The next couple of weeks will see the busiest time of year for people turning their attention to their home improvements. With the Easter bank holiday followed by the extra bank holiday friday given to us by William and Kate, and then the following May Day bank holiday, many of us have got some time to get stuck in to some of those DIY projects that need attention.
But please take care, because although this is traditionally a busy time for DIY, it is also when hospitals see a rise in the amount of emergencies due to DIY accidents!
Some basic safety tips to bear in mind include:
- Wear relevant protective clothing which might include safety goggles, gloves, dust mask, and strong shoes or boots.
- Always erect ladders following the manufacturer’s instructions – ladders are one of the main causes of accidents in the home. Make sure it can take your weight and anything else you are carrying. And make sure it is secure!
- If working with anything generating fumes, make sure you are working in a well ventilated area eg painting, varnishing, paint stripping.
- Work tidily – make sure you put tools away when you have finished using them. Don’t leave any tools lying around.
- Keep children and pets away from the area you are working in.
- If using electrical equipment, use an RCD (Residual Current Device)
- It may sound obvious, but use the correct tools for the job. You can always hire equipment that you may only need to use once.
Maybe most importantly you should ask yourself ‘Is this something I can take on myself?’
Never underestimate the difficulty of a job, and if you think it is beyond you, get someone else to do it!
You can get free no-obligation quotes for your home improvement projects from reliable and insured tradesmen in your local area by filling in this form.
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