You’ve been watching all the home renovation shows and its finally gotten to you. You are ready to start your home renovation project! It doesn’t matter how big or how small your project is going to be, safety should always take a front seat, especially for the beginning – demolition. Before jumping in, consider the demolition safety tips below to keep you and your family safe and ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor when your reno is all finished.
4 Demolition Safety Tips to Follow
1. Know the Materials in Your Home
We haven’t always known the things that we do now about the materials that we have put into our homes for years. If you have a home that is on the older end you will want to find out what kind of products are in your home before you start demolition. Even if you aren’t doing a renovation, you should know what kinds of potentially hazardous materials you’re dealing with! Some of the main concerns that you should watch out for include things like:
- Asbestos – you’ve probably heard of asbestos being included in those popcorn ceilings your grandma used to have but this material has been used in many other places including the insulation and tiles of many homes.
- Dangerous wiring – electrical wiring can become dangerous if it is too old and has the chance to begin fraying. You certainly don’t want to finish off a beautiful home renovation and risk an electrical fire later, ruining it all. Have your contractor and electrician check out your existing wiring before you proceed with demolition.
- Lead – we are talking lead pipes, lead in paint, and even lead in the window frames. Get your home checked out on this one too!
Possible Health Hazards:
You may think that you just want to go ahead and remove the things you need to remove and proceed with your renovation as quick as possible. Testing for materials that may be dangerous are just not going to fit your timeline or financial constraints. What could really happen anyway? Well, the health hazards are numerous and will surely make you think twice!
- Asbestos – the tiny fibers of asbestos can be easily inhaled and become stuck to the lungs. This then irritates the lung tissues and can cause scarring in the lungs and make it hard for you to breathe. Exposure to asbestos can also increase your risk of lung cancer. This is not a material you want to mess with.
- Lead – the effects of lead exposure vary from neurological issues, high blood pressure, reduced sperm count, pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, renal disease, and kidney disease to name a few. It can be especially dangerous to children. Even small levels of lead in children’s blood are showing to negatively affect children’s intelligence and attention span.
2. Wear the Right Safety Gear
Wearing the right safety equipment and gear for your project can help you avoid injuries and protect you from hazardous materials. Consider adding the following to your list of reno materials:
- Old clothing that you don’t care about being ruined. You could also buy disposable coveralls to protect your clothes as well.
- Gloves to protect your hands as you handle different materials and demolition debris. This is something you will use time and again, so buy some good ones!
- Good boots with thick soles to protect your feet from sharp nails and other materials that could be laying around during your renovation. This is not a flip flop affair!
- Hardhat to protect your head throughout your renovation and demolition process.
- Earplugs to keep your ears from being permanently damaged from the loud noises of the tools and equipment.
- Protective eyewear to keep your eyes clear from falling debris or chips from material being cut.
3. Watch Your Work Site and Keep It Clean
As one of the best demolition safety tips, it’s always a good idea to have a designated work area where you can store things and work in without worry. After that, keeping that area clean is going to help you in many ways. It will keep you safe from falling on materials or stepping on sharp objects and it will ensure that nothing that is of value gets thrown out accidentally. Plus, your tools and other equipment will always be in good working order.
If you start your project off with the mindset to keep things organized and cleaned up at the end of each day, you will be ready to start again, fresh, and ready to go the next time you are able.
4. Let the Pros Do What They Do Best
All too often people get caught up in easy DIY projects they see on TV and think that it looks simple, and they could surely do it themselves in no time. After they have begun with demolition and have realized that they have demoed more then they planned on and may have torn down things that supported the structure of their home, they realize they’ve made a huge mistake.
Home renovations require an expert to complete the job efficiently and correctly. A trusted contractor can help you masterfully plan out what you desire for your home renovation. Leaving the home renovations to those that are experienced will save you time, headaches, and most likely money in the end.
Before you get to that renovation, demolition is a must, and it must be done correctly. Venditti Demolition, LLC is a full-service demolition company that completes residential and commercial property demos. We take the burden of demolition off your hands by getting needed permits, doing the demo, and cleaning up the debris with our large and small equipment that is best for the job. We don’t take the demolition safety tips listed above lightly and work hard to show you how safety is a top priority for our crew. Demolition is what we do. Let us help you get your job done right. Contact our team at Venditti Demolition, LLC to learn more about our full-service demolition experience today.
