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The act of renovating your home can be an exciting and rewarding time, if not quite laborious. It’s important to remember that while undertaking a personal renovation project, there are some health and safety risks that you should be aware of. These can range from simple injury risks to severe health risks. While this is an extreme scenario, it’s important to be careful when renovating a home to negate this risk. To help you, we’ve listed a number of key safety hazards that you should be conscious of before you start.
Key Health And Safety Hazards To Be Aware Of When Renovating Your Home
Electrical Problems
One of the most dangerous hazards in a property is electricity, especially when you’re doing renovations. Often when we undertake a project like this, we’re going to be looking at replacing the light fittings and plug sockets. This can be very risky if you don’t know what you’re doing. Using tools to unscrew powered sockets and work with wiring throughout your home poses the risk of you being electrocuted, which can cause severe injury or death. It’s crucial that you respect the electricity running through your home as it can cause extreme damage to both yourself and the property. The smart thing to do is to hire a professional electrician to deal with any serious electrical work in your home. If you do decide to do any work yourself, ensure that you follow these safety tips to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Structural Issues
When renovating a home, there’s a chance that you’ll be undertaking some more in-depth work in relation to the actual structure of the property. If you’re going to be removing and adding sections of the house, such as creating an extension or opening up a room by knocking down a wall, you need to be wary of any possible structural problems that could arise. For example, you cannot simply knock down a wall without identifying if it’s safe to do so. Certain walls in your home are load-bearing, and removing them could cause a collapse. Again, expert assistance will make this much easier to deal with, and they’ll be able to find which walls are safe to remove and how to do so safely.
Asbestos Insulation
Certain older houses, specifically those that were built before the year 2000, may have asbestos insulation inside them. This can be found everywhere from your roof, inside the walls, and around pipes, for example. It’s important that you remove this substance from your property as it can be extremely harmful to your health. After prolonged exposure, you can suffer from something called asbestosis, which is a serious lung disease. You should consider hiring a professional company that specialises in asbestos removal, such as jsremovals.co.uk.
Damp And Mould
Another thing to think about when renovating is dampness. This is where water starts to get into your property through cracks in window frames, walls, and the foundation of the house. This moisture can cause physical damage to your property, reducing the structural integrity of the building and can also lead to the development of black mould. This can is rarely harmful to your health but can cause illness in some scenarios. However, it can pose a significant problem to those with allergies. Damp proofing a house is a very important step when renovating and may require you to dispose of any materials that have been damaged by moisture.
Lock Safety During Renovations
When renovating your home, it’s essential to consider the potential health hazards and the safety risks that could arise during the process. One aspect of safety that homeowners may overlook is the security of their home’s locks. Fortunately, lock and locksmith tools are available to assist with any lock-related issues that may arise during the renovation process. These tools can help homeowners safely and securely remove and replace locks, preventing unauthorized access to the property during the renovation period. Investing in quality lock tools is a small but crucial step toward ensuring a safe and secure renovation process.