Most homeowners don’t give much thought to what goes into making their toilets flush and water hot, but plumbers do. Their jobs expose them to hazards every day – although thankfully injuries don’t arise daily (that’s what insurance is for!), it still is not an easy profession.
People prone to accidents risk cuts on their hands or chemicals entering their eyes as well as breathing in airborne contaminants like mold spores and dust.
1. Water Leaks
Leakage from leaky pipes might seem harmless at first, but if it occurs near electrical outlets or wires it could quickly become a fire risk. Furthermore, water entering dark environments could promote mould and mildew growth leading to serious health concerns including throat irritation, breathing difficulty and skin conditions.
Plumbers typically work in tight spaces such as pits, ducts, boilers and water tanks that have limited oxygen. Failure to adequately ventilate such environments could prove fatal; therefore it is imperative that plumbers utilize appropriate Personal Protective Equipment and conduct risk analyses before entering such environments. Sharp objects or falling materials that could cause injuries must also be considered potential threats.
2. Electrical Leaks
Working as a plumber entails numerous risks that put both you and your clients’ lives in the home at risk. Plumbing service providers use sharp tools in confined spaces; one misstep and they risk injury; they must also interact with gas and electricity which puts them at risk of electrical shocks.
Plumbing leaks can lead to mold and mildew growth in the home, potentially exposing residents to respiratory ailments, allergies, and other health concerns. They may also present a fire hazard when in contact with electrical wiring; additionally they can drive up energy costs significantly while drawing rodents into your residence – sudden spikes in energy usage could indicate hidden leaks within the walls of your home.
3. Gas Leaks
Plumbers may be trained to carry out their work carefully, yet their work still poses significant risk. Plumbing often requires working in tight spaces like water tanks, pipes, ducts, sewers and boilers with limited oxygen levels that may contain foreign materials or diseases that pose potential threats.
Gas leaks can be extremely hazardous to those nearby. Because gas can replace oxygen in our bodies and lead to asphyxiation, major gas leaks will usually be easy to detect thanks to their odorant component; smaller leaks, however, could go undetected for some time before showing symptoms such as dead grass or an increase in carbon monoxide poisoning among both pets and people.
4. Falling Objects
Plumbing jobs often necessitate plumbers working in tight, enclosed spaces like storage tanks, sewers and pipes – areas which may contain foreign objects, chemicals and bacteria – therefore it is vital that plumbers always wear protective eyewear on site.
Dropped object hazards represent an extensive workplace risk that can result in injury, fatality and property damage. They may arise from various sources including structural faults, improper fixes, corrosion of fittings and wear and tear issues; as well as loose items tethered together or movement.
Impact severity depends on a range of factors, such as an object’s shape, mass and height of its descent. Therefore, workers must employ safety measures to “stop the drop”, including conducting regular inspections, scheduling maintenance services and performing repairs as necessary.
5. Sewage
Sewage contains numerous viruses, bacteria and contaminants that can make you sick if you come into contact with it or breathe its vapors. One common route for infection is hand-to-mouth contact while drinking contaminated water can lead to gastroenteritis (a stomach flu-like illness with symptoms including vomiting, cramping and diarrhea).
If you hear gurgling noises coming from your plumbing, this could be a telltale sign that the sewage lines are leaking. These noises come from trapped air in the pipes when sewage backs up into them.
If you detect the aroma of sewage in your house, open windows and turn on fans to help vent out any gases produced. Furthermore, all surfaces and touch points exposed to this smell must be washed and disinfected as soon as possible in order to ensure full sanitation of these spaces.