Your home’s unfinished attic contains a number of hazards. This time of year, working up there can leave you vulnerable to overheating and dehydration. Some of the other potential dangers in your attic include falling, tripping, impact head injuries, exposure to insulation particles, and electrical shocks. For safety’s sake, it’s wise to wear head protection, a respirator mask and goggles for any attic work. You can also increase attic safety by taking these steps.
Build a Pathway
If your attic houses the air conditioner or other equipment that requires routine maintenance, choose the safest access route and create a pathway so there’s less chance of trip and fall accidents. Get any potential tripping hazards out of the way first, then lay down plywood decking that is plenty wide and thick enough to support someone’s weight walking on it. Secure the ends so the boards can’t move.
Prevent Electrical Shocks
Check around the attic for possible shock hazards, like open electrical boxes, wiring that’s been gnawed on by mice or otherwise damaged or frayed, or partially buried beneath the insulation. If you discover any worrisome issues that need to be corrected, call a licensed electrician.
Add More Lighting
Most unfinished attics just have one or two single-bulb fixtures in central locations. For greater safety, you should illuminate the area around any equipment. You can have your electrician add more fixtures, or stow a portable LED work light and a long extension cord close by so it’s handy whenever it’s needed.
Always Work in the Early Morning
If you’re planning to add extra insulation or take care of other chores in the attic, do it early in the morning. By 10 a.m., the temperature in your attic can already exceed 90 degrees, and it can hit 150 degrees or more by 3 pm. When you’re booking an HVAC maintenance appointment, schedule it no later than 9 a.m. to give the technician time to thoroughly inspect, service and clean the equipment before the attic gets too hot for safety.
For more tips about attic safety, contact the Coastal Bend home comfort pros at CCAC.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about attic safety and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “David Papazian/Shutterstock”
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