The daily Astorian., September 26, 2020, WEEKEND EDITION, Image 21

Pressure
washing
safety tips
So many fall projects, like painting the house, start with
getting everything clean. And the quickest way to clean most
exterior surfaces is with a pressure washer or power washer.
Remember that any pressure washer that produces
greater than 100 pounds per square inch of pressure can
cause serious injury that can lead to infection, disability or
amputation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers
these safety tips for using a pressure washer.
• Always follow the safety instructions included in the
owner’s manual.
• Never point a pressure washer at yourself or others.
• Remember that the spray can throw objects, also at high
pressure, that can cause injuries to bystanders or to
yourself.
• Never attempt to push or move objects with the pressure
washer spray.
• Never use a gasoline-powered washer in an enclosed
space or near air intakes.
• Always test the ground-fault-circuit-interrupter before
using a pressure washer.
• Always plug a properly grounded pressure washer into a
properly grounded receptacle.
• If you need an extension cord, keep the pressure washer’s
power cord connection out of standing water and use a
heavy duty extension cord rated for use in wet locations.
• Keep the power cord and any extension cords as far
away as you can from the item being washed and any
water runoff.
• Wear rubber-soled shoes that provide insulation from
electrical jolts.
• Never cut or splice the pressure washer’s power cord or
extension cords.
• Never remove the grounding prong from the pressure
washer’s power cord or the extension cord.
• Always have a qualified electrician check the pressure
washer if it trips a circuit breaker.
• Never allow children to operate a pressure washer. Keep
children away from a pressure washer while it’s in use.
• If you injure yourself with the pressure washer, keep in
mind that what seems like a small wound can be more
serious. Get treatment right away.
• Before you treat any injuries incurred by a pressure
washer, wash your hands with soap and clean water.
• Make sure you clean the wound well, too, with clean or
bottled water.
• Leave unclean wounds open. If you can clean the wound,
cover it with a clean cloth or bandage.