Safety Issues

[james]

The task of installing a brick oven involves working with a number of building material products and we strongly recommend that you take the appropriate safey precautions and avoid contact with them as much as possible, including:

1. Use gloves. You will be mixing concrete and mortar which are caustic and can burn your hands. You will also be handling ceramic insulation and insulating blocks, which can be irritating.

2. Use a breathing mask. You will be cutting concrete blocks, brick, firebrick and/or stone, which put out a great deal of dust. You will also be working with vermiculite, perlite, ceramic insulation and/or block insulation, which you do not want to breath in.

3. Soak your bricks and blocks before you cut them with a wet masonry cutter. They will put out less dust that way.

4. Take care. You will be using a variety of saws and other tools, so please be careful and follow the instructions for everything you use.

If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free to give more advice here.
James

[maver]

Re: Saftey Issues

Eye protection!!!

Cutting brick and working with anything overhead (including caustic mortar, lime, cement, stucco) are both great opportunities for embedding material in your corneas, burning your eyes, or worse.

[RTflorida]

Re: Saftey Issues

James, you have covered the basics.
I work for a pneumatic tool manufacturer. Having conducted countless training sessions, hands on demonstrations, and trade shows; the "basics" will eliminate 95% of the potential hazards. Product defects and failure are obviously not of the end user's contol (the 5% - actually much less for most products).

Gloves
Masks
Safety glasses
Common Sense - following the manufacurers' recommendations and safety guidlines for the products used. Throwing away instructions and owners manuals seems to be the norm for nearly every guy....we like to "figure it out"....It is the dumbest, bull headed, and potentially dangerous thing we can do.

No one will think less of you for having all of your fingers, your eyesight, and clear lungs; when your project is complete.

RT

[Bacterium]

Re: Saftey Issues

Something to add (maybe more of an environmental thing)..........so after all the concreting/mortaring/cutting etc. there are plenty of tools/things to clean up.

To stop the dirt/grime/sludge heading down the drain (and potentially out to the ocean - for some) I made up my own "capture device" out of an old blanket/sheet etc. where I can wash my stuff down (or even an area for "wet" cutting) and stop it going where it shouldn't. Once it dries, it can then be disposed of properly......obviously that can create dust which you need to avoid also

[Archena]

Re: Saftey Issues

Keep hair and jewelry away from power tools. Not just us girls - long haired guys and men's wedding rings have found out the hard way just how powerful power tools can be.

Safety glasses - I don't think that can be emphasized enough.

Lift properly - lots of heavy lifting and a good way to ruin your back.

Safety shoes/work boots - toes are a terrible thing to waste.

Have a first aid kit handy - nobody's perfect

Don't work alone! - something happens you may need someone else to help you. My cabinetmaking instructor told of once accidentally stapling his hand to a work piece. He had to wait until someone came to rescue him because he couldn't get it out himself. Make sure someone is within hollering distance.

[JoeT62]

Re: Saftey Issues

As a surgeon, I have seen quite a few "weekend warrior" injuries due to power tools. Lots of great advice above.

Archena makes a great point about hair and jewelry. If you can't or won't take a ring off, a piece of masking tape around it will help. If your shirt has long tails, tuck them in! Long pants can be hot, but do offer a modicum of protection against flying wood splinters and brick chips.

Of course, you only have to drop a brick once to realize the importance of good foot wear....if only they made steel toe flip flops!

[asudavew]

Re: Saftey Issues

....if only they made steel toe flip flops!

I'd wear me some of those!

[Mojoe]

Re: Saftey Issues

Couple items I've picked up over the 13yrs working in a cement manufacturing plant.

Cement burns (Alkali burns)are typically abrasions caused by clothing rubbing on cement covered skin. Udder Cream is a good soothing product for these.
Vinegar and water solution works great for removing unwanted cement from tools and other items (acetic acid in vinegar neutralizes the alkali in the cement).
Definitely want to keep the dust down when dealing with lime as it is a major irritant, dust mask recommended.

By all means don't be afraid to use any of these materials, just play it safe, and check the MSDS on any products you are unfamiliar with.

[Frances]

Re: Saftey Issues

I've got another one to put in here: Earplugs. Wear them when cutting bricks, like it says in the instructions for the saw.

I've been wearing the goggles, airfilter, gloves, shoes, and headscarf against dust, but now I've just gone deaf in one ear... temporary I HOPE!

[david s]

Re: Saftey Issues

The last I heard there was a cloud over ceramic fibre (blanket) in that it may be carcinogenic. I wouldn't recommend using it for the following reasons
1 It might be extremely dangerous to your health
2 It's expensive
3 It does not conform easily to a compound curve (sphere)
4 It compesses and therefore reduces its insulation value
5 The tendency to compress makes it difficult to keep your spherical form

I prefer to just use the vermiculite which is a very safe material.

[Jaroslavgreen]

Re: Saftey Issues

james,

thank you for your pieces of advice!
When you work with concrete, cement without gloves it make sores on your arms!

[david s]

Re: Saftey Issues

cement is bad , but lime is worse.

[james]

Re: Saftey Issues

james,

thank you for your pieces of advice!
When you work with concrete, cement without gloves it make sores on your arms!

Jaroslav,

Where in Poland are you? I think you are our first builder and member from Poland -- congratulations on that.

Have you started working on your oven? I would be very interested in hearing how it goes for you finding building materials, and how they are different from what we know from the U.S., UK, Australia, Italy, etc.

James

[SpringJim]

Re: Saftey Issues

I know, I know....

but I still find myself playing with the cement without gloves sometimes
...have worn off my fingerprints though

moisturizing lotions are recommended before and after working with your hands.

keep workplace clean to avoid tripping hazards

[dmun]

Re: Saftey Issues

BLUE GLOVES are now at the home centers. They are acrylic knit gloves that stay cool and un-sweaty, while the palms and fingers are dipped into blue rubber-like substance! Get them! Use them!