Unfortunately, an estimated 220,000 DIY enthusiasts find themselves making the trip to hospital each year, as they fall foul of a series of misjudgements or plain recklessness. While many of these are fairly trivial or inconsequential, there are a select few that cause long-term injury, disability or in some instances death.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this statistic is that includes injuries caused by a wide range of tools and materials, including those that may normally considered to be relatively safe and harmless.
How to Operate Safely and Avoid Injury when Conducting DIY Tasks
Taking these points on board, how can you look to protect yourself as a home-owner and ensure that you work as safely as possible within the home? Consider the following: –
Take Precautions when Working at Height
Interestingly, step-ladders and standard height ladders are involved with a large number of DIY-related accidents that take place within the home. This may come as something of a surprise, as these are functional and easy to use household items that would usually be unlikely to cause injury.
This is only so long as they are used responsibly, however, and it is imperative that you take a number of precautions when working at height. More specifically, ensure that the ladder is stable before you climb and that it also enables you to reach the required height without stretching.
Do Not Underestimate the Threat of Materials and Substances
Another key to working safely within the home revolves around the responsible use of materials and substances. There are a number of potentially hazardous materials that can be used in home remodelling projects, from simple adhesives and glues to tiles, wallpaper and paints.
While these products do not necessarily pose an overt threat, they can be harmful if they are used irresponsibly or against the strict manufacturer’s guidelines. You will need to follow these to the letter when applying hazardous substances, while also ensuring that you adequately protect your eyes and hands in particular.
Invest in Suitable Work Wear
This also leads into arguably the most important aspect of working safely when attempting DIY, which is the investment in suitable and high quality work wear. From goggles and gloves to knee-pads, these items help to protect specific areas of your body without compromising your ability to handle power-tools and complete intricate tasks.
Online resources such as Elcocks offer an excellent resource for DIY enthusiasts in this respect, as they can purchase both tools and work wear in bulk for a potentially discounted sum.
Photo Credit By: shinmate.com
