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Surviving Your Home Renovation.
Accidents Happen
When it comes to your risks when renovating, you often think about budget blowouts.
To begin with, you could spend too much money on your house so when you go to sell your home you don’t get your money back.
Also, the value of your home could go down in price. So you spend all this money on renovating, and your home is worth much less than when you started. Now that’s a risk.
Well, yes, they are all risks. Risks to do with finances, and we will talk about these risks when renovating in another article.
Health and Safety Risks When Renovating
The risk we are looking at in this article is the risk of your health, which is more important than the financial risk. Why? Well, you need your health to earn your money so that you can pay for your renovation in the first place. And you need your health so that you can add to your finances for years to come.
Besides your earning capacity, you want to stay as injury free as you can for a happy, healthy life. So that you can spend your time with those you love and look forward to a beautiful joy-filled life. That is what I am talking about here.
We have spoken about asbestos risks when renovating in my first post. In this article, we will be looking at your health and safety when renovating. And how to keep yourself healthy and safe to enjoy your home for years to come.
We have all heard about people injuring themselves on a building site. Let’s not be one of them.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong in a Home Renovation?
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So when it comes to health and safety in home renovations, several situations come to mind, such as falling off a ladder. If you have ever fallen off a ladder, as I have, you know how quickly and easily it can happen.
All the same, as you watch this video, you can feel their pain. However funny you might find these ladder associated mistakes, you know that it would be better not to be the one falling. You have to live with the consequences. Warning, there is a bit of swearing going on in this video, before and after a fall.
And you know that you shouldn’t laugh. Safework Australia report that on average, 12% of workers die each year from falling from a height.
Alternatively, something can fall on you, such as a brick. To get a visual of what this would look like you can tune into the video below.
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Again, not that funny when you consider that 10% of workers die by being hit by falling objects. It shouldn’t be happening.
Electric Shock Risks When Renovating
You could trip over a power cord when renovating. Not only embarrassing, but it can also hurt. You don’t want to develop industrial deafness from loud power tools. Or get an electrical shock.
Worse things can happen than what happens in the video below. Worksafe Australia reports that on average 4% of workers die from contact with electricity.
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Exposure to Dust and Chemicals When Renovating
You can expose yourself to a cocktail of dust and chemicals when renovating.
The list goes on for the different ways you can injure yourself when renovating.
You get the idea. Accidents can happen and do happen. So you try and make your home renovation as safe a building site as you can.
You Can Expect These Risks When Renovating
Ellie Collier writes about Ten Common Construction Site Hazards, in her article as:
1. Working at height.
2. Moving objects.
3. Slips, trips, and falls.
4. Noise.
5. Hand-arm vibration syndrome.
6. Material and manual handling.
7. Collapsing trenches.
8. Asbestos.
9. Electricity.
10. Airborne fibres and materials.
If you are going to be doing hands-on work, you want to take care of yourself. And also make sure that the tradesmen that work on your home are also being safe in their work practices.
Before you get up a ladder, make sure that it is secure. Invest in an excellent ladder. Make sure that the chimney will not fall on you if you are demolishing it. Buy all the safety equipment you need to keep yourself safe.
Secure all electrical cords and make sure they are safe.
Dress for Safety
Do the right thing by yourself and wear safety protection equipment. Protect your body, feet, head, your eyes and your ears.
When you are in a dusty situation, wear a mask to protect your airways. Or if chemicals are in the air, make sure you have the right airway protection for this situation. Protect your eyes and ears. You don’t want to damage any part of your person.
All of this is nothing new. The big step is to do it.
Accidents do happen.
Think safety first.
So you know the message in this article. In short, prevention is better than cure.
Well, I’d love for you to add to the conversation. Leave a comment in the box below. Have you had any close calls where your safety equipment has done its job? What will you do to make your home renovation a safe construction site? Do you have any stories of your own that you want to share?
So thank you for taking the time to read this article. However dry a subject, health and safety are essential. And that is the message you take away from this discussion.
Above all, your health and your safety are critical.
You can read more on this topic of staying healthy when renovating in my article on asbestos. Yes, you will learn something you didn’t know about asbestos.
The final blog piece on health risks when renovating is coming up next. Read how Indoor air quality in your home can affect your health.
Happy Renovating!
Bridget Puszka
Smartrenovators.com.au
Bridget Puszka designs beautiful, healthy, sustainable luxury homes. You can find out more about her architect designed Award-winning houses.
And learn what her clients have said about their homes in their testimonials.
