Safety First! Water Damages Could Be Fatal

There are a lot of unfortunate events caused by water even when its level goes down. According to survey, 97% of home accidents are caused by carelessness in terms of water use. For instance, leaving water spilled on the floor may cause family members to slip and fall. Protecting your family is very significant. If you have damage or leaking water pipes, do not hesitate to decide for a water damage restoration. a water damage restoration specialist will keep your family members protected from stress, fatigue, and water-related health hazards. The following precautions are further tips that will help neutralize the common water related hazards, thus insuring a safe recovery process:

Turn off the Power Supply

During water damage repair, turn off the power of your unite by disabling breaker panel. If the damage restoration requires you to turn off the power grid, do not hesitate to do so. The panel is usually located in the garage, kitchen, utility room, basement, or outdoors on the side of the home.

If you plan to dry up the surroundings of your house or wet basement avoid using regular vacuums. As suggested by a fire & water damage restoration specialist, you should also avoid using any electrical appliances while standing on a wet floor or carpet as it may cause electrocution.

Should you need to use a generator temporarily while some plumbers are fixing the water damage, do not run the generator inside your house. because it releases high toxic levels of carbon monoxide, which can cause pollution inside, thus harming the health of the people present in the house. Before refueling the generator, after the  damage restoration, allow a couple of minutes for it to cool down.

Turn Off the Water Supply

During a water fire restoration, always remember to turn off water supply. In turning off the power supply during water restoration, it is advisable to use pliers or adjustable wrench and turn the main valve clockwise. The main water valve is usually located in the basement, near the water meter, or outside the building. You may call for a water damage specialist or a plumber to fix water damage if you cannot handle the task alone leave it to a expert or specialist.

If you are not sure that the water in the pipe is safe, avoid using it. After every water damage repair, it is advisable that you use bottled water or boiled water for washing dishes, drinking, and cooking to avoid further health hazards caused by bacteria if the problem persists do not hesitate to contact your water damage service provider.

Determine Structural Stability

Determine whether your property is structurally safe to enter. Before entering your home or business, take a look at the damaged ceiling and supporting walls. Do not enter if the ceiling is sagging due to water buildup or if walls have collapsed it would be better to leave it up to the water damage specialist to enter and analyze the water damages.

One important thing to remember before entering your property is to know whether or not it is safe. Buy some time checking out the ceiling and supporting walls and make sure they are free of water damage. If the ceiling is sagging because of water damage, do not enter the property as it may also cause walls to collapse. Avoid stepping down the house if you have a wet basement. This might trigger unexpected accidents especially if some live wires are plummeting into the water. For extra precautionary measures, you may call for a professional or water damage specialist to check your house. You may not be able to stay in your house during fire & water damage restoration, unless it is already considered safe.

Use Protective Close During Water Damage Restoration

During water damage restorations, water may become contaminated with sewage, mud, and other debris, presenting health hazards. To protect yourself from these, you may use protective gears such as the following list of items:

• Disposable plastic gloves
• Respirator with a particulate filter, N-95 respirator, or half-face respirator with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter
• Goggles or protective eye wear
• Disposable full body clothing, coveralls, or a lab coat
• Head gear
• Rubber boots or foot coverings

Water Damage – Food Safety

Flood water contains contaminants such as bacteria, sewage, and chemicals. Even after water damage is already fix, avoid eating foods that have been exposed to dirt. Throw away all damage foods, except for can goods unless they already have expired. If you’ve found yourself a victim to flooding, heeding the following safety tops will keep you away from food poisoning.

• Discard any fresh produce, meat, and eggs that have been exposed to flood water
• Dispose unopened glass jars with cardboard liners in the lid and paraffin wax, such as mayonnaise or salad dressing, and many other that are placed in cardboard boxes, paper, foil, cellophane, or cloth.
• Dispose spices, seasonings, flour, sugar, coffee, and tea stored in canisters
• Discard bulging and rusted canned goods.

As always you can always trust Better Life restoration to be your #1 choice for any Miami water damage cleanup and most of the Tri County area available 24 hours 7 days a week for any water damage emergency