Safety gear

Having the right gear for the job is the mantra of any workman or DIY enthusiast. This is learned quickly when one does not have the right tool for the job, if you eventually find the right tool you wish you had found it a lot earlier!
The right tool does the job more effectively, more efficiently and safely!
As it happens, I have just removed my safety gloves because I am sanding some woodwork in the doorway to my office. Safety equipment should always be the first thought when thinking about any new tools or machinery. Over the years I have built up a good stock of gloves, goggles and face-masks for dusty jobs. Nevertheless, these things need replacing and the safety gear that is appropriate for one job may not be appropriate for the next. For instance, there are a range of gloves with different uses depending on the material being handled, similarly face masks are job-specific, a dust-mask is not effective against chemical fumes any more than gardening gloves are suitable for handling corrosive liquids.
Having the right tool for the job applies to safety gear every bit as much as it applies to hand or power tools.