Stay at home, protect the NHS & avoid DIY accidents

As many of us are focusing on jobs around the home right now, we thought we would share our top tips to avoid those DIY accidents and bear in mind best practice safety measures while working on projects at home.

Now is definitely not the time to require a visit to A&E. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), 220,000 people visit the hospital due to DIY accidents every year.

We asked some of our team the most common DIY injuries and the lessons learned, so here’s our top 10 ways to avoid DIY disasters:

1. Always use the right tool for the job – most accidents are caused by using tools and machinery . Very often people use the wrong tool or just don’t know how to use a tool properly causing awkward mistakes.

2. If you’re grinding always wear goggles, it’s such a common injury to end up with metal in your eye.

3. Not surprisingly ladders are a dangerous DIY tool. Most accidents can be avoided by following good ladder safety techniques—and using a little common sense. Tools left on top of ladders, set precariously on framing, or placed unsecured on a roof are an accident waiting to happen.

4. Cuts from pressure washers are surprisingly common, and dangerous. Water and bacteria get forced deep under the skin, where they can cause infections. Treat pressure washers carefully.

5. Dirt surprisingly can cause a lot of problems – we have heard a lot about PPE recently but wearing the right protective equipment really can save a lot of DIY accidents.

6. Avoid loose-fitting clothes around power tools, they can so easily get caught up and be wary of trigger locks.

7. Remember that a saw can be the best tool for reducing debris to a manageable size not your own physical force.

8. Attempting jobs that really should be left to the professional – it can be tempting when you can’t get a tradesman to come out safely right now to tackle jobs that are really beyond your reach. Electrics and plumbing are 2 key areas best left to the experts.

9. A simple tip is take your time – don’t rush things, think it through. Everyone’s favourite but so true is measure twice and cut once. Time spent on preparation is never wasted.

10. It might be tricky right now but keep the kids out of the way – slips and trips can happen so quickly.

The growth of YouTube and its instructional videos on how to do pretty much everything can no doubt help you tackle projects but you still need to be careful if you are not used to using power tools especially.

Take care out there everyone and stay safe!