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!
Of course nobody intends to have an accident and nobody thinks it can happen to them! When an accident does occur we can sometimes see with hindsight how we could have avoided it: preventing this sort of accident is a matter of cultivating better foresight - taking the time and giving the mental energy to thinking through the job (as not epitomised by Hoffnung's story about a builder and a barrel of bricks!).
However there are many dangers inherent in things in everyday life which are not at all obvious to those without specialist knowledge. For example how many people know that
- dismantling a battery-operated disposable camera could kill them?
- mixing toilet cleaners from two different bottles could do so?
- a circular saw kicks backwards?
- patio gas can cause a major explosion outdoors?
DIY (and Life in general) doesn't come with any foolproof safety guarantees, but we can stack the odds in our favour by:
- understanding the science and technology around us
- learning from the mistakes of others
- being cautious, and knowing our limitations: sometimes it is more appropriate to get in a professional who has the skills and possibly equipment to do a job safety than to take risks by working outside our own competence. If you are accident-prone then maybe many DIY activities just aren't for you?!
General safety information
- The uk.d-i-y newsgroup and its Google groups archive are a good source of advice
- Joking aside, the Darwin Awards are a good guide to some sorts of pitfalls to avoid.
Electrical Safety
A very through guide to safety in working on electrical equipment (including some battery-operated appliances) is the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Safety Guidelines It's worth a read even if you're fairly familiar with and experienced in dealing with electrical & electronic appliances.
Gas Safety
By Law you must be competent to carry out any gas work! - read this before even thinking of doing your own.
LPG
Liquid Petroleum Gas - usually bottled, e.g. camping and patio gas - is heavier than air. Leaks may not be detected by smell since the source of gas is likely to be below nose height, and can accumulate in hollows and drains. Be aware of this when using gas barbecues, patio heaters etc.
Heat and Fire
Plumbing, metalworking and paint-stripping often involve the use of blowlamps. Naturally these involve the risk of setting fire to nearby combustible materials. Vacuuming away loose combustible material from the work area and possibly damping nearby materials with water lessen risks. There are particular risks to soldering pipes close to holes through timber since hot gases from the flame can pass into the hole and ignite the rough end-grain of the wood inside, unseen from the outside. If the air flow is through the hole to the far side smoke may not be seen from the smouldering or burning timber.
Using grinders on many metals also produces streams of hot sparks which can ignite some materials. Since the sparks can fly some distance care needs to be taken not to allow them to fly through gaps e.g. between floorboards where there may be combustible material underneath, out of sight and reach, which can be ignited.
Burning off paint can produce unpleasant and possibly toxic fumes, especially if the paint is old and contains lead.
Bonfires
Dry timber such as old floorboards, joists, laths etc can burn extremely fast and fiercely. If burning such material, especially if closer than 10 metres (30 feet) or so from buildings, trees etc., it is safest to start with a small amount and add more as it is consumed rather than making a pile of it all and setting fire to it. The radiant heat from a large fierce fire can melt plastic drain pipes and set fire to nearby brushwood. Check the surrounding ground: dry grass and twigs etc on the ground may spread the fire. A hosepipe or a sheet (of non-man-made-fibre material) soaked in water can be used to douse grass fires.
Plastics, rubber and other man-made materials emit unpleasant and possibly toxic, even carcinogenous (cancer-causing) smoke and fumes.
Using petrol to start or revive a flagging bonfire is - it is hoped - acknowledged to be hazardous, as petrol rapidly flashes to a burning vapour. However spirits such as methylated spirit are even more dangerous: they flash to burning vapour very rapidly, the flame can spread up an arc of spirit being poured or even thrown towards a fire, the flame is almost invisible and burns with great heat.
Chemical & Biological Hazards
Toilet cleaners
Common toilet cleaning chemicals are based either on bleach or on mild acids: if the two types mix they will generate chlorine gas which can kill in only few breaths! If you smell a strong swimming-pool smell get out into fresh air immediately!
Drain Cleaners
Drain cleaning chemicals are usually strongs acids or alkalis which are extremely dangerous.
Strong alkalis
Commonly found in/known as:
- Some drain cleaners
- Oven cleaners
- Caustic Soda
- Sodium Hydroxide
Contact between strong alkalis and skin is particularly dangerous: whilst acid causes pain immediately alkali can attack skin without causing immediate discomfort and so more damage can be done before it becomes apparent. Alkali damage to eyes can cause loss of sight!
Lime
Lime is a weaker alkali which may irritate 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.
When the job is over, applying vinegar to hands after washing seems to make skin comfortable again much more quickly.
Sewage
Sewage works & pipes contain high levels of bacteria, some of which can be very dangerous to humans if ingested.
- Observing good hygiene is especially important around sewage
- When clearing a drain using a pressure washer, wear protection to prevent splashing to eyes, nose or mouth.
Falling Debris
Hard hats should be worn when there is a risk of falling debris.
Lifting
When lifting heavy loads you should bend your knees and keep your back straight, not legs straight and back bent over the load. Steel toe-capped footwear is good when working with heavy loads: apart from reducing danger if the load is inadvertently dropped on a foot it can be useful to use the steel toe-cap as a support when manoevering the load (provided there is no sharp edge which can stray over the cap onto the unprotected foot. Grip-enhancing gloves can also make lifting easier and reduce the risk of dropping.