Safety tips for insulation installation

When tackling home insulation installation on your own, safety should be top of mind.

Follow these tips from the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association on safe insulation installation practices. 

Wear appropriate clothing

To reduce the chances of skin irritation, wear a head cover, gloves, and loose-fitting, long-sleeved, long-legged clothing.

Wear proper personal protective equipment

Safety glasses and respiratory protection may be necessary, depending on your work environment. The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Association offers guidelines in its Respiratory Protection Standard that may be helpful.

Take care if fibers get on your skin or eyes

If insulation fibers collect on your skin, don’t rub and scratch or remove with compressed air. Instead, lay tape, adhesive-side down, and then remove it gently, so the fibers are pulled from the skin. If fibers get in your eyes, never rub—flush with water or eyewash solution. Contact your doctor if you have continued irritation.

Keep dust to a minimum

Leave the materials in packaging for as long as possible. Use tools that create the least amount of dust; power tools should have dust-collection devices. Put scrap materials in the trash and don’t let equipment wander too far from the work site.

Maintain adequate ventilation

Determine whether your work site needs a dust-collection system. Also, exhausted air containing fibers should be filtered before being recirculated into inside workspaces. Finally, ventilation systems used to capture fibers should be regularly checked.

Source: North American Insulation Manufacturers Association