Life is full of hazards and risks. But you overcome them, don’t you? Each and every aspect of life is similar. There is a risk in whatever you do. But you never run away from life. You get to know of ways to solve problems when you have something rather unsettling. You like it or not, it’s the way of life. However, you get to encounter more hazards and risks in the professions you engage in. As it happens, you must cope-with such hazards in a professional manner; in a technical manner. Hence, if you are a plumber or would like to be a plumber, you need to have perfect knowledge of the hazards in plumbing.
Having an idea of the hazards you might face is not sufficient at all. Inherently, you must have a profound understanding of how you should manipulate them most efficiently. That is mainly for two reasons. Most predominantly to safeguard your life and to convince that you can carry on with your profession. So, knowing the safety precautions to avoid the hazards in plumbing is as important as knowing what you do in your profession. A simple mistake might cost your precious life. Hence, always be vigilant that you follow the necessary and suitable precautions.
No doubt you would like to read all about the hazards in plumbing and how you should avoid them. Go on reading! There is a lot of impressive information about the hazards and the precautions you must follow. They would surely impress you. Most importantly, they would help you save your life.
Plumbing Health and Safety
Plumbing is not something that you can do on a featherbed. You may sometimes have to work in extreme conditions. Perhaps, you might have to work in very high places. Injuries can occur due to the use of sharp equipment. Even you may get burnt if you make contact with a hot pipe or whatnot.
So, to be frank, plumbing is not one of the safest professions in the world. Naturally, all the professions that have a connection to fieldwork have danger thrust upon them. There are hazards that an electrician has to face. All the same, there are hazards that a carpenter has to face. It never ends if we try to list out professions that are a little risky. Of course, a plumber also has a lot of hazards that he or she has to face.
The risk you may have to face as a plumber can be of any extent. As you know, it could be a cut, a burn, or a similar injury. You can never be sure that it would not be more harmful than that. Hazards in plumbing might even cause your death. In general, plumbing has a very high potential for physical harm.
Anyway, this doesn’t mean that you get injuries on all the occasions that you plumb. This means that there is some amount of possibility for a plumber to face an injury. It might be due to his or her recklessness or improper use of apparatus. However, it is never a reason to regard that plumbing can cause you serious injuries invariably.
What you must do is to be aware of the safety precautions that you have to take. By doing so, you can make sure that you are not in harm’s way. Keep reading! Let us discuss all that.
What are the Hazards in Plumbing?
Undoubtedly, you must have been so eagerly waiting to get to know about the hazards of plumbing. Obviously, you don’t have to wait until you fall into trouble to analyze the threats. It could be so very late to do that. Maybe, you would sometimes never stand a chance. So, it’s always best to have a clear idea about all the possible hazards that you might encounter. Let us get to know each of them.
- Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
- Falling from Heights
- Injuries caused by Hand Tools
- Possibility to get Burnt by Explosions and Fires
- Possibility of Electrocution and Electric Shocks
- Injuries due to Loud Noise
- Eye injuries
- Extreme Temperatures
- Threats of Working in Confined Spaces
- Hazards of Repetitive Movement
- Asbestosis
- Hazards of Mold
- Illnesses caused by Rodents
- Diseases caused by Contaminated Water
- Stress and Exhaustion
All these hazards can have a disastrous and menacing effect on you. Sometimes you might consider them to be of no importance. You may take them for granted. But ultimately, you may have to regret your recklessness. Leave nothing to lament over! Get to know all about each of the above hazards in detail.
1. Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
Plumbers usually have to deal with a fair amount of chemicals in the profession. It’s no secret that many of those chemicals are toxic and hazardous for human beings. Some of them are as follows.
- PVC Primer
- PVC Cement
- Solder Flux
- Pipe Dopes
- Drain cleaners
As it happens, you use various types of sealants, glues, and foams as a plumber. It is always better to know the possible hazards of using them. So, what are the likely threats?
- Respiratory diseases such as asthma
- Cancers
- Gene damages
Obviously, there are no other successful alternative solutions that you can use instead of them. So, you surely would have to utilize them to plumb. Hence, there is a possibility that you might sometimes have to suffer from the above diseases.
Further, even a drain cleaner that you use consists of a lot of harmful chemicals. Your skin or eyes might sometimes expose to them. Even if you abide by the necessary precautions, you might inhale them. The chemicals used in them might also cause health issues, especially, respiratory problems.
As a plumber, you may have to do some renovation of the pipe system of a house or any other place. There can be hazardous construction materials consisting of harmful chemicals used during their construction. Even the owners may not have a quite clear idea about that. But you might expose yourself to those chemicals when you are renovating them. This is an instance in which you could unknowingly contact hazardous chemicals.
2. Falling from Heights
There are numerous instances that plumbers have to work in very high places. If there’s any plumbing work to be done on a rooftop or a skyscraper, you would surely have to reach the height.
If it is a height that you can reach using a ladder, you may use one. But if your work takes more time, maybe more than half an hour, it is advisable to use some other alternative instead of ladders.
Itis possible that you might slip and fall from the ladder. Unquestionably, it causes you serious physical damage.
Perhaps, you may use scaffolders or cherry pickers to access high places as well. Even if so, you would sometimes have a terrible fall.
Furthermore, a falling object from somewhere above your position can accidentally hit you and cause you to fall. So, you have to be vigilant about what’s above even though you are above the ground.
You know for sure that even falling from a few feet above the ground is dangerous. What would happen if you fall from a very high place? You can never even imagine the damage, can you? It could be pretty dangerous. If you are a careless person, keep in mind that even a careless split second can do enough harm to your life.
In the meantime, if you suffer from vertigo, plumbing in high places is never suitable for you.
3. Injuries caused by Hand Tools
The hand tools that you use to plumb can cause a number of injuries. It could be a small injury or a serious one. Anyway, what are the most common injuries caused by hand tools?
- Cuts
- Broken bones
- Fractures
Plumbers have to use various sharp tools to plump quite often. So, it is probably a possibility that plumbers might get cuts frequently. Carelessness or improper use of equipment could be the reasons for this. However, it would be important for you to know the tools that plumbers use for cutting purposes.
- Cable Saws
- Hacksaws
- Tubing Cutters
- Pipe Cutters
- Hose Cutters
Cuts from these sharp instruments are possible and frequent. Sometimes, a small mistake can be the reason for such a cut. But the injury can be serious.
Improper use of hand tools can also to broken bones and fractures. If you get a fracture, you might not be able to put weight on it for some time. If so, you will not be able to indulge yourself in plumbing. Thus, an injury would affect both your health and your financial status.
4. Possibility to get burnt by Explosions and Fires
You might not expect a fire to arise all of a sudden when you are plumbing. Besides, there is a risk. Unexpectedly, a fire might engulf you.
Most commonly, it is when a plumber is performing soldering work that there is a high risk for a fire. Usually, plumbers use torches to solder metal pipes. This is obviously a potential fire hazard. And this is one of the major causes of residential fires. Hence, you have to be overcareful when you are performing a soldering task.
Further, a fire might occur due to a hidden leak in the plumbing systems. If you are renovating a plumbing system, be cautious. There can be an area with electric wiring. And while you are working on your renovation, water might get into that area. If the insulation of the wiring is damaged, there is a possible danger of fire. You might get burnt.
You may be working in a residence, a commercial building, or any other such place. Usually, its utility connection pipes are bundled together. It wouldn’t be a problem if they have been correctly labeled. But what if they are not labeled? Just think that you need to cut the pipe that brings water to the building. But you cannot properly identify it. The pipe you cut could be the one that brings gas. On such occasions, an explosion or a fire might arise.
5. Possibility of Electrocution and Electric Shocks
Of course, there are many hazards in plumbing. Here is another. There is a possibility that you might get electrocuted or receive an electric shock.
There are certain occasions that this can happen accidentally. As you may well know by now, there is a possibility for a plumber to cut the wrong pipe in the bundle of utility connection pipes. What if he cuts the pipe that has got the electric wires coming to the particular place. His wrong judgment can lead to big trouble. The plumber can get electrocuted or he or she can get an electric shock.
Moreover, electrocution and electric shocks become potential hazards when you are dealing with metal pipes. Replacing and repairing metal water services should indeed need a lot of vigilance. You surely do have to handle copper pipes and galvanized pipes. At the times that you are removing and rejoining metal pipes, you have to be careful.
The fault of an electrician could ultimately turn out to be a hazard for a plumber. If the electrician has wired something in an incorrect way, and if you have to do some plumbing with it, that is indeed bad luck! For instance, if a washing machine has been wired incorrectly, and you have to fix some issue related to it, the possibility for you to get electrocuted or to get an electric shock is of course very high.
Electric shocks cause pain and trauma in your body. But if the amount of electric current you have received is high, it could be far more serious. Normally, electricity causes living tissues to heat up. In consequence, it can result in an electric burn. However, this can cause adverse effects on your nerve system as well.
6. Injuries due to Loud Noise
Loud noise is yet another plausible issue among the hazards in plumbing. Hearing damages have become a prominent peril among field workers nowadays. Plumbers also share a major portion of the list of victims of hearing damages and losses.
Plumbers often have to work loud electronic machinery. Further, banging tools and noisy pipes can also lead to hearing damages.
So, you have to use certain types of equipment that make loud noises. Hearing loud noises for a long time is extremely harmful. It can cause hearing loss. Depending on the damage that happens to your ears, hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. Anyway, this is a serious risk. It can also affect the nervous system and your brain.
Loud noises might also cause tinnitus in which you hear a ringing in your ears. It is a symptom of ear injury or hearing loss.
Moreover, there are some other effects of loud noise as well. Due to continuous exposure to loud noises, you might ultimately fail to concentrate on something. You might start to feel that you are stressed. What will happen due to all these? Obviously, you will have to lessen the amount of work you can do. There’s no use discussing what would happen if you work less. It is as clear as day. You will eventually not get a good income.
7. Eye Injuries
Plumbers have to work in different conditions. If you are a plumber, you can never assure that the place that you are working is free from any hazardous substances.
At any time of your job, your eyes might get exposed to toxic and hazardous chemicals. You would not know the exact time that would happen. But it can cause serious damage to your eyes unquestionably.
Also, direct exposure of your eyes to harmful bacteria can be another risk. You never know the formation of such organisms. Seldom you know how harmful and perilous they are. Anyway, there is a risk that such exposures can harm your eyes.
Furthermore, plumbers have to perform certain soldering tasks while plumbing. This might produce fumes that are harmful to the eyes. Soldering without proper equipment is highly dangerous.
8. Extreme Temperatures
Life does not always allow you to choose comfortable paths. You have to battle through hardships. As a plumber, you cannot refuse your duties, rain, or shine. You cannot run away from your duties.
Thus, you will have to work in extreme weather conditions. It could be extremely hot, cold, or raining cats and dogs. If plumbing systems need any repair, you can have no excuses as a plumber. You have to work on it.
Extreme heat can cause exhaustion, cramps, and heatstrokes. If you keep working neglecting the uneasiness, you may sometimes have to make an exit from your life. Even The United States Department of Labor points out that laborers face annual deaths and illnesses due to excessive heat.
However, working in extreme cold can cause tissue freezing and raptures. This could be a hazard that you would not have a concern over, in spite of all other potential hazards in plumbing. But it surely has an unfavorable impact on any plumber.
9. Threats of Working in Confined Spaces
Confined spaces are for any human to stay for a long time. They are designed to serve a specific purpose. Hence, you cannot expect them to be cozy and comfortable.
In a plumber’s everyday life, he or she probably has to work in confined spaces. It might be inside a storage tank or a pipeline. Furthermore, it can be a tunnel or a pit. But as a maintenance worker, a plumber has to get into one of those for some time to repair the pipes and whatnot.
It could be really difficult because, on most occasions, there is no adequate amount of oxygen in most of those places. If the particular space runs out of oxygen, it is undoubtedly a disaster.
Moreover, such places do not have much space to stay as you wish. You may have to face physical hazards as you may have to limit your physical movement when you are in there.
In addition, it can be a place where there are too many harmful chemicals and substances. So, the more you stay there, the riskier it is.
10. Hazards of Repetitive Movement
In life, nobody actually likes to do the same thing over and over again. But in the profession, maybe you do the same thing continuously throughout your lifetime. The most devastating part of all is, you may have to keep repeating something you have to do as a professional. If you are a plumber, this might be a situation that you have been in previously. Perhaps, you have to work with repetitively moving equipment. And you will have to do some pulling or pushing repeatedly.
You will usually have to keep doing the same thing most probably for a few hours continuously. On such occasions, you may have various effects from repetitive motion. The predominant problem a plumber has to face is Repetitive Stress Injury which is known as RSI.
Further, you may get muscle stresses and back pains due to RSI. Also, it can cause to damage the soft tissues in areas such as the neck, shoulders, and wrists.
If you feel stiffness, weakness, and discomfort in your body, it is possible that you are suffering from RSI. Besides, these symptoms might intensify and take you into a situation in which you cannot carry out your work.
If your pain is mild, you can consult a physical therapist whereas you should consult a specialist or surgeon if you feel that it is severe.
11. Asbestosis
Asbestosis is yet another hazard a plumber has to face among the hazards in plumbing. This is a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers for a long time. You do not catch asbestosis within a day or a couple. But prolonged exposure to asbestos can surely cause you to catch asbestosis. Scarring of lung tissues, shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, chest pain, and shoulder pain are some effects of asbestosis. Ultimately, asbestosis can lead to lung cancers.
As this disease develops gradually, you might not be totally aware of the situation you are heading into. Especially, when you work in a building that you do not know the history of, there is a danger. But anyway, this is a risk that every plumber must try to avoid.
12. Hazards of Mold
Mold is a fungus. It can be there on the surfaces of pipelines. When you are repairing the plumbing system, you might unknowingly inhale or ingest it. Mold can affect almost all the organs of one’s body. It can cause allergic reactions and skin rashes. All the same, it can cause effects such as sneezing and a runny nose. Asthma is another possible disease that you can get due to this.
13. Illnesses caused by Rodents
Plumbers have to plumb in various places in various situations. If you are a plumber, you know for sure that you have to go to ceilings and crawl in underground passages. Needless to say, rodents carry several dangerous diseases. They carry hantaviruses and rabies. Moreover, they carry fleas as well.
Pipes can plumbing systems can be places that rodents traverse. There is a risk that a plumber might get bitten by them. A plumber can obviously have no time or space to get rid of them so quickly. Hence, rat-bites are indeed possible.
As rodents have ever-growing teeth, they tend to bite hard objects. In actual fact, they may damage the insulations of electric wires as well. This can indirectly cause more problems. Of course, it could lead to a plumber being electrocuted or receiving an electric shock accidentally while doing some sort of maintenance in a plumbing system.
Further, rodents can spread many contagious diseases. If a rodent has been to a plumbing system, it may have left behind its saliva or urine. They are far too dangerous. Plumbers would never know if there is a risk at a workplace or not. It is inevitable. It is the rodents that you would have to offend!
14. Diseases caused by Contaminated Water
Among the hazards of plumbing, diseases caused by exposure to contaminated water is yet another. It is not only clean water that pipes in a plumbing system carry. It can be water running out from a factory. Maybe it can be water full of waste materials. In such ways, water could be contaminated.
If you have to repair and maintain such plumbing systems, you can possibly expose to contaminated water. Who knows what the water consists of? It could have a lot of harmful bacteria and similar organisms. Also, it can be a source of contagious diseases.
A plumber always has to understand this danger. A plumbing system can have contaminated water that can be immensely harmful.
15. Stress and Exhaustion
Well, whatever you do in life, stress and exhaustion are unavoidable issues. This is of course common to almost all professions. However, even a plumber’s life is extremely stressful and exhausted. This is not one of the most foremost hazards in plumbing. But ignoring stress and exhaustion is indeed unhealthy. It can lead to many other health issues.
Plumbers surely do have to satisfy their clients. The job must be of premium quality. Also, it is a requirement that a plumber has to meet the deadline of a particular task somehow or other. If it is almost unrealistic, you will try to work day and night without maybe sleepless to complete the task. But it causes anxiety as well as many other health problems.
Both your physical health and mental health are equally important. You would not be able to concentrate on something properly if you are not mentally healthy. It can make you do some plumbing work incorrectly. It is much worse than not doing it.
Furthermore, stress is not good if you have non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure and heart diseases. So, if you work without rest, you will soon have to rest in peace!
Plumbing Safety Procedures
It is important to know the hazards in plumbing. Yet, you would be in drastic need to know the ways you can avoid such hazards. However, it is not fair to say that plumbers can completely avoid the hazards in plumbing. But it is possible to minimize the danger and harm caused by them. Of course, prevention is better than cure. So, let us get to know the ways that we can minimize the danger.
- Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Using the most suitable tools
- Analysis of the workplace
- Having a stress-free work environment
- Frequent Medical Checkups
Now, you can read more about each of them. If you understand the importance of these, you would not call plumbing a hazardous profession.
1. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
This is as important as the food you consume. Without food, you can hardly live. Likewise, without Personal Protective Equipment, you can never guarantee the safety of your life. As of now, you read about a number of hazards in plumbing. To be frank, this is the way that you can use to protect yourself.
So, what should a plumber use as protective gear? Primarily, plumbers should use boots, gloves, and eye protection. Besides, it is much better if it is possible to use a full face mask. It offers much better protection. Also, it is better to use steel-capped boots that acid proof soles. But it is not advisable to use them while working at heights. Further, plumbers must dress up in a way that the dress covers the entire body.
With these, it is possible to reduce many risks. Threats caused by toxic chemicals, asbestos, mold, rodents, contaminated water, and extreme temperatures can be reduced this way. Further, eye protection avoids eye injuries. If necessary, plumbers can use Hearing Protecting Devices (HPD) while working in noisy places. It minimizes the threats of loud noises. Also, full face masks give protection from explosions and fires to the faces. Plumbers should also use cotton drill dresses that can reduce the risk of spreading fires. The hazards of electric currents can also be reduced using PPE.
So, it must be clear to you that Personal Protective Equipment are immensely important for a plumber. Without these, plumbing is indeed hazardous.
2. Using the most suitable tools
There can be many tools to perform a particular task. But plumbers know by experience that they cannot use any of them to do the work. Although there are many, it is important to choose the most suitable. Otherwise, it could be hazardous.
If you have to work at a high place, you must analyze and choose the method that you should reach that place. You must choose whether to use a ladder, a scaffolder, or a cherry picker. Consequently, you can minimize the risk of falling from heights.
Also, you can avoid injuries caused by hand tools if you choose the most suitable tool for each job.
3. Analyze the workplace
In the simplest terms, you must know the place you work. In case of emergency, you must know where to go and what to do. You must always analyze the workplace before starting to plumb. It can help plumbers save lives from unnecessary and unfortunate burdens.
Moreover, there are certain steps you must take when a plumber is working in a confined place. There should be calibrated gas monitors to check the oxygen level of the particular place from tie to time.
If plumbers follow these steps, it is possible to reduce the potential risks of confined spaces.
4. Having a stress-free work environment
There’s no need to stress the importance of a stress-free work environment. If you feel tired, you must no longer go on working. When you have worked enough, you must have some rest. That is for your own good.
5. Frequent Medical Checkups
By any chance, if you have any long term disease, you must know about that in advance. If not, endless hours of working would lead to serious health problems. So, it is important to do medical checkups frequently.
Hazards in Plumbing | Conclusion
Hazards are common to whatever we do. Anything we do is hazardous up to some extent. What we have to do is to identify the hazards and take the necessary steps to prevent them. There’s nothing else you can prioritize than your life. So, mind yourself! Get to know about the hazards in plumbing, and make sure that you take the necessary steps to avoid those hazards when plumbing!
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