Basic Home Safety Equipment, Part 2

In Part 1 of Basic Home Safety, we shared safety product information for the average household, such as the need to have a flash light in major rooms, an adequate first aid kit, and the like. In part 2 of beginning home safety, we will discuss recommended safety gear that protects you while working on larger renovation and building projects—projects requiring the use of electric tools such as saws, or even using a tiller to prepare for your new garden.

Safety Gear Using Electric Tools

If you use electric equipment such as chain saws, welding tools, even electric nailers in your garage or home workshop, we recommend wearing substantial protective gear to prevent injury or harm to yourself. For example, repeated loud noise from using electric saws can cause hearing loss. What’s more, shrapnel can fly from wood or metal when you are using the lathe to cut materials, causing lacerations or head injuries. Consequently, we recommend wearing safety gear and outerwear designed to prevent harm when working with heavier equipment around your home or yard. Some of the most basic home safety items are listed below:

Hardhats: Wearing hard hats when doing even simple home repairs and construction can prevent head injuries. Equipsupply.com has an extensive inventory of hardhats by Sentry, with some even having colorful designs or sports team logos.

Hearing Protection: For moderately excessive noise levels, we recommend wearing earplugs made from either foam or hard plastic. Some earplug products come with connecting wires and can be reused. Other ear foams are designed for single use only. For massive noise levels and/or hours of loud noise work, we recommend using industrial strength ear muffs by Tasco. We carry 2 styles, each equipped with ultra-soft ear cushions for hours of wear.

Boots and Suits: Certain outdoor projects require full body covering to ameliorate inclement weather conditions such as snow or rain, avoid potential toxic material splashes from getting on your body, and preventing harsh glues or concrete spills on your person. Equipsupply.com carries a full line of industrial level waterproof jackets, coats and pants by Ironwear, with matching boots to protect the feet.

We also carry lighter weight coveralls made of polypropylene (by SAS Safety) that covers the entire body, ideal for smaller projects.

Heavy-Duty Gloves: Using heavy vibration equipment can cause calluses and skin breakdown without wearing the proper hand protection. For extended periods of electric tool use, we recommend wearing heavy-duty work gloves. Suggested glove products include the Treadz Super Grip Gloves with padded silicon, Vibration Dampening Gloves with Gel-Shok and abrasion resistant Tool Handz Plus gloves, all by Revco Industries.