Emergency room visits by do-it-yourself painters, plumbers and electricians have climbed in recent years as more people take on tougher projects, armed with more powerful tools.
Ladders lead the list of dangerous items, edging out our sexier items such as power drills and chainsaws. And not all injuries are obvious. Problems like hearing loss and lung damage may not show up for years. The bottom line: Think big when it comes to your DIY dreams, but pay attention to the safety details, too.
1. Wear Goggles
Buy a pair of safety glasses and hang them over your workbench. Buy another pair and hang them off your lawn mower or string trimmer. A pebble propelled by a whirling blade can easily do major damage to your vision, as can a shard kicked up by a chisel, or a silver of wood from a splitting ax. And, no, your normal eyeglasses aren't good enough.
2. Use earmuffs or earplugs.
At Popular mechanics, we've measured the noise from lawn mower at up to 99 decibels. The threshold where factory workers are required to wear ear protection is far lower (though, of course, they have longer exposure). If you mow the lawn or use a chainsaw for any length of time without ear protection, you'll notice temporary hearing loss. That should be a wake-up call--use protection.
3. Save your lungs.
Dust masks will guard your lungs from irritating dust when you sweep the driveway, garage or workshop. That's good, but they'll do nothing to protect you from organic vapors given off by paints and coatings. Always use paint in a well-ventilated area, and, if you're applying spray paint or brushing on oil-based paint, use a respirator with organic vapor cartridges. The respirator's package will tell you which fumes the product is rated to handle. Seems excessive? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires such measures for workers doing the same kind of work.
4. Guard your hands.
You'd obviously wear a pair of work gloves to do demolition or handle broken glass, but we've seen sheet metal, broken cast iron, broken glass and nails tear right through work gloves. Your best all-around protection are work gloves with a reinforced palm, otherwise known as double leather. Sure, they're more expensive (about $7 versus $3 for regular gloves), but then a trip to the emergency room to sew up your hand isn't cheap either.
5. Handle electricity with care.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are 4,000 injuries a year associated with extension cords. Fifty percent of the accidents are due to tripping, while 13 percent involve children under five. The cords are responsible for about 5,500 residential fires a year, resulting in 50 deaths and 270 injuries. So, always use an extension cord with an amp rating suited to the power tool you're using. Discard a severely damaged cord, and make minor repairs using a pro-quality indoor/outdoor electrical tape such as 3M Scotch Super 33+. If the cord has multiple damaged areas, you may be able to cut it shorter and install a replacement end on the cord.
6. Buy a first-aid kit.
Everybody knows to keep a first-aid kit in an accessible location in the home, but it seems equally important to keep one close at hand in the shop. Follow these four simple steps--based on advice from the famous Mayo Clinic--to deal with simple workshop cuts:
Step 1:
Minor cuts and scrapes stop bleeding on their own, in most cases. If they don't, apply gentle pressure to the wound with a clean cloth for 20 to 30 minutes. Don't lift the cloth while you wait. It's liable to reopen the wound.
Step 2:
Use plain water to rinse dirt and foreign matter from cuts. Don't apply soap to the wound because it can irritate it. Gently clean around the wound with soap, water and a clean washcloth. There's no need to use iodine-based cleaner or hydrogen peroxide.
Step 3:
Once you've cleaned the wound, apply an antibiotic to keep the surface moist and to discourage infection.
Step 4:
Cover the wound with a bandage. After your cut has healed enough such that infection is unlikely, uncover it. Exposure to the air will speed the healing process.
From http://men.msn.com/
10/10/2007
Ten Habits of Highly Annoying Workers
You always hear about "that guy" or "that girl:" The seat mate on plane trips who wants to exchange life stories; the socially awkward relative no one wants to sit next to at family gatherings; or the college co-ed whose room always smelled like beets. But although you've heard about these annoying characters, you've somehow managed to avoid running into them your entire life. How did that happen?
Even at work, there doesn't seem to be that standard office pest everyone tries to avoid. Wait a second... No, that's silly. It can't be you. People love you: You're constantly making jokes (sure, not everyone gets your humor, but even Carson had his critics); you're always giving people advice (they don't even have to ask!); and you have a work ethic that is unmatched (a little sinus infection isn't going to keep you from making it into the office).
While you may think you have the best intentions in mind, your co-workers may not see it that way. Constantly making jokes--especially of the off-color variety--doesn't make you irresistible, it makes you irritating; giving unsolicited advice is more invasive than it is sensitive; and while you may think you're martyr for coming to work despite being sick, your co-workers think you're a masochist.
While you can't get along with everyone all the time, you can at least do your part to contribute to a peaceful, productive work environment. Have a little consideration for your co-workers. Don't be that guy.
10 Habits of Highly Annoying Co-Workers:
Habit No.1: You make a daily call to your partner to "check in,", which can last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes and, depending on how you two are getting along these days, can result in either a nasty fight or the sweet murmurings of baby talk.
Habit No.2: You just can't seem to make it to those early morning meetings on time. If only the wait at the Starbucks next door weren't so slow, you'd never have to ask your co-workers what you missed.
Habit No.3: You almost always leave the office early "to beat traffic." You're positive that you have the worst commute of all your officemates.
Habit No.4: You buy a huge gift basket for someone in the office without consulting any of your co-workers, and then tell everyone that they owe you &10 to chip in.
Habit No.5: You borrow your neighbor's stapler without asking and only remember to return it when your neighbor complains that he or she can't find it.
Habit No.6: You can't understand what the big deal is whenever you ask your co-workers for "a tiny favor." Don't they know how much work you have piling up? You talk about it all the time.
Habit No.7: You've once again forgotten to take home and wash the container that has the remnants of your tuna salad luch a few days ago.
Habit No.8: You answer questions or reply to comments with "That's what she said."
Habit No.9: You don't see the need to learn how to send a fax or fix a paper jam when there's always someone around to help you do it.
Habit No.10: You play your favorite boy band CD on repeat. All day. Everyt day.
From http://msn.careerbuilder.com
Even at work, there doesn't seem to be that standard office pest everyone tries to avoid. Wait a second... No, that's silly. It can't be you. People love you: You're constantly making jokes (sure, not everyone gets your humor, but even Carson had his critics); you're always giving people advice (they don't even have to ask!); and you have a work ethic that is unmatched (a little sinus infection isn't going to keep you from making it into the office).
While you may think you have the best intentions in mind, your co-workers may not see it that way. Constantly making jokes--especially of the off-color variety--doesn't make you irresistible, it makes you irritating; giving unsolicited advice is more invasive than it is sensitive; and while you may think you're martyr for coming to work despite being sick, your co-workers think you're a masochist.
While you can't get along with everyone all the time, you can at least do your part to contribute to a peaceful, productive work environment. Have a little consideration for your co-workers. Don't be that guy.
10 Habits of Highly Annoying Co-Workers:
Habit No.1: You make a daily call to your partner to "check in,", which can last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes and, depending on how you two are getting along these days, can result in either a nasty fight or the sweet murmurings of baby talk.
Habit No.2: You just can't seem to make it to those early morning meetings on time. If only the wait at the Starbucks next door weren't so slow, you'd never have to ask your co-workers what you missed.
Habit No.3: You almost always leave the office early "to beat traffic." You're positive that you have the worst commute of all your officemates.
Habit No.4: You buy a huge gift basket for someone in the office without consulting any of your co-workers, and then tell everyone that they owe you &10 to chip in.
Habit No.5: You borrow your neighbor's stapler without asking and only remember to return it when your neighbor complains that he or she can't find it.
Habit No.6: You can't understand what the big deal is whenever you ask your co-workers for "a tiny favor." Don't they know how much work you have piling up? You talk about it all the time.
Habit No.7: You've once again forgotten to take home and wash the container that has the remnants of your tuna salad luch a few days ago.
Habit No.8: You answer questions or reply to comments with "That's what she said."
Habit No.9: You don't see the need to learn how to send a fax or fix a paper jam when there's always someone around to help you do it.
Habit No.10: You play your favorite boy band CD on repeat. All day. Everyt day.
From http://msn.careerbuilder.com
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