When you are working around heavy equipment and materials, sharp edges and blades, and other tools and paraphernalia in your woodworking, fire pits, fencing, granite and other home improvement projects, safety needs to come first. There's no need to put yourself in danger while you're improving your home environment.

So heads up and head the following:

1) Take care of long hair and loose clothing and accessories that can get in the way of your work. Tie hair back, roll up sleeves, belt loose pants, don't wear jewelry.

2) Keep young children out of your work area.

3) Protect your eyes, even if you wear prescription eyewear. Use safety goggles or glasses with power tools, chiseling granite and other materials, sanding, hammering, scraping and doing other functions where debris could be airborne.

4) Protect your lungs, too. Use industry-safe face masks or respirators especially when working with materials and operations that can result in making airborne debris that you can breath in like sawing, sanding, and working with unsafe substances (toxic or itchy).

5) Protect your ears, too. Use plugs or other protective devices to level out loud power tools.

6) Watch for fire hazards, especially when working with wood (fencing, flooring, benches?), fabric (awnings) and with fire pits. You don't want to leave materials close to hot surfaces where they could catch on fire. And you don't want combustible items like oily rags left haphazardly around your work area. Keep your area organized. And get rid of trash to help keep your work area safer.

7) Read your owner's and equipment manuals and follow their instructions and advice. And keep them in a handy place altogether for quick retrieval, preferably in a sturdy storage bin or drawer where they'll stay fairly clean.

8) Unplug equipment when you're through for breaks and for the day. Don't leave anything plugged in while you're not there.

9) Be alert when you're around power tools. Don't be working or around the area if you're too tired to be alert or drunk. You need to be alert and aware or your surroundings and those of others.

10) No smoking around flammables.

11) If you need help, stop what you're doing and find help. Don't go it alone if there's potential danger.

12) Secure your materials and environment before starting to work on them: ladders that could fall, boards that could fly up in your face, etc.

Be responsible ? for your self and for those around you. And practice safety first with all your home improvements.