by Patricia J. Murphy

For Brad Burgess, it all began with fixing go-karts as a kid. Today, Burgess's weekends aren't complete without racing to finish a home project or two.

"I feel a sense of accomplishment seeing the finished product," says Burgess. "Instead of hiring a plumber for a job that might be tedious, time-consuming and cost-prohibitive, I'd rather learn how to do it myself."

From constructing a dining room floor to refinishing an antique table, Burgess, 39, of Lakewood, IL, has learned to ask questions, to adjust his level of concentration when using power tools, and to choose his projects based on knowledge, time, cost and risk.

Like more and more homeowners, Burgess enjoys making a hobby out of his home. Whether they are all doing it safely is another story.

In 1998 there were about 98,700 injuries from saws (hand and power) treated at hospital emergency rooms, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Hospital emergency room personnel also treated 42,426 hammer injuries; 17,818 power grinder, buffer and polisher injuries; 17,199 drill injuries; and 6,771 welding and soldering equipment injuries.

Here are some must-do's for those who do it themselves.

Plan Ahead
"Visualize the project and think of everything that might be dangerous," says Michael Buchet, OSHA safety specialist and former construction division manager with the National Safety Council, Itasca, IL. "If you're going to cut something, practice saw safety. If you'll be using a hammer and nails, practice hammer safety." April Higgins, outreach safety trainer, carpenter and do-it-yourselfer from Bloomington, IL, agrees: "Plan out safety as you would plan out the job."

Prepare Your Space
Where you work is just as important as how you work. Working in a clutter- and debris-free, well-lit areais crucial for safety. "If you don't have a safe workspace, you risk slips, trips, falls and falling objects - or literally "painting yourself into a corner," says Buchet.

Dress For Success
Dressing the part can decrease the risk and severity of an injury, say safety experts. The rule of thumb here is to cover up. Your safety gear should include:

• Safety glasses - They're made in all shapes and sizes - and with sun protection - to keep projectiles, mists, paints and dust away.
• Earplugs and muffs - These will decrease your chance of suffering hearing loss.
• Respirators - When using toxic or caustic chemicals or cutting fluids, wear a respirator to reduce the risk of injury or death from toxic airborne hazards.
• Gloves and shoes - Cover your hands and feet to decrease the chance of injury due to everything from chemical exposure to sharp objects.
• Kneepads - They're essential for kneeling on hard surfaces.
• Coveralls - "You can't do a job without spilling or tracking something on your clothing," says Phil Lageschulte, salesman for Home Depot in Palatine, IL. "You can also take it with you into your house of car." Coveralls also keep clothing from getting caught in machines and are flame-retardant. If you don't have coveralls, cotton and denim are good choices. Remember to avoid loose clothing and remove jewelry.

Read Labels
To decide what safety gear and tools are right for your job or how to use a chemical, "Read the labels, follow the recommendations and check out risks ahead of time," Buchet says.

"If the risks are to your hands, cover your hands. If you think you'll step in chemicals, wear foot protection," he says. "When in doubt, read the labels and ask for material safety data sheets. Both will give you an idea of what type of emergency/safety measures you should take."

Use the Right Tool for the Job
Read the instruction booklets that come with tools. "If you need more information, you should take advantage of people, stores, videos and magazines," Higgins says.

"Tools are unsympathetic," adds Lageschulte. "Get to know how to use them, put the blades in correctly, clean them, care for them and operate them. Or else they could stick, stab or cut you - or kill you."

Keep Tools Cleaned and Stored
To keep your tools in optimal condition, keep them clean, sharpened, lubricated and in good working order. It's also safe (and helpful) to store them in the same place (e.g., toolboxes or buckets) for easy access and away from little hands. "If you have to right the tool - if it's dirty or dull - it won't be as efficient or safe," says Higgins.

Be Smart With Electricity
When dealing with electricity, use an electrical tester to ensure that your power is off at the circuit breaker and fuses. "I'm a coward around electricity. I will turn it off until I'm completely done working," says Higgins. "I'll put a dimmer switch in, or rewire antique lamps before I plug them in. But I won't put a new outlet in. Unless you're an electrician or an electrical engineer, you shouldn't do it."

In addition to testers, use ground-fault circuit interrupters for all power hand tools. "Doing electrical wiring is another story - even if you turn off the circuit breakers, there's no guarantee the electricity is off," says Buchet. "Electrical work needs separate planning and safety measures. If you don't have any experience, get a licensed electrician."

Know What You're Doing - Or Don't Do It
"Practice situational awareness," Lageschulte says. "Look around, be aware of what you're doing. Weigh the costs of doing it yourself. Is it worth the loss of your eyesight or a finger? If you get injured, you can pay for it for the rest of your life. If you don't know what you're doing, take a class or hire an expert to do it for you."

Don't Try Everything At Once
OK, there's one more way to injure yourself - by overdoing it. If you plan your weekends to include 8-10 hours each day of home improvement projects, you might risk more than your marriage or family life.

"The weekend warriors are at risk - if they have the attitude of doing it all at once. This thinking can increase their chance of injury, strains and sprains," Higgins says.

What should you do? Pace yourself and decide what you can realistically do in a weekend. "Short of a broken window, a hole in your roof, or a basement that is flooding, there are not a lot of do-it-yourself jobs that you can't walk away from or go back to," says Higgins.