Whether you’re a home renovation novice or a seasoned DIY guru, ensuring you have the correct safety gear is necessary to provide a hazard-free transformation.
Each renovation project has unique challenges, and understanding the tailored safety gear required for each task is crucial, no matter your experience level.
Whether it’s ripping out a bathroom, putting up a fence, or just adding a fresh coat of paint, the protective gear required will always change with the nature of the job.
So whether this is your very first DIY project or you belong amongst home renovator royalty, here are some must-have safety gear to help you stay prepared for most home projects.
Eye protection
Eye protection is one of the most must-have safety equipment every DIYer needs.
Protecting your eyes from debris, dust, and potential flying objects during home renovations can ensure you do not suffer temporary or permanent vision loss.
Safety glasses or work goggles will shield you from accidental injuries and ensure clearer vision while handling dangerous tools or materials that could impact your health and safety.
High-quality workwear stores stock a variety of eye protection designed for construction, including sealed goggles, side shields, and tinted varieties.
Masks and respirators
Whether you’re painting a bedroom or cutting up a benchtop, having a high-quality respirator mask is necessary to shield your system from harmful airborne particles.
Often created as a byproduct of construction work, these breathed contaminants can lead to deadly health consequences and risks depending on inhaled chemicals.
Materials made from potentially lethal substances, such as silica benchtops and asbestos insulation, have already led to the deaths of thousands of Aussies who were unaware of the health risks and required precautions.
Wearing a high-quality mask or respiration device can safeguard your lungs and reduce the risk of any related respiratory issues your DIY project could lead to.
Work gloves
Hand protection is another must-have when constructing any home renovator’s wardrobe.
Shielding your hands from cuts, chemicals, and other abrasions is necessary to take on nearly all DIY projects safely.
Injuries to fingers and hands are one of the most commonly encountered in the DIY space, and home renovators need to ensure they have acquired adequate hand protection for the task at hand.
Various protective glove designs are available to address the safety risks of several DIY tasks, whether cutting, handling chemicals or keeping a solid hold on tools.
Consider your project and whether you would be best choosing a glove with a secure grip system, thick protective layering, built-in finger shields, or just light protection with maximised flexibility.
Ear protection
It may be one of our most critical primary senses, but when it comes to DIY, the importance of protecting our hearing often falls on deaf ears.
Many renovators don’t listen to those warnings as hearing loss from loud noise exposure is often gradual process, unnoticeable until it’s too late.
The biggest risk of failing to use adequate ear protection is temporary or permanent hearing loss.
But ensuring your ears are well-protected can also improve other safety measures and productivity levels by providing you are not distracted on the job.
Ear protection is easily available and suits all budgets with gear ranging from simple disposable ear plugs to high-end noise-cancelling ear muffs.
Hard hat
According to Australian health statistics, the most common home renovator accident is a result of falls, with many of those hospital visits including injuries to the head.
That’s why it’s essential to protect your head in any DIY environment that could result in falling objects, bumps, and potential head hazards.
Whether working on off-the-ground projects, demolishing, or handling heavy items, a hard hat protects against life-threatening head injuries.
