14 Plumbing Safety Tips You Should Not Avoid 

A plumber, on average, makes $29.37 per hour, or $61,100 per year, and the plumbing business generates 124 billion in revenue annually in the United States. 

With the rising industry scale, the number of client requests is increasing, and businesses must deliver quick and efficient plumbing results to maximize the output from their working hours.

But in the race to deliver quick results, the safety of the plumbing process can be compromised, and it can increase the risk of accidents and losses.

To avoid such scenarios, we have filtered a few plumbing safety tips you can integrate into your business ecosystem to deliver safe and quality plumbing results to your clients.

7 Things You Should Do in Plumbing Safety

Your plumbing team should take precautionary measures during the on-site analysis and plumbing processing.

Your team should be drilled to analyze the situation effectively that can create a difference between simple project management and a disaster scenario.

You should train your team to follow the safety protocols and ensure that your team delivers a safe and excellent customer experience. 

Here are a few plumbing safety tips your team should follow to avoid mishappening.

1. Open the drain carefully

Before removing a cleanout or separating drain parts, plumbers should analyze the direction for the pipe’s contents to drain out.

Usually, drains are not under pressure, but because of the clog, significant pressure can be built that can result in the release of the pipe content towards the low-pressure zone, i.e., outside towards the plumber. 

The weight behind the clog and the gravity results in higher pressure that can cause a mess in the bathroom or kitchen area. Many plumbers don’t analyze the direction of the pipe they are holding and end up with unavoidable situations because of the pressure generated in the pipe.

Careful opening of the drain or removing a cleanout can help the plumber from creating a firehose effect of sewage and deliver a quality plumbing experience to your clients.

2. Shut off the water 

Train your plumbers to thoroughly check the water supplies during the repair or installation plumbing process that involves water connection. Multiple times, a decorative cap or knob holds back pressurized water that can wet the whole bathroom or kitchen space.

Ensure that your team consults with the owners or the managing authorities and asks for the water supply connection to turn off before kick-starting the work. 

Involving the owners and the managing authority can represent a professional brand image and help you deliver a quality experience to your clients.

3. Eye protection

Your plumbing team should protect their eyes with protective gear to avoid eye damage. You should ensure that you provide the right protection equipment to your team that can help them avoid mishappening. 

Plumbing work like using a drill, reciprocating saw, snaking a drain, hammering, or working under the sink poses a safety hazard for the eyes of the plumbers that can be career-threatening.

Don’t allow your team to operate on-site with protective eye gear. Also, provide them with the extra gear they can give the homeowners or the managing authority at the job site looking at the plumbing work.

Make your plumbing team aware of the contaminants like drain gunk or sewage splashing into the eyes. It can damage the eyes and cause temporary blindness to your team members.

Not following preventive measures can deliver a poor customer experience and minimize the chances of client retention.

4. Be aware of the job location

Your team should be aware of the plumbing ecosystem of the site as it can help them operate in an organized and careful manner. 

The seriousness of being aware of the job site plumbing network increases in case of commercial projects that require more experience and high focus to deliver the desired customer outcome.

Drill your plumbing team to follow the initial safety precautions of checking the pertinent local building and the plumbing and building codes before beginning the project. Your plumbers should understand the issues related to plumbing repairs and the complexities involved in completing the project once they reach the job site.

It can help them know more about the power tools required for the plumbing job and what safety precautions they must take to deliver the best-desired outcomes to your clients.

Understanding the plumbing systems can help the team avoid future plumbing problems and be aware of the electrical wiring of the space. 

You should also avail the required permit for handling different plumbing projects based on the inspection results.

5. Hands protection

Provide your plumbing team with the appropriate work gloves to protect their hands from accidents and chemicals. During handling the plumbing tasks, hands can come into contact with different materials and chemicals.

Ensure that your plumbing team wears latex gloves under leather gloves to improve the security and protect their hands from germs found in drain lines.

Purchase good-quality gloves that don’t get cut or torn away easily during the execution of plumbing tasks. It can prevent your employees from getting health hazards and help handle the plumbing projects with finesse.

6. Lungs protection

Sometimes, due to using drill machines or other plumbing safety equipment, there are chances of dust and harmful air particles that can cause breathing and lung issues to your plumbing team. 

They should be equipped with a quality face mask when necessary while protecting their lungs. When you know that the plumbing requirement requires sawing or sanding, your team should be instructed to take extra precautions by using a face mask to prevent inhaling harmful airborne particles.

In case of a gas leak or burst pipe, your team should be extremely careful while handling the plumbing problems. Also, ask your plumbers to wear long sleeves or other work-related clothing to prevent dangerous substances from getting into the skin that can cause different skin issues.

7. Right usage of safety tools

Using the power tools with finesse while managing the plumbing project can help your employees escape the chances of injuries and deliver a quality customer experience.

Teach your employees the manufacturer’s recommendations to follow the use of the plumbing equipment to ensure complete safety.

Drilling holes for pipes with a 1/2-inch drill is a common hazard faced by plumbers. Ensure the cutter or drill bit doesn’t get bound during the operation. 

Ensure your team has extra safety while soldering or using heat on pipes. While working with a soldering torch, ensure that your employees use a heat shield to protect combustible materials.

Provide them with safety glasses, and ask them to wear latex gloves while handling the right tools during plumbing operations.

While these safety precautions can increase the quality and minimize the risk of accidents during managing plumbing operations, your team should also focus on following a few plumbing practices that can increase the risk.

7 Things You Should Avoid in Plumbing Safety

1. Ignoring code requirements 

Building and plumbing codes are implemented to avoid future troubles and ensure that they are not being ignored. For example, leaving a simple vacuum breaker (a code requirement) in the water supply line can lead to contamination of the drinking water.

Ensure that your plumbing team checks the codes before they start the installation or repair process and deliver the most secure plumbing results to your clients.

2. Misuse of equipment and tools

Your team should use DIY plumbing tools and powerful equipment to deliver the intended results. They should avoid the misuse of the tools that can result in damage or injury. 

Regular maintenance checks should be integrated into the ecosystem to help you increase the efficiency of the tools and help you deliver a quality plumbing experience to your customers.

Instruct your team to check the condition of the power tools before starting the plumbing task to ensure that the quality of plumbing service is not compromised and your team can ace the service requirement. 

3. Cutting blindly

Before drilling or cutting into a ceiling, a wall, or floor cavity, your team should ensure that they know what’s behind the surface.

Different cavities have electrical wiring, plumbing pipes, and other ductwork that should be checked before using the power tools for plumbing purposes.

4. Working in confined space

Performing plumbing tasks requires decent space to deliver quality results. Your team should not operate in confined spaces that can increase the chances of accidents and damage. 

It can restrict the quality of plumbing services and cause different issues for your plumbing team to deliver the requested service.

5. Avoiding electrical wiring

While managing different plumbing tasks at commercial or residential buildings, your team should avoid different electrical wirings at the job site.

They should avoid plumbing tasks close to an electric circuit that can increase the risk of accidents and injuries.

6. Using normal boots 

Using casual boots during plumbing tasks should be avoided. Your team should have the proper gear to protect their health and bodies from any injuries. Provide your team with premium plumbing boots to help them have the required grip and stability to deliver quality plumbing services.

Besides boots, provide your team with quality clothes suitable for plumbing tasks. It can help you create a professional image of your plumbing business and provide complete safety and security to your plumbing team.

7. Not being aware of chemicals

Train your team to be aware of different chemical uses while managing the plumbing tasks that can help them avoid the misuse of different chemicals and minimize the risk of harmful chemical effects.

Avoiding these plumbing practices can help you improve the safety of your plumbing team and deliver a quality customer experience to your customers. You can scale your business and strengthen your presence in the industry.

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