Everyone wants a home that is safe, comfortable, and beautiful. Normally, keeping your home safe from everyday hazards is relatively easy to do. However, when it comes time to do a home remodeling project, new and unexpected hazards can present themselves and need to be accounted for to ensure you complete your project safely and successfully.
Keep Hazardous Materials Out of Reach
When remodeling your home, even the easiest projects can cause problems if your children or pets get a hold of something that can harm them. When you’re done with a portion of a project, make sure all hazards are removed immediately, putting away tools, nails, screws, paint cans, adhesives, and anything else which could pose a hazard.
Approve Any Structural Changes
Very few of us know all there is to know about load-bearing walls, material load limits, etc. If you’re doing a major structural project yourself, you should still talk to a professional before you start to ensure that whatever you’re adding, and, especially, removing are safe for the structural integrity of your home.
Check for Lead and Asbestos
In older homes, lead-based paint and asbestos are two very real concerns you need to address to ensure a safe environment. Contact a professional who can test for these harmful substances, and, safely remove them if they are found. Don’t guess on this, as guessing incorrectly could have negative health consequences that last a lifetime.
Mitigate Dust Release
Whether you’re tearing down or building, most materials you use will release some kind of dust. A key step to ensuring indoor air quality is to mitigate the release and spread of this dust into the parts of your home that are not being remodeled. Use water when appropriate to keep dust down, and use plastic sheets to contain the dust to one area. Additionally, don’t run your HVAC system while you’re working with a dust-releasing material since that will clog up intake vents and spread the dust to other areas of your home.
Know What You Are Doing
Whether you are doing this by yourself or hiring contractors, it is important to do your research and be prepared. You are responsible for the worksite, so make sure that you take the proper precautions. With the different hazards that can present themselves, however, from harmful chemicals to electrical issues, to plumbing issues as well as structural issues, a lot can go wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing. You can’t control other people’s actions, but you can make sure the work site is safe, so you don’t end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
Employ these easy steps, and you’ll be on your way to a safe and beautiful remodeling project that adds years of enjoyment to your home.
References:
Do I Require Approval to Renovate My House?
Slip and Fall Accidents on the Job