How to Stay Safe and Choose The Right PPE
I love all the different DIY projects that we get to do here on this channel, and I know that some of you are eager to get into your own projects, but before you go grab that sander or fabric dye, I just wanted to take a second to talk to you about some ways you can protect yourself while you’re DIYing.
Body Protection
Before we get into the personal protective equipment, or PPE, that you’re going to want to have on hand, let’s start with what you’re going to wear. First, you’ll want clothes that don’t fit too loosely, or hang down into your work area (I’m talking oversized sleeves knocking over your paint, hoodie strings getting caught in your saw). Just think about what you’re about to be doing and picture if what you have on is going to screw you over somehow. When I get deep in a woodworking project, I usually like to throw on some overalls with a long sleeve shirt.
I also recommend that you wear closed shoes because they’re less likely to slip off mid-DIY and you never know what’s going to fall down there. With what I get up to, I like wearing boots and when I’m feeling crazy I throw on these steel-toes that I have, just for peace of mind…because I like my toes.
I also like to keep my hair tied up whenever I can because it’s so easy to forget and just tip my head over - best case scenario I now have paint all over my hair, worst case my hair’s caught and my head’s being hauled somewhere it shouldn’t go.
Hand Protection
Disposable gloves for staining wood or working with other chemicals, or fabric gloves with grip when moving boxes or hauling wood around, I like to make sure that I help protect my skin from chemical burns, getting splinters and generally keeping my skin baby soft. Depending on the projects you’re getting into, you might also want to consider gloves that are cut-resistant or heat-resistant, but there are some times when the gloves come off.
A general recommendation I’ve heard is that you want to go gloveless when you’re working with power tools that spin - much like loose hair, the fabric can get caught in bits and blades. However, I personally still prefer to wear gloves when using tools such as a drill or circular saw because my hands aren’t as close to the bit or the blade in these cases. When my hands get a little closer, like when we were using the table saw or lathe, that’s when the risk outweighs the splinter protection and I’ll leave the gloves off.
As an alternative to not wearing gloves when using tools such as the table saw, a router table or a bandsaw, there are a variety of tools out there to help keep your fingers out of the way. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous when using the table saw so I got this pushblock which I will link below, that helps to keep the wood moving safely and fingers far from the blade. Whatever kind of projects you’re into, I would do some digging to see if there are tools available to keep you safer and feeling more confident as you DIY.
Face protection
Safety glasses…get some. Seriously. Your eyes are so important and you need to protect them from flying bits of wood, splashing chemicals, shattering glass, you name it. You may want glasses with side shields or the goggle version for even more protection, but for most of what I do, these safety glasses do me just fine. You may find the glasses that you have are uncomfortable so you don’t want to put them on, especially for a quick cut here and there. But this is an area where I suggest making an investment - look out for glasses that are adjustable, with anti-fog coating. Maybe you’d benefit from some that are anti-glare or tinted for work outdoors. They even make glasses that fit over your existing glasses and straight up prescription safety glasses. If they’re comfortable chances are you’ll even forget you are wearing them half the time.
We recently got the chance to use a lathe which was super fun, but we did grab this face shield because there were literal shards of wood flying at our faces so this came in handy. They also make more robust face shields with respirators in them, so if you’re working with serious chemicals I’d look into those as well.
Ear Protection
Ear protection is a must when working with power tools and around other noisy equipment. If you’re just casually making a few cuts, you can try little foam ear plugs, but if I’m going to be using equipment for quite a while, I prefer over-the-ear muffs - mine are even bluetooth enabled so if you see me with these on, I’m probably listening to music as I’m working.
Lung Protection
Protecting your lungs is incredibly important and I don’t want to be the one to steer you wrong, so if you’re going to be working with potentially toxic fumes and airborne particulates, you should definitely do your research and get the best respirator for the task. Using a disposable dust mask while doing sanding or a quick cut is better than nothing at all, however, if you plan on doing more in-depth projects, I would recommend getting yourself a high quality dust mask with vents at the very least. These are usually rated at N95 or above for filtering out airborne particles, and they have adjustable straps and nosebands for a tight fit and comfort. Since I do a fair bit of cutting and sanding, I like having this reusable respirator with removable filters that fits my face well and I can adjust around my hair being up. Just like the safety glasses, if your mask is comfortable, you’ll be more likely to wear it all the time.
Fire Extinguisher
I wasn’t sure at first if I considered this PPE, but I’m going to throw it in my list for good measure. A fire extinguisher. No one really wants to think about what happens when things go wrong, but this is something simple and widely available that you can keep on hand to help keep a small flame from turning into a catastrophe. Once again, I would do your research to be sure of exactly which classification works best for your needs, but for the average DIYer, I would recommend you get an ABC classified extinguisher which should be good for small fires involving wood, paper, cooking liquids, and small electrical items. There are a lot of great resources out there showing you exactly how to use one of these so I would familiarize myself with how best to combat a small fire and how to know when getting out of there and calling for help is the best course of action.
Thank you so much for sticking around to hear some of my recommendations for personal protective equipment - I want you all to be as safe as possible so that DIY is always a good time. Hit Subscribe if you want to see more videos in our How to Go Do series. See you next time!
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