Construction Safety,
Safety First!

Put it on!

A girls hard hat may seem funny to you - until it's too late!

Construction safety is priority one!. Okay guys, where's your hard hat? I've been rehabbing for decades as a real estate investor. I've visited many fellow rehabber's job sites and 99% of them are unsafe!

Construction site safety is taught by the employer or an agent for the employer when you have a job in construction. All factories, manufacturing plants, labs, ect...

In fact, most all employers have some type of safety program to prevent injury and protect against health hazards.

Not so - for the typical real estate investor's trying to flip houses, or the home owner remodeling their own home.

If the real estate investor guru programs warned you about construction safety, it would be too discouraging to sell their programs.

A famous quote to keep in mind:

"It's better to Lose a Minute of Your Life,
Than Your Life in a Minute." -Safety First!

I'd like to thank my friend Dave for sharing this very important construction safety tip with us.

Take a minute and put on your Safety Gear!

Related pages:

Safety Glasses

Protect your Eyes! You know why...

How much do you want to Risk Your Body. Ask The Rehabber™ is about real estate investing and doing much of the work yourself. Investing is all about risk - right! That about covers the money part... Construction safety is about putting your body at risk with a dangerous and hazardous construction or remodeling job site.

Investing and Do-It-Yourself activities are fascinating and rewarding. But there are some precautions that you must follow while taking on home remodeling projects to keep yourself safe... And for the safety of your visitors and helpers too!

We've covered Hard Hats and Eye protection...

Those are the 2 most important areas on the body to protect and the 3rd is the lungs with protective masks. But that's not all:

Head
Eyes
Ears
Breathing
Fingers and Toes
Hands and Feet
Back and Muscles
Heart and Hydration
The Whole Body

Ask-The-Rehabber™ Safety Tips

During demolition: wear the hard hat! Plus safety glasses / goggles, mask, gloves, steel toe shoes, hearing protections, and keep the area well ventilated.
Dusty conditions: Mask or respirator, and goggles. A filtered blower or a water trap vacuum will limit the dust.
Painting, Staining, Chemicals: Use latex gloves, heavier gloves, a respirator if the fumes are hazardous. Keep the windows open and turn off the furnace during the project. Watch out for all flames - stoves, HW tanks, and smoke outside if you smoke.
Proper tool - Proper Job: Construction safety is all about using the correct tool for the task at hand. Let the tool do the work.
Trip hazards: Have a place for everything and put everything in it's place! Keep a clean job site
Trash: 50% of the project is trash. Every time something new goes in, something old has to come out. Bag it up as you go and get it off the job site. I can brag about cutting my finger on the saw, but it's embarrassing to tell the Doctor you tripped in your own trash. Keep it clean is a smart construction safety practice.
Visitors: They're your responsibility. Family, children, friends, neighbors, all want to see your project - and you want to show them. At least have extra safety glasses and maybe some hard hats for your visitors. Warning: Exposed live wires = No Visitors! until the power is shut off.
Electrical: Rubber shoes, rubber gloves, and fiberglass ladders break the current. Use electrical tester and kill the power before demo and alterations. Remember electricity can be fatal and you cannot see it - Be real safe and hire an Electrician.
Fire Extinguisher: Keep 2 chemical fire extinguishers on your job site. They are inexpensive and can be mounted some where later in the finished project.
Natural Gas: A respirator just isn't enough! Gas is explosive! When in doubt, turn the gas off at the outside meter and hire a HAVC technician.
Jewelry, chains, and rings: Take them off during the project. First, you might damage your expensive jewelry. Worst they can catch and cause injury.
Ladders and plat forms: I use scaffolding with a wide work plat form. With ladders, get the heavy duty with a leg leveler, a standing plat form, that's fiberglass to avoid electrical grounding, and be sure it's set up properly on stable ground. Slow is the way to go on ladders for sure footing and "watch out below".

Whatever the task, plan out your project and work carefully at a reasonable pace. Rehabbing and remodeling is not a race! See work your plan and approach your remodeling project systematically and good construction safety practices.

Remember: Be Safe!

"It's Better to Lose a Minute of Your Life,
Than Your Life in a Minute." -Safety First!

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