Safety

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DIY has an unfortunate relationship with Safety: in hospital A&E departments across the country Easter Sunday - traditionally the most popular time of the year for DIY activities - is known as Bloody Sunday!

Here are some resources for staying out of A&E and into DIY:

Electrical Safety

Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Safety Guidelines

Read at least once before taking the cover off any electrical equipment!

Gas Safety

Ed Sirett's Gas Fitting FAQ

By Law you must be competent to carry out any gas work! - read this before even thinking of doing your own.

Chemicals

Cleaning Chemicals

Bleach

Never let bleach and acid meet, or chlorine gas will form. Chlorine gas was one of the main chemical warfare gases used in WW1. It only takes a few breaths to kill, so if you smell chlorine, evacuate immediately, dont hang about to work out what went wrong.

Acids

Acids used in DIY cover the spectrum from mild food acids such as citric acid to acids like HCl capable of dissolving all body parts.

Vinegar

You might think vinegar entirely innocent, and it is until used, but once it gets onto copper it becomes saturated with copper salts. Copper is actully an essential nutrient in miniscule quantities, but the amounts found in copper cleaning runoff are enough to cause serious consequences. Even vinegar can land you in trouble.

Alkalis

Alkalis are worse than acids in some ways. Acid in the eye will receive immedate treatment due to the pain, but an alkali in the eye may cause no immediate symptoms, and begin eating into the eyeball. Once this process occurs it is difficult to impossible to stop, if you wait before seeking treatment you may lose part of your sight in the affected eye.

Caustic Soda

Sodium hydroxide Probably the strongest alkali used in DIY, caustic should be kept off skin and eyes, and any eye contact should prompt immediate washing and medical assistance. Skin contact is less of an issue in that it causes pain before any serious harm is done, and is easily washed off.

Lime

Lime irritates some skins, and is the component in cement that causes skin irritation. Note that some mortar mixes also contain other alkaline components such as fly ash.