Daily Tip for Home Builder – Safety and Security Continued

This continues the discussion of safety and security at your home site. If you plan to do much work by yourself, I suggest you read up on it first. “Working Alone: Tips and Techniques for Solo Building” by John Carroll is a good place to start. Here is one such tip for installing trusses: Nail a vertical 2X4 to peak of truss to use as a temporary lever/handle for flipping truss into place. Do not carry OSB or plywood up a ladder. Instead, create a plywood lift. Make a 2X4 ledge halfway up the exterior wall. Lay sheet on this ledge and then turn sheet up on end so sheet can be grabbed from above. Roofing brackets needed for safety when slope is more than 4-12. Use roof jacks to prevent falls and sliding materials. Patio doors must be tempered glass for safety. . Be sure to use bracing and safety lines when raising exterior walls above ground level, a very dangerous job. Consider sheathing these walls when laid flat to avoid ladder work later but extra weight is a big factor. Remember to use diagonal let-in bracing in all stud walls to prevent racking. Consider the swing when installing casement windows and don’t block paths or patio area when opened. Avoid a nasty bump in the head when working below an open casement window. Window sizes (CABO); code indicates that a fireman and his equipment must pass through opening. Need separate flue for each fireplace in a shared chimney. Run vent pipe inside a larger vent pipe so the air space keeps the outside pipe cool. Fireplace should draw air for combustion from an outside vent; room air is circulated around the fire box for heating. Install CO2 detectors as part of your alarm system. Lithium batteries in smoke alarms last 10+ years. Add a separate shut off near the electric meter and lock it; easier to work when entire service is shut off. Install all Electrical outlets with third prong (ground) at top of outlet in case something falls across a plug and shorts across hot and neutral. | ° |. Don’t use lead-based solder on pipes (can cause illness/death); use tin-antimony instead. Clean all cement handling tools immediately as well as any powder or cement from your body and clothes. Consider a home defibrillator on the job site and in your household later.