Basic worker safety

Who knows what your house needs? Do you have mold in the walls or ceiling? Missing copper pipes you need to replace before you get the water turned on? Temporary roof repairs you need to do? Does the house need to be rewired? A good place to start is with a building assessment. Some things to think about are online at wrttn.in/b348d9.

Whatever you have to do, some basic safety suggestions apply.

  • Don't operate power tools, work on electric wiring, or work on the roof drunk. Tearing out interior sheetrock or plaster walls drunk is probably okay, but don't fuck with the wood frame (2x4s or beams) behind them unless you are sober

  • Wear closed-toe shoes, preferably with ankle support. Steel toes are handy if you plan to drop a power saw on your foot

  • Drink water while you are working, especially if it is very cold or very hot

  • Wear breathing protection when you are doing dusty or moldy work. NIOSH-approved N-95 organic vapor canisters on a half-face mask are sufficient for most work you might do, and the setup will run you about $30-$40 dollars. Barring that, you can tie a wet t-shirt around your face and tuck it into your shirt, with a dust mask underneath. Spray down dust with water to make it drop

  • Wear eye protection when working with power tools or chemicals, or doing dusty work. Sunglasses, safety glasses, and safety goggles are all good options

  • For any major construction, wear a hard hat. Gravity is always in effect

Electric and plumbing

We're going to keep this simple. A squat is a great place to learn building trades, but these two are really easy to fuck up or hurt yourself if you don't know what you're doing. Find somebody who knows what she is doing and ask her to skill-share with you. That's the best way to avoid house fires, electrical shock, and having all your poop end up in a puddle in your basement.

Hazardous materials and chemicals

Is that paint lead-based? Is that pipe-wrap asbestos? What about those floor tiles, that siding, or that roofing material? Is that stuff on the ceiling old cigarette smoke or mold? What is in those drums stockpiled in the basement? This short guide can't do justice to all the hazards that can be present in a building. You will have to do further research and talk to experienced people to figure them out. But here are some quick hints:

  • Lead paint usually cracks at right angles and is a little shiny on the back. Children and pregnant people should not be around it at all. Everybody else should wear wet breathing protection, scrape off any major chipping areas, paint over it with several coats of paint, and scrub the floors well when you are done

  • Asbestos has little fibers that stick out. Don't remove it unless you are certified to do so. The city offers classes. Avoid it, paint over it, lay a new floor on top of it, cover it with duct tape, but do not remove it. Wear rubber gloves, protective clothing, eye protection, and breathing protection. Wet everything down, clean up after yourself, and throw out your gear when you finish the job

  • Mold is going to take some combination of gutting, circulation of dry air, repairing the source of the dampness, and scrubbing with bleach water or a compost tea called EM. Wear gloves and breathing protection when removing mold. Also wear eye protection when you are working with bleach. After you have scrubbed the shit out of it, repaint the area with Kilz or an equivalent mold and mildew resistant primer