As you carry out DIY home renovations you’ll probably find you use a whole range of different power tools, but nothing surpasses the most crucial tools of all– proper safety gear. The correct personal protective equipment (PPE) is a must for everyone to use, from the DIY novice to the veteran handyman.
1) Eye Protection
Eye protection is arguably the most important consideration all from a personal protection perspective, you never know what could hurt your eyes, and lets face it they are pretty useful! The rule of thumb is to wear proper high quality eye protection throughout the activity, taking it off just for a minute could render the rest of the time wasted if you aren’t too careful.
Good protective glasses are inexpensive and really lightweight without hindering your vision. These could come in tinted option, and may even offer better protection against the sun rays and UV compared to regular sunglasses.
Protective goggles offer an alternate solution, but still provide optimal protection but with a fit snug to the face instead. The attached elastic headband prevents any slipping or falling off, and can also be placed over ordinary eyeglasses if necessary
2) Hearing Protection
Good protection on the ears ranges from earplugs to ear defenders or ‘ear muffs’. High quality ear protection offers the best protection whilst still being comfortable to wear. A pair of high quality ear defenders are very durable for frequent usage, and are ideal if the sound pollution is particularly high.
In between is the ear band which is essentially a pair of earplugs connected in a flexible band which is worn around the neck. These provide a similar level of noise protection to conventional ear plugs, but with the added advantage of not being as easy to lose or store when not in use.
3) Air Respirator or Dust Mask
Certain DIY tasks like fine sanding, sawing, metal work or even painting requires the use of a dust mask or respirator to remove particulates from the air. This assists in better respiration without harming your lungs or any other part of your respiratory system.
The primary drawback of heavy duty air respirators is the high heat retention that can be uncomfortable especially on hot and humid weather. The most expensive models include a cool flow exhalation valve to release hot air from the mask, whilst proving able to filter 99.97% of particulates in the air.
Conclusion
Anyone embarking on even the most basic of DIY projects should include a checklist on must-have safety gear before doing anything else. It should be a routine practice to apply these safety checklists prior to starting any task.
