DIYers love collecting tools but they often overlook protective gear. Here are eight essential pieces of safety equipment for the DIYer in your life.
Photo courtesy of Worktunes/Amazon
Hearing protection
Power tools such as chainsaws and impact drivers are loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage. Foam plugs that fit into your ears are better than nothing, but why not upgrade to a Bluetooth-equipped headset that protects your ears and allows you to listen to music while you work.
Photo courtesy of Lowes
Safety glasses
DIYers of a certain vintage might recall these construction safety videos from the 1980s, including one that featured a shard of metal flying into a man’s eye. Watch it once and you’ll never forget to wear your safety glasses.
Photo courtesy of Lowes
Work gloves
A good pair of work gloves protect your hands from splinters, knuckle-blows from errant hammer swings, cold weather, and more. But do not wear gloves when using stationary tools with spinning parts, like a drill press or table saw where the material can get caught in the machinery.
Photo courtesy of Rona
Hard hat
A DIYer’s greatest tool is their brain. This is why, like a pro, you should protect it with a hard hat if you’re doing demolition work, trimming tree branches, or other tasks where objects could fall from above.
Photo courtesy of Rona
Knee pads
Give your hardest-working joints a break by wearing protective knee pads when you’ll be working crouched over (installing deck boards, gardening, etc.). Alternatively, buy a foam pad you can rest on.
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Respirator
Now that we’ve all gotten used to wearing masks in our daily lives, it should be a no-brainer to wear a respirator when doing DIY projects that generate dust or involve the use of chemicals or other products that off-gas fumes.
$28.75
Photo courtesy of Mark’s Work Warehouse
Work boots
If you’ve ever stepped on a nail doing a DIY project, you’ll never make that mistake again. Look for CSA-approved work boots that have both a steel toe cap to protect your lower digits, and a sole plate to prevent injuries from stepping on those exposed nails.
Photo courtesy of Amazon
Chainsaw pants
Whether you’re felling dead trees or harvesting your own firewood, if you use a chainsaw at the cottage, you should invest in chainsaw pants.
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