A major part of home ownership is keeping your lovely home in working order and top-notch condition, but this is easier said than done. While most people automatically default to calling a resourceful professional who can fix various issues around the home, some people choose to attempt to fix these problems themselves.

While attempting to handle issues around the home by yourself is a noble goal, it can also be extremely dangerous if you are unsure what you are doing. This is why learning everything there is to know about the dangers of home repair, including the most common dangerous home restoration tasks, can help any homeowner be more prepared.

How Many Fatal Home Accidents Occur Yearly?

According to the National Safety Council, fatal home accidents were far more common than most people would like to believe. In fact, there were an estimated 175,000 preventative injury-related deaths that occurred in homes and communities in recent years. Out of the grand total of preventable injury-related deaths that occur in the year, fatal home accidents make up a grand total of 78% of them. As if this weren’t bad enough, over 50 million people suffered injuries that they survived resulting from similar accidents.

7 Most Dangerous Home Restoration Tasks

While nobody wants to be injured when they are just working around the home, an unfortunate truth is that accidents happen quite often. This is why understanding which home restoration tasks are dangerous is so important. In particular, take a second to consider whether you really want to tackle the following seven tasks on your own:

1. Replacing the roofing on a home

Naturally, replacing the roofing on a home is one of the most dangerous tasks a non-professional can undertake. Being on a roof alone is extremely dangerous if you do not know what you are doing, not to mention the specific equipment and other injuries that can arise from replacing the roof on a home. Rather than going back and forth for all the tools and materials you need, try to get everything you need ahead of time.

Electric shock is a major cause of death around the United States and the world in general. Working with electricity requires significant expertise, and many homeowners often assume they can dive into a task that involves electricity without doing research ahead of time. This is a quick way to cause an injury that you weren’t expecting.  

Similar to working with electricity, any gas related repair around the home can be extremely dangerous. Many gases in a home are toxic to inhale in large quantities, but they are also often flammable. This means that the average homeowner may accidentally have an open flame nearby which reacts to the gas negatively.

4. Attempting to remove or adjust trees

One of the number one tasks that most homeowners think they can handle, yet often find to be more difficult than expected, is tree adjustments or removals on a property. Among all those engaging in woodcutting, impact by a falling tree limb was the leading cause of fatalities, particularly due to the fact that it comes from above unexpectedly. Consider hiring a professional to handle tree adjustments or removal on your behalf.

5. Taking care of asbestos removal

Asbestos is a carcinogenic mineral that can develop over time, naturally occurring in rock and soil. It is highly toxic to humans in larger quantities, which many people neglect when considering removing it from a home itself. Without the proper materials, what seems like an easy task can quickly turn deadly, so consider reaching out to a professional.

6. Plumbing repairs around the bathrooms and kitchen

While plumbing repairs may not seem like a danger, they often involve water lines near sources of electricity. This can quickly create a dangerous situation for anybody, even experienced professionals. Water restoration jobs can also quickly become messy, looking beyond the fatalities, which is why contacting a plumber is so important.

7. Wall demolition jobs

Finally, many people may be excited about the idea of demolishing walls in their homes, but it is actually extremely dangerous. The dust released into the air along with the falling materials create the necessary factors for injuries of various kinds.

Safety Tips When Working Around the House

Considering each of the above dangerous home restoration tasks, learning general safety tips for working around the house is extremely beneficial. Each of the following are important to keep at the top of mind:

  1. Communicate with the others in your home and tell them what you are planning on doing
  2. Keep the area you are working around completely clean
  3. Ensure you have all the necessary tools you need before getting to work
  4. Have safety items such as fire extinguishers and alarms on standby
  5. Use extreme caution when dealing with dangerous features such as power lines
  6. Research the work you are about to perform to ensure it is able to be handled by someone other than a professional
  7. Keep your floors dry at all times
  8. Wear the proper gear that you may need in order to complete the job

All of the above are general safety tips related to working around the home, but specific jobs may call for specific safety tips. Research these ahead of time so that you are better prepared for the task you are about to undertake.

The Bottom Line

Home restoration is one of the most common tasks undertaken by homeowners, but it can also be one of the most dangerous if not handled properly. A home should be your safe space and not a place that makes you worried, which is why understanding the dangers of the above tasks is so important. Know your limitations and don’t be afraid to pay a cost to hire a professional who can handle the job safely so that you don’t find yourself unnecessarily injured.