How Dangerous Is Plumbing?

Though DIY plumbing tutorials are tempting, you should only ever attempt basic repairs if you’re a professional plumber because you might end up getting injured in the process.

They include eye hazards, fatal electrical shocks and plumbers frequently work with very limited oxygen.

Waterborne Diseases
Diseases that arise from water are caused by microbes, and the infection can be transmitted by drinking and eating water — infected with the result of extreme illness or even death. Typical examples are cholera, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, campylobacteriosis – almost all of these diseases can be prevented by hygiene measures.

Water can be contaminated not only with bacteria but with viruses and parasites that can give you diarrhea, vomiting and fever if you drink it improperly. The most threatening waterborne pathogens are the immunocompromised, who can become delirious from ingestion. They may even prove fatal.

The air is also contaminated with mould and asbestos for plumbers. To take in these toxicants into their lungs might be detrimental to their health; plumbers should wear a mask all the time when completing work in locations with toxic materials; and landlords should talk to them about any previous exposure problems or concerns in this respect.

Natural Gas
Natural gas is a surprisingly safe fuel, once in closed pipes and sipped through appliances, but when leaked it can be deadly. Natural gas, the warning sign of its poison, also smells like eggs cooked in a deep fryer – that is, a dangerous vapour that will give you headaches, dizziness and weakness, as well as a explosion, if you hold it too long in any single place.

Leaks kill plants and trees because the roots won’t be able to take in oxygen and they will die. Some other indications of natural gas leakage include bubbles in standing water, hissing noises or brown or dead grass near pipelines.

Plumbers are to prevent these risks by always contacting 811 prior to beginning any excavation work in an area to find any underground utility and to monitor their operations to avoid striking any natural gas lines.

Falling Objects
Plumbers often work with pipes on roofs or tall buildings where they are more susceptible to objects coming off.

Injury can be bone fractures, sprains and strains, even head traumas; these can be permanent, life-threatening injuries.

Plumbing repairs also require you to deal with chemicals that are hazardous to your body, like drain cleaners and solvents. Wear proper PPE and make sure to take all precautions to avoid exposure to such materials, to avoid exposure hazards when using them.

Plumbing work exposes your hands to a lot of water, and the chances of them developing dermatitis or some other skin condition are much higher. It is the best thing they can do to eliminate this risk, to wash their hands as often as possible. Slips, trips and falls are another risk of the plumber’s job, which occurs because you work in the wet conditions or stumbling over equipment, supplies or ladders while working in tight places.

Working in High Places
Repairs to plumbing systems are done in small spaces with little space to maneuver, which leads to accidents – some fatal ones. Fortunately, plumbers do not have to be on such a high alert with proper safety precautions and vast experience in the profession.

There are hazards of heights work (ladders and scaffolding) including sitting in poor positions with the potential for musculoskeletal damage and biohazards like raw sewage; and biohazards such as this, and using power tools with the potential for dangers too.

Height work has its hazards and can be fatal or injury prone; make a single wrong turn and you can die. Another source of danger is in confined space areas such as vats, tanks, silos, pipes, ducts sewers wells pressure vessels that do not allow for extended stays because of poor air and oxygen levels; plumbers have to go in through a procedure called Confined Space Entry to avoid harms in these areas before.