diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5DataType_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5DataType_misc.hpp
index 698d8fa28..0da4411e9 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5DataType_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5DataType_misc.hpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 #include "H5Inspector_misc.hpp"
 #include "h5t_wrapper.hpp"
+#include "h5i_wrapper.hpp"
 
 namespace HighFive {
 
@@ -69,8 +70,8 @@ inline StringType DataType::asStringType() const {
         throw DataTypeException("Invalid conversion to StringType.");
     }
 
-    if (isValid() && H5Iinc_ref(_hid) < 0) {
-        throw ObjectException("Reference counter increase failure");
+    if (isValid()) {
+        detail::h5i_inc_ref(_hid);
     }
 
     return StringType(_hid);
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Object_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Object_misc.hpp
index f477d7fdf..c5a1f3999 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Object_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Object_misc.hpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include "../H5Exception.hpp"
 #include "../H5Utility.hpp"
+#include "h5i_wrapper.hpp"
 
 namespace HighFive {
 namespace detail {
@@ -29,8 +30,8 @@ inline Object::Object(hid_t hid)
 
 inline Object::Object(const Object& other)
     : _hid(other._hid) {
-    if (other.isValid() && H5Iinc_ref(_hid) < 0) {
-        throw ObjectException("Reference counter increase failure");
+    if (other.isValid()) {
+        detail::h5i_inc_ref(_hid);
     }
 }
 
@@ -41,25 +42,28 @@ inline Object::Object(Object&& other) noexcept
 
 inline Object& Object::operator=(const Object& other) {
     if (this != &other) {
-        if (isValid())
-            H5Idec_ref(_hid);
+        if ((*this).isValid()) {
+            detail::h5i_dec_ref(_hid);
+        }
 
         _hid = other._hid;
-        if (other.isValid() && H5Iinc_ref(_hid) < 0) {
-            throw ObjectException("Reference counter increase failure");
+        if (other.isValid()) {
+            detail::h5i_inc_ref(_hid);
         }
     }
     return *this;
 }
 
 inline Object::~Object() {
-    if (isValid() && H5Idec_ref(_hid) < 0) {
-        HIGHFIVE_LOG_ERROR("HighFive::~Object: reference counter decrease failure");
+    if (isValid()) {
+        if (detail::nothrow::h5i_dec_ref(_hid) < 0) {
+            HIGHFIVE_LOG_ERROR("Failed to decrease reference count of HID");
+        }
     }
 }
 
 inline bool Object::isValid() const noexcept {
-    return (_hid != H5I_INVALID_HID) && (H5Iis_valid(_hid) != false);
+    return (_hid > 0) && (detail::nothrow::h5i_is_valid(_hid) > 0);
 }
 
 inline hid_t Object::getId() const noexcept {
@@ -87,11 +91,7 @@ static inline ObjectType _convert_object_type(const H5I_type_t& h5type) {
 
 inline ObjectType Object::getType() const {
     // H5Iget_type is a very lightweight func which extracts the type from the id
-    H5I_type_t h5type;
-    if ((h5type = H5Iget_type(_hid)) == H5I_BADID) {
-        HDF5ErrMapper::ToException<ObjectException>("Invalid hid or object type");
-    }
-    return _convert_object_type(h5type);
+    return _convert_object_type(detail::h5i_get_type(_hid));
 }
 
 inline ObjectInfo Object::getInfo() const {
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Path_traits_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Path_traits_misc.hpp
index 444e9294b..acde06d1e 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Path_traits_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Path_traits_misc.hpp
@@ -21,20 +21,16 @@ inline PathTraits<Derivate>::PathTraits() {
                       std::is_same<Derivate, Attribute>::value,
                   "PathTraits can only be applied to Group, DataSet and Attribute");
     const auto& obj = static_cast<const Derivate&>(*this);
-    if (!obj.isValid()) {
-        return;
+    if (obj.isValid()) {
+        const hid_t file_id = detail::h5i_get_file_id<PropertyException>(obj.getId());
+        _file_obj.reset(new File(file_id));
     }
-    const hid_t file_id = H5Iget_file_id(obj.getId());
-    if (file_id < 0) {
-        HDF5ErrMapper::ToException<PropertyException>("getFile(): Could not obtain file of object");
-    }
-    _file_obj.reset(new File(file_id));
 }
 
 template <typename Derivate>
 inline std::string PathTraits<Derivate>::getPath() const {
     return details::get_name([this](char* buffer, size_t length) {
-        return H5Iget_name(static_cast<const Derivate&>(*this).getId(), buffer, length);
+        return detail::h5i_get_name(static_cast<const Derivate&>(*this).getId(), buffer, length);
     });
 }
 
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/H5Reference_misc.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/H5Reference_misc.hpp
index 98e1fb88e..c73deee2a 100644
--- a/include/highfive/bits/H5Reference_misc.hpp
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/H5Reference_misc.hpp
@@ -22,8 +22,9 @@ namespace HighFive {
 
 inline Reference::Reference(const Object& location, const Object& object)
     : parent_id(location.getId()) {
-    obj_name = details::get_name(
-        [&](char* buffer, size_t length) { return H5Iget_name(object.getId(), buffer, length); });
+    obj_name = details::get_name([&](char* buffer, size_t length) {
+        return detail::h5i_get_name(object.getId(), buffer, length);
+    });
 }
 
 inline void Reference::create_ref(hobj_ref_t* refptr) const {
diff --git a/include/highfive/bits/h5i_wrapper.hpp b/include/highfive/bits/h5i_wrapper.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c81290b74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/highfive/bits/h5i_wrapper.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <H5Ipublic.h>
+
+namespace HighFive {
+namespace detail {
+inline int h5i_inc_ref(hid_t id) {
+    auto count = H5Iinc_ref(id);
+
+    if (count < 0) {
+        throw ObjectException("Failed to increase reference count of HID");
+    }
+
+    return count;
+}
+
+namespace nothrow {
+
+inline int h5i_dec_ref(hid_t id) {
+    return H5Idec_ref(id);
+}
+
+}  // namespace nothrow
+
+inline int h5i_dec_ref(hid_t id) {
+    int count = H5Idec_ref(id);
+    if (count < 0) {
+        throw ObjectException("Failed to decrease reference count of HID");
+    }
+
+    return count;
+}
+
+namespace nothrow {
+inline htri_t h5i_is_valid(hid_t id) {
+    return H5Iis_valid(id);
+}
+
+}  // namespace nothrow
+
+inline htri_t h5i_is_valid(hid_t id) {
+    htri_t tri = H5Iis_valid(id);
+    if (tri < 0) {
+        throw ObjectException("Failed to check if HID is valid");
+    }
+
+    return tri;
+}
+
+inline H5I_type_t h5i_get_type(hid_t id) {
+    H5I_type_t type = H5Iget_type(id);
+    if (type == H5I_BADID) {
+        HDF5ErrMapper::ToException<ObjectException>("Failed to get type of HID");
+    }
+
+    return type;
+}
+
+template <class Exception>
+inline hid_t h5i_get_file_id(hid_t id) {
+    hid_t file_id = H5Iget_file_id(id);
+    if (file_id < 0) {
+        HDF5ErrMapper::ToException<Exception>("Failed not obtain file HID of object");
+    }
+
+    return file_id;
+}
+
+inline ssize_t h5i_get_name(hid_t id, char* name, size_t size) {
+    ssize_t n_chars = H5Iget_name(id, name, size);
+    if (n_chars < 0) {
+        HDF5ErrMapper::ToException<ObjectException>("Failed to get name of HID.");
+    }
+
+    return n_chars;
+}
+
+}  // namespace detail
+}  // namespace HighFive