Section

Safety

Articles and resources on safety practices and equipment for trades and DIY work.

Worker performing equipment maintenance with clearly visible and correctly applied lockout tagout devices, ensuring safety.

How to Implement Effective Lockout Tagout Procedures for Equipment Maintenance

In 2023 alone, 48 workers died due to failures in hazardous energy control, a stark reminder of the deadly consequences when safety protocols are ignored, according to the National Safety Council (NSC

Ben Foster· Sep 3· 3 min
Homeowner carefully performing electrical work during a home renovation, highlighting the importance of safety protocols and awareness of electrical hazards.

How to Ensure Electrical Safety Protocols During Home Renovation

Damaged power cords are a leading cause of home fires and electrocution, a risk often overlooked in renovation projects.

Ben Foster· Aug 30· 4 min
An electrician in full arc flash PPE cautiously approaches a sparking electrical panel, highlighting the extreme danger of arc flash hazards.

What is Arc Flash Hazard Prevention and Protection in 2026?

At temperatures exceeding 35,000 °F (19,400 °C), an arc flash from a common 120/208V electrical panel instantly burns exposed skin and ignites flammable clothing, according to OSHA .

Ben Foster· Aug 24· 4 min
A skilled tradesperson using an ergonomically designed tool handle to prevent hand strain and improve efficiency in a workshop setting.

Ergonomic Practices for Skilled Trades: Prevent Injuries and Boost Efficiency

To prevent strain and injury, and maintain optimal hand function, tool handles like pliers or wire strippers must maintain a precise distance: 2.

Ben Foster· Aug 23· 3 min
Construction workers at a high elevation, carefully inspecting their fall protection equipment, highlighting the critical need for advanced safety protocols.

Improving Advanced Safety Protocols for Working at Heights

In 2021 alone, 372 construction workers died from falls to a lower level.

Ben Foster· Aug 22· 4 min
Tradesperson wearing full safety gear entering a confined space, with a colleague monitoring from the entrance, emphasizing safety protocols.

What are OSHA confined space regulations for tradespeople safety?

Between 2011 and 2018, 1,030 workers died in confined-space incidents, with over 60 percent of those fatalities involving would-be rescuers, according to EHSInsight .

Ben Foster· Aug 21· 4 min
A worker in protective gear meticulously applying a lockout tag to a piece of industrial machinery, symbolizing workplace safety protocols.

How Do Lockout Tagout Procedures Ensure Worker Safety?

At least 58.8% of fatal incidents reviewed did not involve lockout procedures, according to pubmed . This statistic points to a pervasive failure to even attempt these critical safety measures, leavin

Ben Foster· Aug 20· 4 min
Tradesperson in safety gear applying a lockout tag to industrial machinery, symbolizing adherence to LOTO procedures for enhanced safety.

How Lockout Tagout LOTO Procedures Ensure Tradespeople Safety

Lockout/tagout-related incidents, though accounting for only 2% of non-fatal injuries, are responsible for a staggering 7% of all workplace fatalities, according to Stacks .

Ben Foster· Aug 19· 4 min
A worker in full personal protective equipment observes a controlled arc flash event, highlighting the intense light and energy released.

What Are Arc Flash Hazards and How Can You Prevent Them?

Even a common 120/208V electrical panel can unleash an arc flash with enough energy to cause catastrophic burns, ignite clothing, and fatal injuries.

Ben Foster· Aug 16· 3 min
A visual representation of electrical fault current being safely diverted to the earth through a grounding wire, preventing damage and ensuring safety in a home.

What are electrical grounding and bonding principles for residential wiring safety?

The third prong on your electrical plug is a critical, often-ignored safety feature.

Ben Foster· Aug 9· 4 min
A family safely using kitchen appliances in a modern home, with the 2026 NEC codebook subtly represented, highlighting updated electrical safety standards.

What are the 2026 residential electrical safety practices and code requirements?

In 2021, residential electrical fires caused 295 deaths, 900 injuries, and over $1.

Ben Foster· Aug 8· 3 min
A split image contrasting a dangerous DIY electrical wiring situation with a modern, safe electrical panel, emphasizing evolving safety standards.

Evolving Electrical Wiring Safety Standards for DIYers

Using the wrong wire size for the electrical load is a common DIY wiring mistake.

Ben Foster· Aug 6· 4 min
Tradespeople and DIYers demonstrating safe ladder usage on a construction site, adhering to OSHA guidelines for stability and load.

How to Use Ladders Safely: A Guide for Tradespeople and DIYers

Self-supporting portable ladders must be capable of supporting at least four times their maximum intended load, a critical safety margin mandated by OSHA .

Ben Foster· Aug 5· 4 min
A firefighter expertly using a Class B fire extinguisher to control a grease fire in a commercial kitchen, demonstrating correct safety procedures.

Understanding Extinguishers for Class B Fires

Using water on a Class B grease fire instantly spreads flames across a wider area, turning a small emergency into an uncontrollable blaze.

Ben Foster· Aug 1· 3 min
Trades workers diligently performing their jobs on a construction site, emphasizing the essential use of various types of personal protective equipment for safety.

What Are the Key Types of Personal Protective Equipment for Trades Work?

In the last year, nearly two-thirds (64.

Ben Foster· Jul 31· 3 min
Worker wearing a NIOSH-approved N95 respirator in an industrial environment, emphasizing safety and protection.

Respirator Types: Understanding Effectiveness and N95 Superiority

The Department of State explicitly warns travelers against purchasing cloth facial coverings from sidewalk vendors, instead advising NIOSH-approved reusable respirators .

Ben Foster· Jul 30· 4 min
Construction workers at height wearing safety harnesses and using fall protection equipment on a high-rise building site.

What are safety protocols and equipment for working at heights?

A construction worker needs fall protection at six feet, but a shipyard employee requires it at five.

Ben Foster· Jul 16· 3 min
Construction worker using a fall protection system, tethered securely at a significant height above a factory floor, demonstrating essential safety measures.

How to Use Fall Protection Systems Safely: Best Practices

A worker in a general industry factory needs fall protection at four feet, but a construction worker on an identical platform might not need it until six feet.

Ben Foster· Jul 16· 4 min
Skilled trades workers examining and choosing properly fitting personal protective equipment, highlighting the new OSHA mandate for individual fit in construction.

How to Choose Personal Protective Equipment for Skilled Trades

A revised OSHA rule now mandates that personal protective equipment (PPE) must properly fit each individual employee's body type in the construction industry.

Ben Foster· Jul 14· 4 min
A visual representation of electrical grounding and bonding safely diverting dangerous current away from people and equipment during a fault.

What Are Electrical Grounding and Bonding Principles for Safety?

When a ground fault occurs, a properly installed ground wire can divert dangerous current through an outlet's ground prong.

Scott Ramirez· Jul 11· 3 min
Tradespeople in a construction site wearing various types of personal protective equipment, including hard hats, safety glasses, and gloves, demonstrating workplace safety.

What are the types and usage of personal protective equipment in trades?

Byssinosis, a textile sector pneumoconiosis, affects 44.

Ben Foster· Jul 9· 3 min
A clean and organized workshop environment with a mechanic working safely, highlighting proper tool storage and clear pathways to prevent injuries.

How to Prevent Common Workshop Injuries: Best Practices

In workshops across the country, a staggering number of injuries occur not from complex machinery failures, but from preventable hazards like tripping over misplaced tools or inadequate lighting.

Ben Foster· Jul 7· 3 min
A construction worker using a ladder safely on a job site, highlighting the importance of following best practices for fall prevention.

How to Ensure Ladder Safety Best Practices in 2026

Of 27,155 trauma patients studied, 340 individuals (1.

Ben Foster· Jul 6· 4 min
A person wearing safety glasses and gloves operates a table saw in a well-organized home workshop, demonstrating safe power tool usage.

How to Ensure Power Tool Safety Protocols and Equipment

Improper power tool use in a home workshop leads to serious injuries: cuts, fractures, even amputations.

Ben Foster· Jul 4· 4 min
Split image: chaotic industrial scene versus a safe, orderly scene after implementing hazard identification and risk assessment methodologies.

What are hazard identification and risk assessment methodologies?

In one iron ore pelletizing industry, the mean risk rating plummeted from 9.

Ben Foster· Jul 2· 4 min
A wide-angle view of a factory interior showcasing a complex industrial ventilation system with visible ductwork and air circulation, emphasizing its importance for a safe working environment.

What Are Industrial Ventilation Systems and Why Do They Matter for Safety?

In 2024, the European market for industrial air handling units saw a 3% decrease in units sold, even as the market's overall turnover surpassed €1.

Ben Foster· Jun 30· 4 min
Home DIYers wearing safety glasses, gloves, and kneepads while working on a renovation project, demonstrating safe practices.

What is PPE and why is it vital for your home DIY projects?

For just $5, a pair of kneepads prevents painful injuries during a home renovation.

Ben Foster· Jun 29· 3 min
A worker in a factory setting meticulously attaches a red lockout tag to a piece of industrial machinery, highlighting safety procedures.

How Do Lockout Tagout Procedures Ensure Industrial Safety?

Compliance with the lockout/tagout (LOTO) standard prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year in industrial environments, according to OSHA .

Ben Foster· Jun 28· 3 min
Modern auto repair workshop with advanced ventilation system, showing technicians working safely in a clean, well-lit environment.

How Effective Workshop Ventilation Systems Work

Poor garage ventilation can lead to immediate symptoms like headaches and dizziness, posing a direct risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ben Foster· Jun 25· 4 min
Tradesperson carefully inspecting a pipe for potential asbestos hazards in a dimly lit construction environment, emphasizing safety awareness.

What Are Asbestos Hazards and Safe Removal Practices for Tradespeople?

88% of Gen Z and millennial tradespeople have cut into suspicious materials on the job without knowing what was in them, according to an asbestos survey.

Ben Foster· Jun 19· 4 min