Working on construction sites is dangerous. And honestly… I don’t like pain. Over The years, I’ve developed a few personal rules—practices that I always follow. Not because someone told me to. But because I don’t want to get hurt.
This is not an official safety guide. These are just my personal pro tips—the uncommon ones. I’m going to assume you already know the basic stuff, like cutting away from yourself and general common sense stuff. I’m giving you the good ones here. And I’m starting with my best tip.
High Places: How to Avoid Trips and Falls
My number one personal practice—one I’ve shared with a lot of people who now swear by it—is very simple: Look at your feet. On construction sites, we always have tools, cords, and materials scattered around the work area. And if you’re on a roof, scaffold, or anywhere up high, a simple trip can turn into a serious accident. After a few close calls, I made a rule for myself: If I’m working up high, I first look down at my feet and place them exactly where I want to stand. Then I look up at my work and start doing the job.
If I need to move, I stop working. I look back down at my feet. I move to the new position while still looking down. Then I look up and continue working.
Basically—if I’m moving, I’m looking down.
It becomes a habit really fast, and it gives you a lot more confidence working at heights. This is also incredibly useful on demolition jobs where there are nails everywhere, or anywhere footing really matters.
Share this one—it’s saved me more than once.
Hearing Protection (Learned the Hard Way)
That might be my best tip overall, but I also have a really good one for electrical work. Before we get there, I need to mention something I wish I had taken more seriously earlier: Hearing protection. I’m sitting here right now listening to my ears ring—and that’s on me. There’s no special technique here. Just get good hearing protection and use it. I recommend noise-canceling hearing protection so you can still listen to music if you want. Here is a good pair https://amzn.to/4aSpieG They are absolutely worth it. Those are the headphone type. But my favorite are the earbuds. I use them for hearing protection and for everyday use. Dewalt makes some nice ones that do both, nicely. here’s a link https://amzn.to/3Nf2HPw
Eye Protection (Also Learned the Hard Way)
Eye protection should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Getting metal in your eye really hurts. I keep a Semi-good pair of safety glasses in a case in my truck. I treat them like expensive sunglasses, and because of that, they last a long time. You don’t have to spend much. They can be reasonably priced. like these https://amzn.to/3YAzaSV. There are also a lot of really nice safety glasses that look just like sunglasses. I wear them as my everyday sunglasses, and if I end up working outside, I just leave them on. These are a little nicer but still not expensive. https://amzn.to/4jyAkb7. And if you want some to pass out, or you destroy them quickly you can get a 24 pack of half clear and half tinted. https://amzn.to/4bnqabi. Great if you want to provide them for other people who loose them often. And one last pair is a nice pair of goggles for more messy and dangerous tasks. https://amzn.to/4aNHO7T
And this scar on my thumb is a reminder to never hold something in your hand while drilling into it—especially metal plates of any kind.
Electrical Work: My Biggest Personal Rule
Don’t trust meters with your life. Early in my electrical career, I learned that meters and testers can fail. Batteries can be weak. Settings can be wrong. You might miss something. And sometimes a bad ground can give you a false reading. After getting shocked several times, I knew I needed a better system. So I built a habit—one that sometimes caused sparks, but never shocked me. Whenever I tested a wire and felt pretty confident it was off, I still treated it like it was live. Once loose I would touch it to a ground or neutral. If the circuit was actually on, it would short out safely. If it wasn’t, then I knew for sure—without using my body as the tester. I used this method often on 120-volt circuits.
Important Warning!! Do not do this on 220-volt or higher voltages. If your meter failed there, you might end up welding instead of testing. For those higher voltages, I use multiple meters, never touch the wire with my fingers, disconnect it, and cap it with a wire nut. Also—try to touch wires to places that won’t leave visible burn marks when you’re done. but the ground wire is the first choice. Get to know your tools. Use your testers and meters first. Here are some good ones that won’t drain you bank account much.
A combo pack https://amzn.to/4qq594g Here is the plug tester only https://amzn.to/4qmSwHy. Here is the Non-Contact tester only https://amzn.to/49vY9f4. And an Auto Ranging meter https://amzn.to/3YuizQJ. Keep fresh batteries in them, or use a rechargeable one like this one https://amzn.to/4qhwlSY it looks like a cell phone. I prefer the old school type so I havent tried that one myself to be honest.
If you do all of that, you should rarely be surprised—and more importantly, not shocked.
Final Thoughts
These aren’t rules from a book. They’re habits learned from close calls, mistakes, and experience. If even one of these keeps you from getting hurt, it was worth sharing. Stay safe out there.