How To Keep Your Worksite Safe When Renovating For Wealth

Hi guys, Naomi here, back for another round of renovation tips.

Last time I spoke about putting together your perfect B-Team.

In case you missed it, the B-Team is your group of tradies – the ones who will be helping out with the actual physical side of the renovation.

They’re the ones who will make the stuff you put on paper come to life. And having an awesome B-Team will also leave you grey hair-free.

A good B-Team will look after you and your renovation project.

But how will you look after them?

I’m not talking about cutting up mini sandwiches to serve at lunch time or handing our blankets when it’s cold.

What I’m talking about is the safety side of things.

How will you make sure that your pros are safe while on your worksite?

Your renovation project can include many things; you could be giving the walls a simple touch-up and replacing windows, or you could be adding a whole new storey. Whatever it is, the most important thing about your construction work is the safety of everyone involved.

The best part about safety while renovating is that, once you get the rules down pat, they’re pretty easy to follow.

So with that in mind, there are two main things to consider when it comes to safety.

Workplace safety

The first type of safety I’m talking about is the obvious workplace safety. It’s the fluoro vests and hard hats, all of that stuff that will help prevent any accidents on site.

Renovating can bring you big rewards, but it can also lead to a quick trip to the emergency department.

That is why safety is so important, and should never be skimped on or overlooked while renovating for profit.

When you think of workplace safety, what comes to mind?

Is it hard hats, safety vests, earmuffs, dust masks, protective glasses and gloves? If it is, good.

All of this protective gear is known as personal protective equipment, or PPE for short.

You should also keep an eye on the PPE – if the hard hats are battered, they probably wouldn’t do much good protecting against a knock on the head from some loose roof tiles. If the dust masks have holes in them, the probably won’t stop the builder from breathing in dust and debris.

If they need to be replaced, be sure to let your tradie know so they can be safe on your worksite.

Having a first aid kit onsite and ready to go is also a good idea. Even though the aim is to avoid having to use it, if someone does accidentally give themselves a minor cut, it can be quickly disinfected and patched up without disrupting the rest of the renovation works.

One of the easiest ways to minimise the risk of anyone hurting themselves is to keep the worksite clean. This means tidying things up and removing rubbish to make sure nobody trips or scrapes themselves on it.

Did you knock down a wall and have leftover plaster, broken bricks and old timber lying around? Dump them in the skip bin as soon as you can.

This is where your unskilled labourers can come in handy. They can keep the place clean so that renovation work can carry on quickly and smoothly.

You might not think that vacuuming is useful because the worksite will just get dirty the next day, but it pays to do a quick sweep to reduce the amount of dust. Who knows, one of your tradies would have asthma, and they’ll thank you for keeping things clean.

Another thing to keep in mind on the worksite is the amount of lighting you’re providing for your B-Team. Sure, most of the construction work is carried out during the day, but what if your plumber needs to do some after-hours work. Will there be enough light for him?

A lot of the finicky work is also carried out in awkward corners and nooks where there might not be enough natural light. Consider adding a lamp to help your B-Team navigate safely.

Design safety

The second type of safety revolves around your actual vision and the renovations you have come up with. And this is where a good relationship with your B-Team comes in handy.

I’m always going on about how important it is to plan stuff thoroughly, before you jump into them. Well this is no different.

You’ve put in all this effort so far to find your patch; you’ve figured out your particular structure, set up your business and hand-picked your A-Team to protect all your efforts.

Don’t throw it all away by jumping straight in to your renovation. Just because you have your perfect B-Team filled with amazing tradies, you shouldn’t just tell them what to do and be done with it.

Part of your actual renovating process should involve some proper planning. This involves taking the time to talk to your tradies about whether the plans and vision you have for the property will work in reality.

For example, bathrooms and kitchens are probably the most expensive rooms to renovate – which is why you want to get it right the first time.

If you’ve decided to gut the bathroom, it’s important to ask your licensed electrician whether those pendant lights that you want to install will work. I’m not talking about whether the lights will match the tiles and vanity, but whether your design would be legally allowed.

Think about, water and electricity generally don’t mix. Which means it can be a little tricky when putting in certain electrical design features in a bathroom or kitchen. Would those lights meet current Australian Standards?

That’s why your electrician would be able to help you get it right. A proactive electrician will make sure that your design not only looks good and fulfils your vision of the renovation, but also works legally.

So there you have it; two of the main types of safety you should be considering when renovating for profit. Remember that your B-Team is one of your most important assets, and should be looked after well.

Happy renovating!