly important if they’re safety precautions.

This ties in with the planning tip, but it deserves a separate mention. You have to make a mental picture of what you’d have to do in an emergency. Having a first aid kit nearby helps, but it transcends that. 

For example, you wouldn’t want to panic, you wouldn’t want to make a kneejerk reaction (say trying to douse a chemical or gas fire with fire instead of a fire extinguisher), etcetera.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times to prevent accidents or injuries. Furthermore, keep children and pets away from projects and tools.

This guide has certainly gone on this tip more on once. Still it deserves to be reiterated—follow instructions, not intuition.

Know your limits. As much as you’d want to, it is not possible for you to fix everything. Sometimes, you need to step aside and let a certified/licensed professional go through the hassle instead.

Home Repairs Safety and Preparation Checklist

Get the work area organized. You want to have all tools, materials, and equipment you’d need available, sorted, and arranged before you start.

Take a tad more time to organize your tools properly, especially for medium- to high-difficulty projects. Separate tools by type, always store them in and return to designation location. 

If your vision isn’t 20:20, you may need to wrap contrasting-colored plastic or electrical tape around tool handles to improve visibility and contrast with the work surface or area. Here’s a handy guide on organizing tools.

Use requisite personal protective equipment. These include safety accessories for your eyes, ears, hands, et cetera.

Ensure the work area is sufficiently bright. If you have low vision, you may need a lamp with an adjustable flex-arm or gooseneck. Complement with a low vision device if necessary—consult your eye care professional to discuss your low vision needs.

Do not forget the energy source before you begin, where applicable. It could be turning off a switch, turning it off from the mains, or shutting a valve/turning off the main water supply.

Use the appropriate extension cord.

Have an idea of when you’d have to request help. Some complicated or extensive repairs may require professional help at some point.

Safety first

This guide may seem expansive, but applying relevant safety tips for any project isn’t tedious. It is an integral part of preparing for a repair or improvement task. It’s why the slogan “safety first” never grows old, in spite of it becoming kind of a cliché.

Safety is primarily about preventing accidents and there’s no logical reason why you’d want to skimp on it. By applying the home repair tips in this guide, you’d be able to work on projects safely and confidently. That said, do not forget to catch up on peculiar safety tips that you should adhere to when performing certain home repair or improvement tasks.