Welcome to the drywall safety page. In our home improvement projects or even as a contractor we tend to take safety for granted. We sometimes fail to realize how easy it is to have an injury or accident occur.
When installing drywall it is very possible to pull or strain a muscle as well as an increased risk for many other threats. These threats can range from having drywall fall on you, falling off a ladder or even electric shock. To prevent these accidents or incidents from showing their nasty little faces we have composed a drywall safety guide to help you through your project.
Muscle strains or pulls are probably the most common injury from installing drywall. This occurs to improper lifting or individuals lifting large sheets that too heavy for them to carry. Hanging drywall is something you usually want a second set of hands for and if not you for sure want a drywall jack. It can cause a lot of stress trying to hold a sheet in place plus try and screw it in without one. Drywall jacks also take a lot of the risk of a sheet falling on you out of the equation as long as you get the sheet balanced.
The best way to prevent injuries is to do micro stretches periodically throughout the day. Additionally you will want to drink lots of water and take breaks when you start to get a little sore or tired. This will prevent more serious aches and pains listen to your body. This may seem like minor drywall safety tip but it is very important one.
When working off ladders always secure the ladder before climbing on it making sure it is clear of debris underneath. A vast majority of injuries are caused from a disorganized and or dirty work spaces make sure you clean up all debris as you go along with your project.
Drywall safety is especially important during the demolition process. This process can lead to electric shock or cause additional damage to the home. When performing demolition never remove a wall that is load barring. Always be weary when cutting existing wall with a saw never assume wires are ran in a certain pattern or that old wires are not behind existing wall. Be aware where you plumbing runs or anything else that may be behind wall. Always be weary when demoing a wall until you know what is behind it. It is never a good thing to have a wrecking bar break a water pipe because the bathroom in on the other side of the wall you are working on.
During demolition always, always wear a ventilation mask and eye protection. We have seen way to many eye injuries during the demolition process from splintering wood or plaster. When you are dropping ceilings wear a hard hat they can be picked up relatively cheap. We recommend wearing eye protection and mask during the entire process it may be uncomfortable now but it’s worth it in the end.
Shut off your furnace and block off all ducts when doing demo work or installing new drywall all of that dust is terrible for your furnace. Cover any register vents that you may remove with wood laid over them you do not want to step in or fall in a vent hole.
Finally eat healthy and stay hydrated when doing manual labor your body requires more fluids, rest and nutrients.