Home Improvement Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Get ready to feel sympathy…Yesterday, I sustained a caulking injury—actually, two.

The hurt finger. I will spare you the thigh picture.

My index finger has an abrasion from caulk smoothing. (OK. A more skilled caulker probably wouldn’t have to use a finger.) And I have a sore thigh. Yes, just one sore thigh. Go figure. When you see the vertical nature of the project you will get that I did a lot of slow squatting, then back up again. I truly cannot explain why only my right thigh is sore. (OK. A younger caulker probably wouldn’t have a sore thigh, either.)

The scene of the crime. Yes, that's a lot of caulking. All around every one of those rectangles...So, you feel my pain?

These little reminders that we are do-it-yourselfers are not so bad. But there have been some slightly more serious injuries over the years: a shock from an outlet as I used a razor to cut around the opening as water dripped down the new wallpaper I was hanging (yikes); a perfectly round burn on the underside of my forearm from the old Hollywood style light bulb that apparently got really, really hot (this was the same wallpaper project as the little shock treatment; the burn hurt quite a bit, and there is still a perfectly round scar today—almost 20 years later); some smashed fingers; some non-stitch-needing cuts; and one trip to the emergency room for stitches to the eyebrow (an unfortunate shelf-building, drill-butt-to-the-head incident. My husband had the good sense to get the bleeding stopped before calling me. I still had to assume the fainting position just thinking about it. I am a total wimp.)

Once (I am getting woozy as I write this), a neighbor came over wondering if we could watch their kids while his wife drove him to the hospital. His hand had been on the receiving end of a pneumatic nailer. He had somehow removed the nail. (Ugh. Excuse me while I lie down for a moment.)

My point in mentioning these graphic incidences is not to cause swooning or intrigue. (Well, intrigue would mean interest, so I guess that’s ok.) My tales are cautionary. Yes, accidents do happen. But we can do some things to minimize the chances of injury.

1. Think through each step of your project before you begin. Some problems can be completely avoided this way. How are you going to climb the ladder with the 25 pound mirror, hammer, stud finder, and hanger?Maybe two trips?
   
2. Take time to prepare your area. Gather all needed tools and supplies. Be sure the area is cleared of hazards. And for goodness sake, either turn off the electricity or cover the outlets with duct tape. Electricity doesn’t mix with much of anything—especially water.
3. Wear protective eye wear. It isn’t pretty. It’s actually pretty dorky looking, but you sometimes don’t get second chances with your eyes. Now, you probably don’t need protective eye wear for some things. Duh. But if there is sawing, drilling, sanding, metal cutting, etc. involved, put on the lovely goggles. You can thank me later.
4. Take your time. I’m not talking about dragging out the paint-the-kitchen project for a week. I am talking about not trying to get three more boards cut before you have to leave to pick up the carpool when you know you are already late. I haven’t done research on others, but in my own experience, most of my injury-causing mistakes were made when I was doing something in haste.
5. Use common sense. No explanations here. If you don’t have common sense, consider hiring a professional.