Tag Archives: plumbing

General Safety Issues, Hand Protection

Gear Up: Safety Tips for Professional Plumbers

Gear Up: Safety Tips for Professional Plumbers

Written by Sofia

For some countries, it can be easy to neglect the importance of health and safety practices due to lack of awareness, training and resources. Although plumbers have the option to choose between self-employment and working for businesses, your personal protective gears along with your compliance with Occupational Safety and Health standards deserve your time and attention.
Safety Issues
Plumbers may be one of the highest paid professionals in the trade industry but are more exposed to potential hazards and accidents. Like other professions such as builders, electricians and concreters, plumbers also battle with workplace risks. Some prominent ones include:
⦁ Exposure to toxins
⦁ Slips, trips and falls
⦁ Electric shocks and burns
⦁ Manual handling injuries
⦁ Eye hazards
Biohazard waste such as sewerage, mold and bacteria can also have a negative impact on your health. Without proper care and clothing, you may endanger not only your life but also your finances and investments.
Whether it involves a simple pipe repair or water supply installation, your safety shouldn’t be compromised. Here are plumbing safety tips to help prevent accidents around your home or at work:
Pick your hand wear. 
Generally, your hands get the majority of plumbing work. Covering them with either rubber or leather gloves can keep them from chemicals and heat exposures. Heat-insulating gloves are recommended when flame or soldering work is involved.
Before accepting any jobs, it’s important to understand the scope of work to help prepare the needed hand wear to use. If the process requires the use of handheld tools such as pipe wrenches and shovels, wearing protective gloves can be an option. However, taking note of this preventative measure can help safeguard your great asset.
Will you be needing power tools like circular saws and propane torches to accomplish the job? Using bare hands may be viable, but for your safety and convenience, it’s good to have your hands fully protected. You’ll thank these hand gloves when you do.
Mind your footwear.
You may have the best hand-eye coordination and balancing techniques, but without appropriate footwear, you’re bound to potential accidents.
Wet environments require a local plumber to wear a pair of boots with non-slip soles. When working at heights and confined areas, it’s also safe to use sturdy and non-skid shoes to avoid falling incidents.
Put on your headgear.
Wearing a pair of gloves and sturdy shoes won’t guarantee complete protection. Hard hats are recommended especially when doing large projects. A durable headpiece can keep you from acquiring head injuries caused by falling objects or solid materials.
Face protection is also good to consider. Make sure to wear respiratory masks when dealing with human waste, rodent droppings and other hazardous materials that could target your health.
Prepare your eyewear.
Eye injuries caused by chemical splashes, flying particles and falling objects can both affect your personal and professional lifestyle. Wearing safety goggles can protect your eyes especially when using high-pressure water jetters to clean drainage pipes. Likewise, if you’re dealing with hot water pipe repairs or maintenance, covering your eyes with proper eye shields can save you from acquiring extreme injuries.
Whether you’re involved with simple cleaning or installation jobs, wearing safety spectacles can keep you from dust and debris as well as material handling failures.
Wear your earpiece.
Just as your eyes need protective coverings, your ears also beg for proper protection. Hearing loss is one of the recorded safety hazards for plumbers. The World Health Organization’s Protection of the Human Environment released a 2004 report stating that 48 percent of plumbers suffer from hearing loss.
Wearing earplugs is essential especially when the job requires the use of extremely buzzing tools and procedures. This is common to a local plumber working in construction and other non-residential areas.
Workplace Safety Tips
⦁ Get proper training to increase your awareness
⦁ Refer to safety data sheets (SDS)
⦁ Keep your personal protective equipment in good condition
⦁ Follow safety orders and rules
⦁ Deodorise tools and equipment on a regular basis
⦁ Dispose gloves and clothing when necessary
⦁ Disinfect protective gears from head to toe
Gear Up, But Don’t Forget the Basics
In Australia, 8 percent of plumbers involved in construction sites acquire serious claims, with carpenters and joiners topping the list. Knowing the possible hazards and the best approach to avoid them helps to guarantee your safety. For instance, a local plumber who works in commercial projects should wear protective clothing such as hard hats and non-skid shoes to reduce accident rates.
Considering the temperature and climate condition also matters. Working in winter may not be ideal as it promotes high potential risks, but taking up assignments in cold temperate areas is still possible.
Responding to your client’s urgent need is important, but your safety must not suffer. It means that only qualified plumbers are expected to deal with any plumbing works to minimize the risks.
Do your part to protect your biggest asset. Take frequent breaks, drink plenty of water and prioritize sufficient rest when necessary. Most importantly, invest in and wear high-quality protective gears to help lessen plumbing-related incidents and give you more time to enjoy the privilege of being a plumber.
When did you last check your protective clothing and equipment?
General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Protective Clothing

The 3 different types of gloves that every Plumber Needs

3 Different Types of Gloves That Every Plumber Needs

As you probably already know, a plumber’s number one asset is his hands, and as such, you should be doing everything you can to keep them (and yourself) safe while on the job. Gloves are an essential part of this equation, as they are often a plumber’s first line of defense against the various health and safety hazards they run into on a daily basis – things like chemicals, heat, sparks, or flames when soldering or welding, and raw sewage.

This may seem straightforward enough, but there are still a lot of plumbers who feel that gloves restrict their range of motion, and because of this, stay away from them altogether. While it’s true that some gloves do make a job more complicated or frustrating than it has to be, the risks that come with not wearing gloves should be enough to convince any plumber who enjoys his health to start wearing them. Not all gloves are made the same however, so we did our own research on the three gloves that are most useful to an everyday plumber.

Latex or Nitrile gloves

These thin, moisture resistant gloves are a must have for any plumbing jobs that include exposure to infectious, and other biologically hazardous materials. Remember to wear them on simple jobs like drain cleanings, and during the more complex ones, like installing a new sewer line, as both of these projects involve handling raw sewage. You can also use Nitrile gloves for the same instances, if you’re allergic to latex.

Tip: Most plumbers agree that wearing a pair of these gloves under their normal leather “work” gloves offers better protection.

Drain Cleaning “Work” Gloves

Drain cleaning gloves can be made from leather, PVC (Rubber), or synthetic materials, and are the most commonly used type of glove among plumbers. They offer added protection against the cuts and abrasions that commonly occur when handling a metal drain snake, as well as protection from the sewage and other bodily fluids that follows the snake up. Leather-based or synthetic gloves should be utilized whenever the job calls for physical labor, for increased grip and protection.

Tip: Again, it’s a good idea to wear latex or nitrile gloves under these, and it should be noted that rubber gloves are great for avoiding chemical-related injuries, and offer the most protection when working with commercial-grade solvents.

Welding Gloves

Gloves with a high level of heat resistance are crucial for plumbers that do any kind of welding or soldering work on a daily basis. Typically, welding gloves are made of thick leather, have extra long cuffs to prevent spatter burns, and offer varying levels of fire resistance.

Tip: When choosing a pair of welding gloves, make sure that the gloves you choose match the type of welding work that you will be doing, as different types of welding and soldering come with different temperatures.

Wearing the wrong gloves or no gloves at all is the perfect way to injure your hands on a job. It’s a fact that using gloves on any plumbing job is important, but what’s not so obvious is just how important choosing the right kind of gloves for each job can be.

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Hearing Protection

TEN PLUMBING SAFETY TIPS (GUEST POST)

Submitted by Jim Klossner 

Many people are choosing to DIY when repairs need to be done in their home. With the increase in home handymen, or handywomen, comes more risk because non-professional plumbers naturally will not think about some of the safety precautions. It is critical to take safety steps to ensure that you get the job done unscathed, as well as to make sure that the job is done correctly. 

Be Mindful of Electricity

Since plumbing usually does not involve electricity, many people do not think to turn off the electricity. Keep in mind that water and electricity do not mix. This is especially important if you are doing something near a power source. 

Do Not Panic

If something goes wrong, like a pipe bursting, do not panic. You need to take the steps to correct the issue as quickly as possible and panic will prevent this. Take a little time before even starting the task to think about some things that could go wrong and then make a few rough strategies to fix these. 

Make Sure Your Eyes are Protected

When you are cutting into things and have the risk of water spraying everywhere, it is important that your eyes are protected. There is always the risk of things flying at your face and when you are wearing protective goggles you can pretty much eliminate the risk of eye damage. 

Protect Your Ears

Plumbing work can get loud and the ears can become damaged with too much loud noise. Things like power saws and other equipment can become loud and ear damage can occur without you even noticing it.  Wearing earplugs will help protect your hearing.

Protect Your Lungs

When doing plumbing work, you are sure to run into some type of dust and/or chemical fumes. If chemicals are being used, a respirator is something you may want to consider. If you will only run into dust, then a basic face mask is enough to prevent breathing in the dust. 

Make Sure You Have the Right Tools

Using the wrong tools can result in injury. For example, if you need a chisel, use a chisel and not a screwdriver. The screwdriver could slip when you are hammering, resulting in slamming the hammer on your hand. The wrong tools could also damage the thing you are working on, causing more issues and costing you more money. 

Have Emergency Numbers and a Way to Call Them Handy

Accidents happen and you need to be prepared to get help if necessary. Numbers like poison control should be handy, as well as utility company numbers. Keep a phone nearby just in case something happens and you need to call quickly. 

Practice Before Doing

Before you start the actual job, get used to the tools you will need to use so that you are confident in using them. You do not want to just learn that new saw when it is time to get work done as this adds more pressure which can lead to mistakes. 

Protect Your Hands

Chemicals, tools and hot water are all potential hazards to your hands. Be sure to wear gloves that are appropriate to what you might run into. For example, gloves that protect against chemicals generally differ than gloves that can protect hands from hot water. If it also a good idea to wear long pants, long sleeves and shoes to protect all of your skin. 

Know Your Plumbing

It is important to know things like the type of pipes used in your home, where the on/off valves are and where the pipes are behind the walls so that you can quickly access what you need. You also want to be able to quickly get to things if something were to go wrong. 

About the Author: Jim Klossner has been writing about plumbing and HVAC solutions for companies like John J Cahill, Inc. for nearly ten years. When he’s not writing, you can find Jim teaching safety courses at his local community center.