Safety in flooring installations
Take the right time, right jobs, right precautions
The topic of safety may seem straightforward in many industries, but not so in flooring. Roof workers and window cleaners need to worry about working in elevated workspaces. Machinery operators need to know the dangers of working their machines in narrow spaces. But in flooring, there is no one kind of flooring project involving one kind of flooring tools done in one kind of workspace. So, we are currently going to simplify the various safety issues surrounding the installation of floorcovering in Canada.
Aimilios Tsagkalidis is a veteran floor installer in Burlington, Ont. He is a firm believer in keeping it simple when it comes to installing flooring of any type. He says, “Installers should only take on jobs where they are comfortable with the work conditions. Personally, I don’t try to get too fancy. For example, if asbestos might be under the floor, I’ll let the client deal with it. If they want to pay me to take care of it, then I might consider it.”
Yet Tsagkalidis takes issues like asbestos very seriously because a flooring installer never knows what kind of safety hazards he might deal with. He says, “You have to know your stuff. For example, for buildings that are a couple of decades old, there might well be asbestos under the floor. Now, if it’s under the floor, it’s usually safer than if it’s in the installation in the walls, but that still shouldn’t matter. If you think hazardous materials are there, take the necessary precautions, or move onto another job. It’s up to you.”
Jason Straarup is the installation expert at Main Floor Carpets in Medicine Hat, Alta. He believes the topic of asbestos will become even more crucial in coming years. According to Straarup, “We live in a small community here, so maybe it’s taken a while to reach us. But I just recently met an asbestos specialist at a social event, and I plan to get to know him even better.”
According to Straarup, “For people like my dad, asbestos wasn’t an issue. You could tear up a floor and not have to worry. That’s no longer the case, but it’s hard for some of the older guys to understand that. We still sometimes end up going into a floor and finding asbestos. We need to start being more proactive. That comes with more learning, and more training.”
In fact, Straarup is an avid proponent for a more general professionalization of the industry, as well as the flooring installation trade. He says, “The only way we’re going to be recognized by the market is to start stepping up. Times have been tough in flooring, and I think we’ve made things tougher by not making progress in the trades.”
A more common-sense approach to floor installing is what has sustained Tsagkalidis through many years in the trade. He says the worst that has happened to him on the job is a cut finger, and that he blames on a common mistake in installing: “There are too many pressures to rush the job, and that’s when the accidents happen. In this case, I ended up with a nail in my finger during stapling because I was in a hurry. I learned to be more careful after that.”
Yet Tsagkalidis has seen more than a cut finger happen to other installers in the business. He has seen broken bones, twisted wrists, and various other types of injuries. According to Tsagkalidis, much of safety in flooring is dependent upon individual personalities.
He explains, “You see, I am the kind of person who tends to approach everything carefully, and I don’t take on jobs that I’m not comfortable with. But other installers are different. Some are more ambitious with the kinds of projects they work on, so they should be more ambitious with the safety precautions they take. For example, some institutional renovations might involve asbestos. I stay away from those. If you don’t, then you need to do your homework, you need to know the safety procedures involved.”
Due to the open-ended nature of flooring installation, where various projects lead to different workspaces, all kinds of accidents can happen on the job. Flooring installers have allegedly contracted sinus cancer resulting from the inhalation of chemicals and wood dust. Hearing loss can result from the use of loud equipment such as sanders and saws. A flooring contractor was even killed in 2004 in Hull, Mass., when a pilot light from a water heater caused a spark during a sanding job.
So, as much as flooring installers like to think their work environments are boring, and safe, Tsagkalidis advises they should think again: “You really never know what can happen. I sometimes work on a construction site and I see all kinds of things hanging from the ceiling above me. If I see something I don’t like, I’ll tell the general contractor. I don’t want to have to keep looking above me while I’m installing flooring below me.”
Of course, as with most issues related to occupational health and safety in Canada, knowing the necessary procedures is often easier said than done. Safety tends to be a provincial jurisdiction in this country, which means there are at least 10 different jurisdictions to deal with. Yet that doesn’t mean there aren’t safety procedures to follow. What’s a safe procedure for an installer in Halifax should still stand for a colleague in Vancouver.
And the federal government does provide some guidance in this area. For example, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada cites various skills needed for floor installers across the country. According to their Essential Skills section for the trade, floor covering installers must be able to “read preparation instructions, application methods, cleanup procedures, hazard warnings, precautions and safe handling instructions on product labels such as stains, adhesives and finishing products and in material safety data sheets.”
In other words, flooring installers need to do their safety homework, in part because you never know when a safety inspector might walk in on the job. According to Tsagkalidis, “Especially on commercial projects, you might have someone come in and tell you to put a hard hat on, or fold in your pants properly. If you tell them why it’s hard to fold them that way, and offer a common sense alternative, they’re willing to listen. You just have to be seen as willing to comply, and you’ll avoid hassles.”
On the regulatory front, Tsagkalidis points to Bill 119 in Ontario as a step in the right direction. As of Dec. 19, 2012, independent contractors in construction can pre-register for Workers’ Compensation, and the coverage came into effect Jan. 1, 2013. But for Tsagkalidis, “It’s obviously not a perfect bill. Some of it requires duplicated procedures and needless hassle, but it brings us closer to a more complete compensation solution.”
For Tsagkalidis, one of the biggest safety hassles for flooring installers is the use of power tools. And this is where his principle of caution comes in most handy. He says, “Especially with table saws and mitre saws, which we use a lot, you can’t be in too much of a rush. All it takes is for one mistake, and the piece you’re working with will jump on you. It’s happened to me but, luckily, the piece didn’t poke my eye out or anything like that. Again, any installer finding himself in a rush should simply take a deep breath, look around, know where he is, and be sure he’s doing it safely. In the end, it’s what I always try to do.”
Exotic woods can be a particular challenge when using the saw. As Tsagkalidis describes it, “They can be particularly difficult to cut, especially when the vapours start coming out, which contain some levels of toxicity. Anyone who hasn’t dealt with certain kinds of woods needs to brace themselves beforehand. And make sure to wear a mask. The last thing you want on the job are unexpected surprises. That’s when injuries can happen.”
For Straarup, who most often deals with carpet installations, it’s the knife that poses one of the greatest hazards. He says, “I’ve cut myself on the job too often. In fact, I know someone who cut himself quite badly on the forearm, and he was out of work for six months. I would agree that rushing the job is probably the greatest cause of such injuries. Is it really worth it when an extra 10 minutes is all it takes to save yourself from injury?”
Yet it’s not just the obvious hazards that installers need to be aware of. According to Tsagkalidis, “You actually have to carry around all that flooring product. Those stacks of hardwood flooring can be heavy, let me tell you. So, again, when you’re in a rush, you tend to want to take on too much. Don’t break your back even before the installation begins. Carry what you can. Let others help. Wear a safety harness if you need to. Use proper bending techniques. And just use some common sense.”
Straarup is in full agreement when it comes to the risk that heavy lifting poses for flooring installers. When asked what injury has plagued him most during his career, he quickly responds, “My back. There’s no doubt about it. All that lifting of product has taken a toll on me physically. You just have to be smart about it. Don’t try to do too much. Just be aware of the risks before you injure yourself permanently.”
A common theme for Tsagkalidis pertaining to all aspects of flooring installation, including safety, is choice: choice of projects, choice of types of flooring to install, choice of clients, and choice of workspace. He says, “If some kind of work makes you feel unsafe, avoid those jobs. If some types of flooring come with too high a liability for your liking, become a specialist in something else.”
Tsagkalidis uses hardwood refinishing as an example of the kind of flooring project he now avoids. He continues, “It’s just a hassle all around for me. I was doing it for a while, but it comes with huge liability, you’re working with all kinds of chemicals, and the profits weren’t enough to justify all these challenges. Hardwood is big these days, but it’s just beyond my comfort zone.”
With all the challenges in becoming a successful flooring installer, working within one’s own comfort zone might be some good advice — not only when it comes to earning a living, and liking what you do, but also when it comes to keeping yourself and your crew safe on the job for a long time.